Lam, Wifredo

The Cuban-French painter Wifredo Lam first studied painting at the art academies of Havana and Madrid. After completing his studies, the artist moved to Paris in 1938, where, thanks to Pablo Picasso, he was accepted into the circles of the Surrealist André Breton. During the war he fled to Marseille and continued to develop his artistic career in Cuba and New York. However, he spent the longest and also most significant period of his life in Paris until his death.
 

The artistic spirit of optimism of that time and the acquaintances he made were probably decisive for his Surrealist style. Thus, although the tradition of the modern realists in Spain influenced him, it left room for more decorative motifs than those of his painter friends. Lam's expressive painting has its origins in the Santeria cult, the predominant African-American religion in Cuba. Wild dances invoke spirits and forms. These powerful rituals are unmistakably felt in Lam's paintings and prints. His works became more surrealistic after he met André Breton. Against a monochrome background, he worked out seemingly moving, linear forms. Mixed creatures of man and animal, African masks as well as voodoo cult and mystical environments he skillfully composed on the picture background. In contrast, in his later works he concentrated on simpler forms and more intense colors.
 

His works have long been on display all over the world, such as in the Museum of Modern Art New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Modern Art in Brussels, as well as in his native Havana.