Wifredo Lam

Artist Bio: Wifredo Lam (1902-1982)

Wifredo Lam was a prominent Cuban artist of mixed African-Chinese ancestry. In his art, he sought to portray the enduring Afro-Cuban spiritual culture. In 1916, Lam moved to Havana to study law. He also studied painting at the Escuela de Bella Artes in Havana. However, he disliked both academic teaching and painting and moved to Madrid in 1923 to study under Fernando Zaraogova, the Curator of the Musea del Prado, and the teacher of Salvador Dali. Lam mixed with the local group of young non-conformist painters and worked on his technical development. Lam was influenced by the Surrealists and in 1938, moved to Paris, where he worked with Picasso, Matisse, Léger, Miro, and Braque.

In 1941, following the German invasion of France, Lam returned to Cuba where he developed a new awareness of Afro-Cuban tradition but retained ties with the international art world. He had many exhibitions of his work in Europe and New York.