Wilfredo Lam, as this distinguished painter is known, was born in Sagua la Grande on December 8, 1902, and died in Paris on September 11, 1982. He was a pioneer of Cuban visual arts, an artist who began to break established canons while studying at the San Alejandro Academy, while also displaying an effervescent creativity that would later develop into a peculiar, fresh, and transgressive style.

In 1923, he moved to Spain, where he enrolled at the San Fernando Academy in Madrid. When the Spanish Civil War broke out, he left Spain and headed to France, where he became a disciple of Pablo Picasso and befriended prominent French intellectuals and artists, including André Breton. In this regard, he had important ties with the Surrealist group; but he also developed an interest in African art, particularly from Guinea and the Congo, producing a particular symbiosis.

He returned to Cuba in 1941, due to the risks posed by the Second World War conflict. He did so on a long journey that included Marseille, Martinique, and Haiti. He was accompanied by André Bretón. André Massón and Claude Levi-Strauss also later settled in Havana, marking a very fruitful period for art on the island and one of the most prolific of Lam’s life.

His 1943 piece, The Jungle, is one of the most important works of his career and was exhibited for a long time at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Other highly recognized works include Malembo, Canto a Camosis, Presente eterno, Escalopendre, Arpas cardinales, Flor luna, Lus de barro, Rumor de tierra, and La silla, among others that demonstrate his mastery of diverse cultural essences, yet somehow point to a Cuban identity.

Lam returned to Paris again, but he maintained his ties to Cuba after 1959. In 1964, he again presented a significant collection of pieces in Havana. His work was exhibited abroad on numerous occasions, in New York, Chicago, Paris, Prague, and Milan, to name just a few. Although Lam died in Paris, his remains were brought to the island. His works are housed in major museums around the world and honor Cuba’s reputation as a painter.