History of Wifredo Lam in Timeline

Wifredo Lam was a Cuban artist who aimed to represent and revitalize Afro-Cuban culture. He developed a unique style characterized by hybrid figures, influenced by artists like Picasso and Matisse. While primarily a painter, Lam also explored sculpture, ceramics, and printmaking later in his career. His distinctive visual style significantly influenced other artists.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements

December 8, 1902: Wifredo Lam's birth

On December 8, 1902, Wifredo Óscar de la Concepción Lam y Castilla, known as Wifredo Lam, was born. He became a Cuban artist known for portraying Afro-Cuban spirit and culture.

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1916: Move to Havana

In 1916, Lam moved to Havana to study law as desired by his family. He simultaneously began studying tropical plants at the Botanical Gardens.

1918: Studying painting at Escuela de Bellas Artes

In 1918, Lam began studying painting at the Escuela de Bellas Artes. He disliked both academic teaching and painting.

1923: Studying in Madrid

In 1923, Lam began studying in Madrid under Fernando Álvarez de Sotomayor y Zaragoza, curator of the Museo del Prado, and spent his evenings working alongside young, nonconformist painters. He also discovered the work of Hieronymus Bosch and Pieter Bruegel I at the Prado.

1923: Moved to Madrid to further his art studies

In the autumn of 1923, Lam left for Madrid, Spain to further his art studies.

1929: Marriage to Eva Piriz

In 1929, Lam married Eva Piriz.

1931: Death of Eva Piriz and son

In 1931, Lam's wife, Eva Piriz, and their young son died of tuberculosis. This personal tragedy contributed to the dark nature of his work.

1936: Siding with the Republicans

In 1936, at the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, Lam sided with the Republicans and used his talent to fashion Republican posters and propaganda.

1937: Drafted to defend Madrid and met Manolo Hugué

In 1937, Lam was drafted to defend Madrid and was incapacitated during the fighting. He was then sent to Barcelona where he met Helena Holzer and Manolo Hugué, who gave Lam a letter of introduction that sparked his friendship with Picasso.

1938: Moved to Paris and trip to Mexico

In 1938, Lam moved to Paris and gained the support of Picasso, who introduced him to leading artists. In the same year, he traveled to Mexico and stayed with Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.

1938: Emotional intensity in work

In 1938, Lam produced works with emotional intensity and a stronger African influence, seen in the figures' angular outlines and synthesis of bodies. The subject matter ranged from interacting couples to women in despair.

1939: Meeting André Breton

In 1939, Lam met André Breton.

1939: First exhibition at the Galerie Pierre Loeb and exhibit with Picasso

In 1939, Pierre Loeb gave Lam his first exhibition at the Galerie Pierre Loeb, which received an enthusiastic response from critics. Lam and Picasso also exhibited their work together at the Perls Galleries in New York in the same year.

1940: Left for Marseille

In 1940, with the outbreak of World War II, Lam left Paris for Marseille, France.

1941: Travels from Martinique to Cuba

In 1941, Breton, Lam and Claude Lévi-Strauss left for Martinique, only to be imprisoned. After forty days, Lam was released and allowed to leave for Cuba, which he reached in midsummer 1941.

1943: Began The Jungle

In 1943, Lam began his best-known work, The Jungle. It reflected his mature style, depicting four figures with mask-like heads, half-emerging from dense tropical vegetation.

1944: Married Helana Holzer

In 1944, Lam married Helana Holzer.

1946: Spent four months in Haiti

In 1946, Lam and Breton spent four months in Haiti, where Lam enriched his understanding of African divinity and magic rituals by observing Voodoun ceremonies.

1950: Worked with René Portocarrero and others on ceramics

In 1950, Lam worked with René Portocarrero and others on ceramic in the village of Santiago de Las Vegas.

1952: Settled in Paris

In 1952, Lam settled in Paris after having divided his time between Cuba, New York, and France.

1955: Paintings at Havana University

In 1955, Lam exhibited a series of paintings at Havana University to demonstrate his support for the students' protests against Batista's dictatorship.

1960: Established a studio in Albissola Marina

In 1960, Lam established a studio in Albissola Marina on Italy's northwest coast and settled there with his wife Lou Laurin and their three sons.

1962: A Trois Centimetres de la Terre was painted

In 1962, Lam's A Trois Centimetres de la Terre was painted. It was later sold for a record price.

1964: Awarded Guggenheim International Award

In 1964, Lam was awarded the Guggenheim International Award.

1965: Painted 'El Tercer Mundo'

In 1965, six years after the revolution, Lam showed his loyalty to Castro and his goals of social and economic equality by painting El Tercer Mundo (The Third World) for the presidential palace.

1966: Retrospectives of work throughout Europe

Between 1966 and 1967, there were many retrospectives of Lam's work throughout Europe.

1967: Retrospectives of work throughout Europe

Between 1966 and 1967, there were many retrospectives of Lam's work throughout Europe.

1975: First ceramic exhibition

In 1975, at the encouragement of Asger Jorn and after being intrigued by the local pottery-making, Lam had his first ceramic exhibition.

September 11, 1982: Wifredo Lam's death

On September 11, 1982, Wifredo Lam, the Cuban artist, passed away. He was known for his unique style influenced by artists like Picasso and his focus on Afro-Cuban culture.

1983: Opened Wifredo Lam Center for Contemporary Art

In 1983, the Wifredo Lam Center for Contemporary Art opened in Havana, Cuba as a tribute to Lam. It is responsible for the organization of the Bienal de la Habana and research of contemporary visual arts.

May 2012: Idolo sold for $4.56m

In May 2012, Lam's Idolo (Oya/Divinit de l'air de la mort) sold for $4.56m.

2015: Retrospective exhibition opened

In 2015, a retrospective exhibition of Lam's works opened at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, set to travel to the Reina Sofia Museum in Spain and the Tate Museum in London afterwards.

December 6, 2017: A Trois Centimetres de la Terre sold for a record price

On December 6, 2017, Lam's A Trois Centimetres de la Terre (1962) was sold for €4.44m ($5.24m) at Sotheby's, establishing a new record price for the painter.

2019: Included in The Gift of Art group show

In 2019, Lam's work was included in the group show The Gift of Art, at Pérez Art Museum Miami. The exhibition highlighted important artworks within PAMM's permanent collection on Latinx and Latin American artists.

June 28, 2020: "Omi Obini" was auctioned for a record price

On June 28, 2020, Lam's "Omi Obini" was auctioned at Sotheby's for $9,603,800, establishing a new record price.

November 10, 2025: Museum of Modern Art exhibited Wifredo Lam: When I Don’t Sleep, I Dream

On November 10, 2025, the Museum of Modern Art exhibited Wifredo Lam: When I Don’t Sleep, I Dream, Museum of Modern Art, New York City, Lam’s first retrospective in the United States.

April 11, 2026: Museum of Modern Art exhibited Wifredo Lam: When I Don’t Sleep, I Dream

On April 11, 2026, the Museum of Modern Art exhibited Wifredo Lam: When I Don’t Sleep, I Dream, Museum of Modern Art, New York City, Lam’s first retrospective in the United States.