biography of Wifredo LAM (1902-1982)
Personal data
Birth : 12/08/1902 - Sagua la Grande, Cuba
Death : 09/11/1982 - Paris, France
Sex : M
Nationality/Affiliation : Cuba
Representatives
Galerie 1900 – 2000 – 8 Rue Bonaparte – Paris, France
Education
1920 : Academia de Artes Plásticas San Alejandro – Havana, Cuba
Professional data
Work and Life
1981:Attends the Meeting of Intellectuals for the Sovereignty of the Peoples of Our America, held in Havana. Cuban Minister of Culture Armando Hart DAVALOS, awards him the Félix VARELA Order, first class, highest distinction granted by the Cuban Council o
1969:His son Jonás Sverker is born.
1963:After five years of absence, he returns to Cuba at the invitation of the Cuban goverment.
1962:His son Ian Erik Timour is born in Zürich, Switzerland.
1961:His son Eskil Soren is born in Copenhagen, Denmark.
1960:Establishes a studio in Abisola Mare, Italy, a coastal town that attracts many Italian and foreign artists. He marries Lou LAURIN New York NY, USA.
1958:During a stay in Chicago, he joins the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in Fine Arts, where he meets Joe SHAPIRO, Mies Van der ROHE and Bill POPLEY, among others.
1957:Visits New York and Mexico. Diego RIVERA welcomes him in his home. Lam’s son, Stéphane Manuel is born. He meets Gherasim LUCA and Alain JOUFFROY.
1955:Paints a mural for the building of the Botanical Garden Caracas’s Central University. He returns to Paris and meets Swedish painter Lou LAURIN. He travels to Sweden for the first time.
1952:Leaves Cuba and settles in Paris.
1950:He and Helena HOLZER are divorced. He later travels to New York.
1945 – 1946:Travels to Haiti, at the invitation of Pierre MABILLE, the then French Cultural Attaché to Port-auPrince, where "for the first time he attends a voodoo ceremony, in honor of Dhambala, the god of unity; Erzulih, godess of the sea and Desaline, the ill
1944:Marries Helena HOLZER.
1942:Moves to a new studio on Panorama street, Marianao municipality.
1941:Decides to leave Europe. He embarks for the Americas along with more than 300 intellectuals fleeing the horrors of fascism. He arrives in Martinique and is held in a concentration camp for 40 days. While there he meets Aimé CÉSAIRE, and they become g
1940:Have to leave Paris due to the Second World War. He arrives in Bordeaux and then travels to Marseilles, running into several other surrealists friends : Pierre MABILLE, Marc CHAGALL, Oscar DOMINGUEZ, René CHAR, Marx ERNST, Victor BRAUNER, Jacques HÉR
1939:Meets André BRETON and Benjamin PÉRET and starts his links with the Surrealist movement.
1938:Arrives in Paris. Pablo PICASSO introduces him to a group of his friends : Michel LEIRIS, Paul ELUARD, Tristan TZARA, Fernand LÉGER, Georges BRAQUE, Joan MIRO, Christian ZERVOS, Henri MATISSE, among others.
1937:Meets Helena HOLZET, a German chemist, who would later be his wife. He also meets sculptor Manolo HUGUÉ, who gives him a letter for Pablo PPICASSO. Leaves for France in the face of the inevitable fall of the Spanish Republic.
1932 – 1936:Helps to defend the Spanish Republic. As part of the Fifth Militia Regiment, he identifies with other Cubans who are in Spain as internationalist fighters. He becomes friend with Alejo CARPENTIER, Nicolás GUILLÉN and Juan MARINELLO.
1931:Eva and the child die of TB.
1929:Marries Eva PIRIZ, a Spaniard from Extremadura. They have a son.
1925 – 1927:Settles in Cuenca at the invitation of his friend Dr. Fernando Rodriguez MUNOZ. He paints portraits of peasants and recreates the streets and corners of that city.
1924:Arrives in Madrid, he attends the workshop of the painter Alvarez de SOTOMAYOR, who teaches him formal instruction and creates in him a passion for classical Spanish painting and Dutch and Flemish painters.
1923:Decides to leave for Spain. Sagua’s goverment grants him a $40 dollar monthly allowance and the Director of the Havana Museum, Antonio Rodriguez MOREY, gives him a letter of introduction addressed to the curator of the El Prado Museum, Fernando Alvar
1917:Making screws is his first job at a railroad enterprise.
1916:Invited by painter Manolo MESA to one of his exhibitions at Sagua’s Casino Español, he is refused for his mestizo origin. He suffers the brutality of racial discrimination. He moves to Havana with some members of his family. His mother wants him to s
Work
Categorie and medium
Painting : Subject
Traditional culturecommunities
Movements and styles
SurrealismLatin American Art
Works
| The Jungle | |
| Date of creation : 1943 Medium : Painting | |
Solo Exhibitions (Selected)
Solo exhibitions
2004
Galerie Fabien Boulakia – Paris, France
05/25/2004 – 07/15/2004
2002
Thessa Herold – Paris, France
09/19/2002 – 10/26/2002
1977
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes – Havana, Cuba
1977
1968
Retrospective
Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris – Paris, France
1968
1966
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes – Havana, Cuba
1966
Stedelijk Museum – Amsterdam, Netherlands
1966
1961
University of Notre Dame – Notre Dame IN, United States
1961
Galerie La Cour d¿Ingres – Paris, France
1961
1948
Pierre Matisse Gallery – New York NY, United States
1948
1945
Pierre Matisse Gallery – New York NY, United States
1945
1939
Galerie Pierre Loeb – Paris, France
1939
1923
Society of Culture and Recreation – Sagua la Grande, Cuba
1923
Group Exhibitions (Selected)
Art shows / fairs
2007
FIAC Foire Internationale d’Art Contemporain
Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais – Paris, France
10/18/2007 – 10/22/2007
Represented by : Galerie Applicat-Prazan – 16 Rue de Seine – Paris, France
2004
FIAC Foire Internationale d’Art Contemporain, n°31
Paris Expo – Porte de Versailles – Paris, France
10/21/2004 – 10/25/2004
Represented by : Timothy Baum – New York NY, United States
Art 35 Basel
Messe Basel – Basel BS, Switzerland
06/16/2004 – 06/21/2004
Represented by : Galerie 1900 – 2000 – 8 Rue Bonaparte – Paris, France
2003
Art Basel Miami Beach
Miami Beach Convention Center – Miami Beach FL, United States
12/04/2003 – 12/07/2003
Represented by : Galerie 1900 – 2000 – 8 Rue Bonaparte – Paris, France
FIAC, n°30
Paris Expo – Porte de Versailles – Paris, France
10/09/2003 – 10/13/2003
Represented by : Galerie Nathalie Seroussi – 34 Rue de Seine – Paris, France
Art 34 Basel
Messe Basel – Basel BS, Switzerland
06/18/2003 – 06/23/2003
Represented by : Galerie 1900 – 2000 – 8 Rue Bonaparte – Paris, France
Art Chicago 2003
Navy Pier’s Festival Hall – Chicago IL, United States
05/09/2003 – 05/12/2003
Represented by : Cernuda Arte – 3155 Ponce de Leon Boulevard – Coral Gables FL, United States
St’art – Foire d’art contemporain de Strasbourg, n°7
Parc des expositions du Wacken – Strasbourg, France
01/31/2003 – 02/03/2003
Represented by : Galerie Birch – Bredgade 23 – Copenhagen, Denmark
2002
Art Basel Miami Beach
Miami Beach Convention Center – Miami Beach FL, United States
12/05/2002 – 12/08/2002
Represented by : Crane Kalman Gallery – 178 Brompton Road – London, United Kingdom
FIAC, n°29
Paris Expo – Porte de Versailles – Paris, France
10/24/2002 – 10/28/2002
Represented by : Galerie Applicat-Prazan – 16 Rue de Seine – Paris, France
Art 33 Basel
Messe Basel – Basel BS, Switzerland
06/12/2002 – 06/17/2002
Represented by : Galerie 1900 – 2000 – 8 Rue Bonaparte – Paris, France
1er ArtSud Salon International d’Art Contemporain du Sud
Palais des Congrès – Paris, France
04/18/2002 – 04/21/2002
Represented by : Galerie Intemporel – 37 rue Quincampoix – Paris, France
Art Miami, n°12
Miami Beach Convention Center – Miami Beach FL, United States
01/04/2002 – 01/08/2002
Represented by : Artemundi – Suite 915 1680 Michigan Avenue – Miami Beach FL, United States
2001
Art Basel Miami Beach: cancelled
Miami Beach Convention Center – Miami Beach FL, United States
12/13/2001 – 12/16/2001
Represented by : Crane Kalman Gallery – 178 Brompton Road – London, United Kingdom
ARTissima – Arte Contemporaneo a Torino, n° 8
Palazzo del Lavoro – Turin TO, Italy
11/15/2001 – 11/18/2001
Represented by : Nuova Gissi – Piazza Solferino 2 – Turin TO, Italy
FIAC, n°28
Paris Expo – Porte de Versailles – Paris, France
10/10/2001 – 10/15/2001
Represented by : Galerie 1900 – 2000 – 8 Rue Bonaparte – Paris, France
Art 32 Basel
Messe Basel – Basel BS, Switzerland
06/13/2001 – 06/18/2001
Represented by : Galerie 1900 – 2000 – 8 Rue Bonaparte – Paris, France
Europ’ART Genève – Foire internationale d’art, n°10
Palexpo – Geneva GE, Switzerland
04/27/2001 – 05/01/2001
Represented by : Pedro Lopez E Hijos S.L. – Villanueva 27 – Madrid, Spain
Arte Fiera – Mostra Mercato d’Arte contemporanea
Quartiere Fieristico – Bologna BO, Italy
01/25/2001 – 01/29/2001
Represented by : Galleria Maggiore – Via d’Aglezio 15 – Bologna BO, Italy
Art Miami, n° 11
Miami Beach Convention Center – Miami Beach FL, United States
01/18/2001 – 01/22/2001
Represented by : Artemundi – Suite 915 1680 Michigan Avenue – Miami Beach FL, United States
Artpalmbeach – 4th Modern & Contemporary Art Fair
International Pavilion of the Palm Beaches – West Palm Beach FL, United States
01/10/2001 – 01/15/2001
Represented by : Mary-Anne Martin Fine Art – 23 east 73rd Street – New York NY, United States
2000
ARTissima – Arte Contemporaneo a Torino, n° 7
Palazzo del Lavoro – Turin TO, Italy
10/05/2000 – 10/08/2000
Represented by : Nuova Gissi – Piazza Solferino 2 – Turin TO, Italy
Art Expo – Fira d’Art de Barcelona
Barcelona, Spain
05/18/2000 – 05/22/2000
Represented by : Cardelli & Fontana Arte Contemporanea – Via Mazzini 35 – Sarzana SP, Italy
1999
ARTissima – Arte Contemporaneo a Torino, n° 6
Turin TO, Italy
10/07/1999 – 10/10/1999
Represented by : Nuova Gissi – Piazza Solferino 2 – Turin TO, Italy
Artpalmbeach – Modern & Contemporary Art Fair
International Pavilion of the Palm Beaches – West Palm Beach FL, United States
03/10/1999 – 03/15/1999
Represented by : Galleria Dante Vecchiato – Piazetta S. Nicolo 1 – Padua PD, Italy
1954
Salon de Mai
Paris, France
1954
Group exhibitions
2004
MoMA at El Museo Latin American and Caribbean Art from the Collection of the Museum of Modern Art
Museo del Barrio – New York NY, United States
03/05/2004 – 07/25/2004
2003
Sept Lieux – Sept Matières
Hôtel du Département, Centre d’Art Présence Van Gogh, Château de l’Empéri, Galerie du Conseil Général des Bouches du Rhône, Musée de l’Arles Antique – Marseille, France
10/17/2003 – 01/15/2004
Exposition vente, André Breton, 42 rue Fontaine
Calmels Cohen – Drouot Richelieu – Paris, France
04/01/2003 – 04/18/2003
2001
Portraits photographiques d’artistes
Salle Rossini – Paris, France
10/04/2001 – 10/06/2001
1992
Wifredo Lam and his Contemporaries 1938-1952
Studio Museum in Harlem – New York NY, United States
1992
1968
Dada, Surrealism and their heritage
MoMA Museum of Modern Art – New York NY, United States
1968
1947
Exposition Internationale du Surréalisme
Galerie Maeght – Paris, France
1947
Bibliography (Selected)
On the artist
Books
1950
Wifredo Lam y su obra vista a trvés de significados críticos
Author: Ortiz Fernando
1950
Monographies
1976
Wifredo Lam
Author: Fouchet Max-Pol
1976
1970
Wifredo Lam
Author: Leiris Michel
1970
Periodicals
2004
PERSIN Patreick-Gilles – Les grnds invisibles
in: Univers des Arts n° 89 p. 10
Paris, France
05/2004
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