Wilfredo Lam

Wilfredo Lam by Jacques Leenhardt A specialized monograph on the artist whose importance has finally been recognized, given clarity by recent biographical research. This beautifully illustrated book, the first monograph on Wifredo Lam since 1989, provides a comprehensive retrospective of the iconic Cuban artist’s life and work. With the quasquicentennial of his birth approaching, recent research and cataloging have deepened our understanding of Wifredo Lam (1902–1982) and his multifaceted contributions to 20th century art and politics. Following a long journey that began in Spain, where Lam studied the great European painters—Bosch, Du¨rer, Velázquez and Goya—this book traces defining moments in his artistic evolution. Encounters with Picasso and Breton in Paris shaped his distinctive style, which existed at the heart of modernity, distinguished also by the influences of surrealism, Matisse, and African art. Born in 1902 to a Chinese father and an African mother, Lam’s work draws from both European and