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Wifredo Lam Paintings

Cuban, 1902-1982

Wifredo Lam was an Afro-Cuban artist best known for his unique Surrealist aesthetic that combined European artistic movements with the imagery of his native country. 

“I responded always to the presence of factors that emanated from our history and our geography, tropical flowers, and black culture,” Lam once said. 

In one of his most famous paintings, The Jungle (1943), these various influences are melded together, onto a single large-scale canvas. Born Wifredo Oscar de la Concepción Lam y Castilla on December 8, 1902 in Sagua la Grande, Cuba, the painter moved to Madrid, Spain in 1923 to study with Fernando Álvarez de Sotomayor, who had been the teacher of famed Surrealist Salvador Dalí.

Lam moved to Paris after seeing an exhibition of Pablo Picasso’s work in Spain. Having arrived in the French capital, he introduced himself to Picasso who subsequently showed Lam his collection of African and Oceanic artworks. The two artists' interaction figured heavily in Lam’s work throughout the remainder of his career. He died on September 11, 1982 in Paris, France at the age of 79. 

Today, the artist’s works are held in the collections of the Tate Gallery in London, the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., among others.

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(Biography provided by Gallery Art)

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Artist: Wifredo Lam
Wifredo Lam Cuban Artist Original Watercolor, 1961
By Wifredo Lam
Located in Phoenix, AZ
This original watercolor on paper by Cuban artist Wifredo Lam is in excellent condition and measures 12"h x 10"w. It is signed lower right and dated 1961. It bears a simple gold fr...
Category

1960s Wifredo Lam Paintings

Materials

Paint

Three Figures
By Wifredo Lam
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Provenance: Cernuda Art, Coral Gables Private Collection, Los Angeles
Category

1970s Modern Wifredo Lam Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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Six O'Clock
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Six O-Clock, c. 1942, oil on canvas, 30 x 20 inches, signed and titled several times verso of frame and stretcher (perhaps by another hand), marked “Rehn” several times on frame (for the Frank K. M. Rehn Galleries in New York City, who represented Craig at the time); Exhibited: 1) 18th Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary American Oil Paintings from March 21 to May 2, 1943 at The Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. #87, original price $450 (per catalog) (exhibition label verso), 2) Craig’s one-man show at the Frank K. M. Rehn Galleries, New York City, from October 26 to November 14, 1942, #10 (original price listed as $350); and 3) Exhibition of thirty paintings sponsored by the Harrisburg Art Association at the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg in March, 1944 (concerning this exhibit, Penelope Redd of The Evening News (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) wrote: “Other paintings that have overtones of superrealism inherent in the subjects include Tom Craig’s California nocturne, ‘Six O’Clock,’ two figures moving through the twilight . . . .” March 6, 1944, p. 13); another label verso from The Museum of Art of Toledo (Ohio): original frame: Provenance includes George Stern Gallery, Los Angeles, CA About the Painting Long before Chris Burden’s iconic installation outside of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Urban Light, another artist, Tom Craig, made Southern California streetlights the subject of one of his early 1940s paintings. Consisting of dozens of recycled streetlights from the 1920s and 1930s forming a classical colonnade at the museum’s entrance, Burden’s Urban Light has become a symbol of Los Angeles. For Burden, the streetlights represent what constitutes an advanced society, something “safe after dark and beautiful to behold.” It seems that Craig is playing on the same theme in Six O-Clock. Although we see two hunched figures trudging along the sidewalk at the end of a long day, the real stars of this painting are the streetlights which brighten the twilight and silhouette another iconic symbol of Los Angeles, the palm trees in the distance. Mountains in the background and the distant view of a suburban neighborhood join the streetlights and palm trees as classic subject matter for a California Scene painting, but Craig gives us a twist by depicting the scene not as a sun-drenched natural expanse. Rather, Craig uses thin layers of oil paint, mimicking the watercolor technique for which he is most famous, to show us the twinkling beauty of manmade light and the safety it affords. Although Southern California is a land of natural wonders, the interventions of humanity are already everywhere in Los Angeles and as one critic noted, the resulting painting has an air of “superrealism.” About the Artist Thomas Theodore Craig was a well-known fixture in the Southern California art scene. He was born in Upland California. Craig graduated with a degree in botany from Pomona College and studied painting at Pamona and the Chouinard Art School with Stanton MacDonald-Wright and Barse Miller among others. He became close friends with fellow artist Milford Zornes...
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Wifredo Lam paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Wifredo Lam paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Wifredo Lam in canvas, fabric, oil paint and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 1970s and is mostly associated with the modern style. Not every interior allows for large Wifredo Lam paintings, so small editions measuring 18 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Enrique Kico Govantes, Emilio Sanchez, and Philip Evergood. Wifredo Lam paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $80,000 and tops out at $80,000, while the average work can sell for $80,000.
Questions About Wifredo Lam Paintings
  • 1stDibs ExpertOctober 15, 2024
    Yes, Wifredo Lam was a Surrealist. After meeting André Breton, the author of the Surrealist Manifesto, the Cuban artist became highly involved with the Surrealist movement. He was also a member of the movement Négritude. Lam’s style resulted from his extensive travels, featuring graffiti-like flourishes with clear Cubist influences in a Surrealist mood. On 1stDibs, shop a variety of Wifredo Lam art.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Cuban artist Wilfredo Lam was a painter who often worked on large-scale paintings. Using a modern approach and Afro-Cuban imagery, he tackled common themes of social injustice and spirituality. On 1stDibs, find a variety of original artwork from top artists.

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