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Wifredo Lam Art

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
Innocence, from Pleni Luna Serie colorful lithograph by Wifredo Lam
By Wifredo Lam
Located in New York, NY
This colorful abstract original lithograph was printed at the Atelier Mourlot in 1974. This print is marked "H.C." on the bottom righthand corner, indicating it is a "Hors Commence" ...
Category

1970s Abstract Wifredo Lam Art

Materials

Lithograph

El Ultimo viaje del buque fantasma, Plate IV
By Wifredo Lam
Located in Fairlawn, OH
El Ultimo viaje del buque fantasma, Plate IV Color lithograph, 1976 Signed and numbered in pencil (see photos) From: Gabriel Garcia Marquez, El Ultimo viaie del buque Fantasma (The Last Voyage of the Ghost Ship (1868), 12 illustration by Wilfredo Lam Edition: 99 (6/99) This one of an edition of 99 from the deluxe edition of the book of the same title There was an additional edition of 200 books, signed and numbered on the justification page Publisher: Poligrafa, Barcelona Printer: Poligrafa, Barcelona The Gabriel Garcia Marquez/Lam book is an illustrated version of the short story, a man recalls the night during his boyhood when an enormous passenger ship went aground in his small town on the shores of the Caribbean. It is considered a Latin American masterpiece of surrealism and transculturation. (See below analysis of the story) Condition: slight yellows (aging) of paper small paper scuffs verso from previous hinges Sheet size: 22 x 29 7/8 inches About the author and the storyline of the book by Marquez: Gabriel García Márquez was born in 1927, he is a famous Colombian writer, novelist, short story writer, screenwriter and journalist. In 1982 he received the Novel Prize for Literature. He is an author sometimes inherently related to magical realism and his best-known work is the novel One Hundred Years of Solitude in which we find this literary genre. Summary of "The Last Voyage of the Ghost Ship" (1868): The novel by Gabriel García Márquez, The Last Voyage of the Ghost Ship, written in 1968, is written in a single great sentence, which tells the surprising and amazing adventure that has changed the existence of a child living in a coastal town with a small port sunny, almost forgotten by civilization. The days are peaceful, the nights are silent and illuminated only by the rotating beacon that, every fifteen seconds, transforms the town into a lunar camp with phosphorescent houses. During one night in March, the boy saw an immense afterlife ship that sails through the seas with all the dead crew and sometimes appears to the living, silently crossing the deserted sea, a huge and unexpected mass whose trajectory suddenly it seems to drift, and then runs aground on the reefs. This cataclysm is accomplished without disturbing the night's silence, and the next day the boy found no traces of the shipwreck and no one believed it, not even his mother. Time passes, and the same shipwreck occurs again, every year, on the same night in March; the adolescent...
Category

1970s Surrealist Wifredo Lam Art

Materials

Lithograph

El Ultimo viaje del buque fantasma, Plate III
By Wifredo Lam
Located in Fairlawn, OH
El Ultimo viaje del buque fantasma, Plate III Color lithograph, 1976 Signed and numbered in pencil From: Gabriel Garcia Marquez, El Ultimo viaie del buq...
Category

1970s Surrealist Wifredo Lam Art

Materials

Lithograph

ORSA MAGGIORE #7506
By Wifredo Lam
Located in Aventura, FL
From a set of 6 done in 1975 at Pollenza-Macerata, Nuova Foglia Editrice. Hand signed and numbered by Wifredo Lam. Edition EA of 8. Artwork size 31.5 x 25.5 inches. Framed. Artw...
Category

1970s Surrealist Wifredo Lam Art

Materials

Paper, Lithograph

ORSA MAGGIORE #7506
$3,712 Sale Price
25% Off
Wifredo Lam - Original Handsigned Lithograph -El ultimo viaje del buque fantasma
By Wifredo Lam
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Original lithograph, hand-signed and hand-numbered in pencil by the artist. Edition: 56/99 Excellent Conditions Dimensions: 76 x 56 cm Reference : Catalogue raisonné Tonneau-Ryckely...
Category

1970s Post-Modern Wifredo Lam Art

Materials

Lithograph

Femme Cheval
By Wifredo Lam
Located in Miami, FL
Wifredo Lam “Femme Cheval” 1971 Pastel on paper 24 x 18 in Signed and dated at the bottom left corner Provenance: Gallerry Dobbelhoef, Kessel. Private Collection, Brussel. Campo and...
Category

Late 20th Century Modern Wifredo Lam Art

Materials

Pastel, Laid Paper

Wifredo Lam (1902–1982) - Untitled from Visible Invisible folder - Aquatint
By Wifredo Lam
Located in Varese, IT
Aquatint etching on Goya paper limited edition in 99 exemplars in cardinal numbers plus 11 from A to M Current exemplar numbered as: 27/99 paper size: 50,5 x 71,5 cm Very good condit...
Category

1970s Abstract Wifredo Lam Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

Untitled
By Wifredo Lam
Located in Miami, FL
Wifredo Lam “Untitled” 1970 Ink on paper 19 x 26 in Signed by the artist at the right bottom corner. Certificate of Authenticity by Eskil Lam, Lam Foundation, Paris. Wifredo Lam wa...
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20th Century Surrealist Wifredo Lam Art

Materials

Ink

Against Apartheid - Africa
By Wifredo Lam
Located in Köln, DE
This work by Wifredo Lam from 1983 is part of the portfolio "Against Apartheid". In this year, many renowned artists decided to create a portfolio of printmaking works to set a sign against the Apartheid. There was also a touring exhibition. The complete project was supported by the United Nations Special Committee against Apartheid. Please scroll through our seller storefront...
Category

1980s Contemporary Wifredo Lam Art

Materials

Lithograph

Clairiere, from Pleni Luna
By Wifredo Lam
Located in Miami, FL
TECHNICAL INFORMATION: Wilfredo Lam Clairiere, from Pleni Luna 1974 Lithograph 25 1/2 x 19 3/4 in. Edition of 262 Pencil signed and numbered Accompanied w...
Category

1970s Modern Wifredo Lam Art

Materials

Lithograph

Innocence, from Pleni Luna
By Wifredo Lam
Located in Miami, FL
TECHNICAL INFORMATION: Wilfredo Lam Innocence, from Pleni Luna 1974 Lithograph 25 1/2 x 19 3/4 in. Edition of 262 Pencil signed and numbered Accompanied w...
Category

1970s Modern Wifredo Lam Art

Materials

Lithograph

Lune Haute, from Pleni Luna
By Wifredo Lam
Located in Miami, FL
TECHNICAL INFORMATION: Wilfredo Lam Lune Haute, from Pleni Luna 1974 Lithograph 25 1/2 x 19 3/4 in. Edition of 262 Pencil signed and numbered Accompanied with COA by Gregg Shienbau...
Category

1970s Modern Wifredo Lam Art

Materials

Lithograph

Belle Epine, from Pleni Luna
By Wifredo Lam
Located in Miami, FL
TECHNICAL INFORMATION: Wilfredo Lam Belle Epine, from Pleni Luna 1974 Lithograph 25 1/2 x 19 3/4 in. Edition of 262 Pencil signed and numbered Accompanied with COA by Gregg Shienba...
Category

1970s Modern Wifredo Lam Art

Materials

Lithograph

Untitled - Drawing by Wifredo Lam - Ink and Pencil - 1941
By Wifredo Lam
Located in Roma, IT
This extraordinary and rare drawing by Wifredo Lam is one of the artworks that the artist took with him when he moved from Cuba to France. In Paris, Lam showed Picasso his drawings a...
Category

1940s Surrealist Wifredo Lam Art

Materials

Ink, Pencil

Untitled - Drawing by Wifredo Lam - 1941
By Wifredo Lam
Located in Roma, IT
This extraordinary and rare drawing by Wifredo Lam is one of the artworks that the artist took with him when he moved from Cuba to France. In Paris, Lam showed Picasso his drawings a...
Category

1940s Modern Wifredo Lam Art

Materials

Ink, Pencil

Wifredo Lam art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Wifredo Lam art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of orange, yellow and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Wifredo Lam in lithograph, paper, etching and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the Surrealist style. Not every interior allows for large Wifredo Lam art, so small editions measuring 5 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Giorgio De Chirico, Leonard Baskin, and Man Ray. Wifredo Lam art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $150 and tops out at $150,000, while the average work can sell for $1,850.
Questions About Wifredo Lam Art
  • 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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