Private Collection 16" X 20" Attrib. with certificate Wifredo Óscar de la Concepción Lam y Castilla, better known as Wifredo Lam, was a Cuban artist who sought to portray and revive the enduring Afro-Cuban spirit and culture. Inspired by and in contact with some of the most renowned artists of the 20th century, e.g., Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Lam melded his influences and created a unique style, which was ultimately characterized by the prominence of hybrid figures. This distinguished visual style of his also influences a lot of artists. Though he was predominantly a painter, he also worked with sculpture, ceramics and printmaking in his later life. Attributed to Wifredo Lam .Upon Lam's return to Havana, he developed a new awareness of Afro-Cuban traditions. He noticed that the descendants of the slaves were still being oppressed and that the Afro-Cuban culture was degraded and made picturesque for the sake of tourism. He believed that Cuba was in danger of losing its African heritage and therefore sought to free them from cultural subjugation. In an interview with Max-Pol Fouchet, he said, I wanted with all my heart to paint the drama of my country, but by thoroughly expressing the negro spirit, the beauty of the plastic art of the blacks. In this way I could act as a Trojan horse that would spew forth hallucinating figures with the power to surprise, to disturb the dreams of the exploiters." Additionally, his time in Cuba marked a rapid evolution of his style. Drawing from his study of tropical plants and familiarity with Afro-Cuban culture, his paintings became characterized by the presence of a hybrid figure—part human, part animal, and part vegetal. His style was also distinctive because of its fusion of Surrealist and Cubist approaches with imagery and symbols from Santería. In 1943 he 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. Later that year it was shown in an exhibition at the Pierre Matisse Gallery in New York, where it created controversy. The painting depicted the tension between Modernism and the vibrancy and energy of African culture. The Jungle was ultimately purchased by the Museum of Modern Art N.Y• Deux personnages. 1938. Collection Conseil général de Martinique, France.• Mother and Child. 1939. Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago.• Anamu. 1942. Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.• Satan. 1942. Museum of Modern Art, New York.• The Jungle. 1943. The Museum of Modern Art, New York.• Untitled. 1943. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston• Homenaje a jicotea. ca. 1943. Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami.• Untitled. 1945. Galerie Lelong, Paris.• Le guerrier. 1947. Galerie Lelong, Paris.• Le Reve. 1947. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution.• Exodo. 1948. Howard University Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.• L'Espirit aveugle. 1948. Indianapolis Museum of Art.• Lisamona. 1950. Collection Steven M. Greenbaum, New Hampshire.

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