The recent retrospective of Wifredo Lam’s work at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) marks a significant shift in the positioning and interpretation of his art within the museum. The exhibition, titled “When I Don’t Sleep, I Dream,” offers a comprehensive view of Lam’s practice, from his early training in Spain to his transformative years in Paris, his return to Cuba during World War II, and the radical decades that followed.
Born to an Afro-Cuban mother and Chinese father in 1902, Lam’s art education began in Spain before the outbreak of the Civil War, which he briefly served in. He then moved to Paris in 1938, where he immersed himself in the avant-garde circles of the time, befriending artists like Pablo Picasso and writers like André Breton. In Paris, Lam’s work evolved towards a modernist vocabulary, incorporating elements of Cubism and Surrealism. His engagement with Surrealism’s exploration of the subconscious and automatism heavily influenced his artistic development.
One of the notable aspects of Lam’s work was his complex relationship with his heritage and the colonial gaze that often exoticized non-Western cultures. This tension is evident in his engagement with African and Afro-diasporic visual cultures, which he incorporated into his art while challenging essentializing ideas imposed on him. Despite being racialized within the avant-garde circles, Lam maintained a critical stance, reflecting on the commodification and appropriation of Black culture.
Lam’s encounter with poet Aimé Césaire in Martinique during World War II further shaped his artistic and political convictions. Their collaboration on Césaire’s work introduced Lam to the Négritude movement’s anti-colonial vision, emphasizing Black consciousness and the marvelous as tools for liberation. Lam’s return to Cuba in the early 1940s solidified his commitment to confronting racial hierarchies and political repression on the island.
The retrospective prominently features Lam’s iconic painting “La Jungla,” a symbolic depiction of an Antillean thicket intertwined with sugarcane, representing the history of Caribbean resource extraction and enslavement. This painting marked a pivotal moment in Lam’s career, where he reclaimed African-derived forms from European modernists and imbued them with political significance. The exhibition showcases how Lam’s work evolved into a pictorial language rooted in Afro-Caribbean religions, incorporating symbols from LucumÃ, Vodou, and other traditions into his paintings.
Overall, the retrospective at MoMA offers a nuanced and comprehensive view of Wifredo Lam’s artistic journey, highlighting his contributions to modernism and his ongoing engagement with questions of Black identity, decolonization, and cultural hybridity. By repositioning Lam’s work within the museum’s narrative, the exhibition invites viewers to reconsider the significance of his art in the broader context of art history and cultural politics. Wifredo Lam: Exploring the Intersection of Modernism and Cultural Negotiation
Wifredo Lam, a Cuban artist of Chinese, European, and African descent, has long been a figure that occupies a unique position in the narrative of modernism. His works, such as “Bélial, empereur des mouches (Belial, Emperor of the Flies)” and the Femme-Cheval paintings, showcase a fusion of human, animal, and vegetal forms, creating a language of hybridity and synthesis. Lam’s monumental drawing “Grande Composition,” which served as the backdrop for a play by Césaire about the Haitian Revolution, extends this language into a panoramic display. Additionally, his lesser-known ceramics translate this hybrid syntax into three-dimensional jagged forms, further emphasizing his unique artistic vision.
Despite his early recognition by institutions like the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Lam’s work has often been relegated to the periphery of the modernist narrative. While pieces like “Mother and Child” were acquired by MoMA’s first director Alfred H. Barr Jr., the interpretive frame necessary to fully understand Lam’s work was often lacking. Even “La Jungla” was kept in a “prominent limbo” within the museum, signaling inclusion but remaining structurally outside the established account of modernism.
However, with the exhibition “When I Don’t Sleep, I Dream,” Lam’s first US retrospective at MoMA, a shift in perspective is evident. The museum, now dedicated to a more global understanding of modernism and actively engaging with Latin American art, presents Lam’s work within the contexts of diaspora, colonial history, and cultural negotiation. This exhibition serves as a corrective measure, acknowledging that Lam’s art cannot be divorced from the complex socio-political landscapes that shaped it.
The show also reflects MoMA’s evolving commitments to inclusivity and diversity, showcasing a willingness to engage with artists whose voices were previously marginalized. As the museum continues to redefine its narrative, the encounter with Lam’s work becomes a testament to its changing ethos.
“Wifredo Lam: When I Don’t Sleep, I Dream” is currently on view at the Museum of Modern Art until April 11, 2026. Curated by MoMA Director Christophe Cherix and Curator of Latin American Art Beverly Adams, with assistance from Damasia Lacroze and Eva Caston, the exhibition offers a comprehensive look at Lam’s innovative and groundbreaking artistic practice. Visit MoMA to experience the rich tapestry of Lam’s work and explore the intricate intersections of modernism and cultural negotiation.
