Wifredo Lam Masterpieces opened at Gary Nader Art Centre on May 22, 2024, with a gathering that invited guests to explore the Cuban artist’s visual language and its cultural roots. On view through October 31, 2024, the exhibition traced his development from the 1940s into the early 1970s.

Selected by Gary Nader, the 18 works offered a view of Lam’s changing compositions and recurring concerns: identity, spirituality, the natural world and the relationship between human and animal forms. Photographs from the occasion capture conversations among the paintings, moments of close looking and Gary Nader discussing the works with guests.

From the 1940s to the 1970s

The presentation followed the emergence of Lam’s distinctive style after his return to Cuba in 1941. Cubist structures and Surrealist imagery met Afro-Caribbean symbolism in works including Hermès Trismégiste (1945), The Flying Bird (1945) and Jungle Gods (1948).

Paintings from the 1950s, including Here on Earth (1955) and La Veille (1959), extended this exploration of hybrid figures and spiritual connections with nature. Later works carried those concerns into increasingly abstract compositions, revealing both continuity and experimentation.

A Longstanding Commitment to Wifredo Lam

The exhibition continued Gary Nader’s decades of work presenting and promoting Lam. Earlier projects included Wifredo Lam: A Tribute in 1993 and a centenary homage in 2002, followed by presentations in collaboration with Phillips in 2016 and Pace Gallery in 2021.

“For over 40 years, our work and commitment have been to promote Lam’s work worldwide.”Gary Nader

At the opening, the exhibition became a setting for exchanging perspectives on the work and on Lam’s place within modern art. The evening’s photographs document that shared experience alongside the presentation itself.

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