Two significant art styles shaped the fascinating oeuvre of the Cuban painter Wifredo Lam throughout his life: Cubism and Surrealism. Trained in art on Cuba and in Spain, works by Pablo Picasso, alongside African art, would soon become decisive sources of inspiration for Wilfredo Lam. In this context Wifredo Lam's paintings are characterized by a poised Cubist reduction and a dissection of forms. The same can be said about his graphic works, for instance his lithographs in colors. Surrealist influence largely came through contacts with protagonists of this movement, leaving their traces behind in the encrypted mythical worlds of images that Wifredo Lam composed.
Works by the multiple documenta participant Wifredo Lam were in the focus of numerous international exhibitions, among others, in the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Nantes. Furthermore, they are in possession of renowned collections, such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York.