wilfredo lam commemorative sculpture before its unveiling

as part of the tenth art biennial in havana a seven meter high sculpture was recently unveiled
to commemorate one of cuba's most famous artists - wilfredo lam. the piece, created by alberto lescay
represents the image of a huge bronze bird that is comprised of 52 pieces based on iconography from
the work of lam.


wilfredo lam commemorative sculpture is unwrapped by alberto lescay

lescay completed the work with the help of engineer fernando yero and the san luis workshop.
another sixty-three cuban contemporary artists also contributed to the piece whose names appear
on a plaque accompanying the sculpture.



wilfredo lam was a cuban artist with congolese and chinese heritage. the artist was also influenced
by the european artists henri matisse and pablo picasso as well as the african community in which
he grew up in. lam's painting, 'the jungle', (1943) is considered the most important work and is
preserved in the MoMA, new york.


wilfredo lam commemorative sculpture by alberto lescay

after his death in 1982 cuba opened a contemporary art center that in his name, which saved several
of his works and now organizes the international art biennial in havana. this tenth edition sees some
200 artists from 50 countries on all continents in attendance, more than half of them from latin america.
the biennial will run from march 27 - april 30, 2009.




the sculpture is composed of 52 pieces of iconography from the work of lam


en route to its installation


alberto lescay lays on the monument's plaque

alberto lescay (1950) has been working as a sculptor, painter, draftsman for over twenty-five years.
he has sculpted numerous monuments within his native cuba and exhibited his works internationally.
he is also the president of the caguayo foundation, an institution that promotes the applied and
monumental arts, in santiago de cuba.


alberto lescay oversees the installation of the sculpture