Wifredo Lam (1902-1982) was an Afro-Cuban artist whose work synthesizes modernist strategies while incorporating the iconography and spirit of Afro-Cuban religion. Born in Cuba to an Afro-Cuban mother and Chinese immigrant father, Lam began his art training in the Escuela de Bellas Artes from 1918-1923. He continued his studies in Madrid under Alvarez de Sotomayor, teacher of Salvador Dali and curator of the Museo del Prado. While abroad Lam incorporated Cubist and Surrealist influences, encountering artists such as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Joan Miro, Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Seeking to portray universal humanity in his work, Lam painted generic figures, often with mask-like faces. Lam's work can be found in the collections of the Tate Gallery in London, the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., among others.