The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York is hosting "Wifredo Lam: When I Don’t Sleep, I Dream," the first comprehensive U.S. retrospective of the Cuban modernist's career. Running from November 2025 to April 2026, the exhibition traces Lam’s artistic evolution from his formative years in Europe to his return to the Caribbean, where he integrated Afro-Caribbean histories and spirituality into the language of modern painting. The show features major loans, a documentary film, and a scholarly catalogue exploring his unique synthesis of Surrealism and decolonial thought.
This retrospective is a significant institutional milestone, positioning Lam as a central figure in the expansion of the modernist canon beyond Western-centric narratives. By highlighting his commitment to art as an "act of decolonization," MoMA underscores the ongoing shift in art history to recognize the contributions of Black diasporic and Latin American artists. The exhibition's scale and the involvement of high-profile contemporary artists like Rashid Johnson demonstrate Lam's enduring influence on today’s visual culture and the market's continued interest in global modernism.