Wifredo Lam (1902-1982)

Gift from the artist
Thence by descent to the present owner 

Lou Laurin-Lam and Eskil Lam, Wifredo Lam: Catalogue Raisonné of the Painted Work, Volume I, 1923-1960, Paris, 1996, no. 33.06, p. 235, illustrated 

This work is in lovely condition. The canvas is still on its original stretcher. The paint layer is cleaned and varnished. The only area of restoration is the lower right corner, where an area of thinness about three inches above the signature has received retouching. Under ultraviolet light, dramatically fluorescent areas of color are visible in the right hand, the face and the throat. These all correspond to original pigment, and are not retouching. The work should be hung as-is. (This condition report has been provided courtesy of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.)
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

“Lam’s female depictions in particular are noteworthy. Invariably set against a rolling landscape or a silhouetted skyline, the subjects sit with their hands sedately folded or resting on their laps. They boldly engage the gaze of the viewer, prefiguring the femme-cheval who would appear in Lam’s work in the 1940s. Equally striking avatars of female power and beauty, the portrait subjects range from the austerely dressed […] to the fashionably attired. The depictions of fashionable Spanish gentry in these paintings demonstrate Lam’s versatility with a range of academic and contemporary styles.”
Lowery Stokes Sims, “The Primitive within Primitivism: Lam’s Encounter with the School of Paris,” Wifredo Lam and the International Avant-Garde, 1923-1982, Austin, 2002, p. 12-13