Book summary
by Claude Cernuschi · 3 min read
Art, anthropology, and Afro-Cuban identity converge in Cernuschi’s bold reading of Wifredo Lam.
Claude Cernuschi’s The Elementary Structures of Kinship offers a fresh, politically charged interpretation of Wifredo Lam’s art, moving beyond aesthetics to probe its anthropological and social dimensions. Readers interested in the intersections of modern art, race, and cultural identity will find this book an insightful guide to how visual creativity can challenge and reshape social narratives. Claude Cernuschi is an art historian and professor known for his scholarship on modern and contemporary art, with a particular focus on cross-cultural influences. His expertise in both art history and field research in Cuba lends authority and nuance to his interpretations of Lam’s work.
Cernuschi argues that Lam’s paintings are not merely formal experiments but deliberate interventions in the politics of race and identity in 20th-century Cuba. By drawing on anthropology and his own fieldwork, Cernuschi shows how Lam’s art becomes a site of resistance, confronting the racism and marginalization faced by Afro-Cubans. The book positions Lam as an artist who used his work to advocate for social dignity and pride within his community.
A core thread of the book is Lam’s engagement with contemporary anthropology, particularly its studies of kinship, ritual, and cultural hybridity. Cernuschi demonstrates how Lam was influenced by anthropological theories and fieldwork, incorporating motifs and structures from Afro-Cuban religious practices. This anthropological lens allows Lam’s paintings to be read as visual ethnographies—complex commentaries on cultural fusion and survival.
Cernuschi’s own fieldwork in Cuba enriches his analysis of Lam’s use of Afro-Cuban religious imagery. He details how Lam witnessed and absorbed the symbolism of rituals such as Santería and Abakuá, weaving their visual language into his art. This approach reveals the paintings as layered with spiritual and communal meanings, not just abstract forms.
The book contends that Lam’s hybrid artistic style—melding European modernism with Afro-Cuban iconography—was a conscious strategy to create a new visual identity. For Cernuschi, this hybridity is not just aesthetic but political: it asserts the value of mixed heritage and counters the erasure imposed by colonial and racist ideologies. Lam’s work becomes a celebration of cultural complexity and resilience.
Cernuschi situates Lam’s work within the broader context of Cuban society’s acute racism. He argues that Lam’s paintings actively subvert the dominant narratives that devalue Afro-Cuban culture. By foregrounding black bodies, spiritual symbols, and hybrid forms, Lam’s art confronts viewers with the dignity and agency of the marginalized.
The book frames Lam as a mediator between worlds: European avant-garde circles and Afro-Cuban communities, colonial histories and postcolonial futures. Cernuschi explores how Lam navigated these tensions, using his art to bridge divides and foster new understandings of identity and belonging.
The Elementary Structures of Kinship is essential reading for anyone interested in how art, anthropology, and politics intersect. Cernuschi’s analysis reveals Wifredo Lam as an artist deeply engaged with questions of identity, race, and cultural survival. The book invites readers to see modern art as a living, contested space where new forms of dignity and solidarity can emerge.
