Meret Oppenheim

(Swiss, 1913–1985)

Meret Oppenheim was a German-born Swiss artist and photographer. Considered a key figure in the Surrealist movement, her work focused on the marginalization of women, but also the subversion of art itself. In what is considered her most famous work Object (Le Déjeuner en Fourrure) (1936), the artist covered a teacup, saucer, and spoon in a layer of Chinese gazelle fur, creating a contrast of domestic objects with the expensive furs worn by refined women. “There is no difference between man and woman: there is only artist or poet. Sex plays no role whatsoever. That is why I refuse to participate in exhibitions of woman only,” she once declared. Born on October 6, 1913, in Berlin, Germany Oppenheim moved to Paris at the age of 18 where she attended the Académie de la Grande Chaumière and fell into the circles of the Surrealists. She famously posed for one of  Man Ray’s most famous photographs Erotique Voilee (1933), in which Oppenheim posed nude covered in ink at a printing press. In 1936, she had her first solo exhibition in Basel, Switzerland and began her investigations into female exploitation. Oppenheim’s work set the tone for several later artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Eva Hesse, and Ana Mendieta. She died on November 15, 1985, in Basel, Switzerland. Today, much of her archive is held at the the Museum of Fine Arts in Bern, and is also held in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, among others.

Meret Oppenheim News

Museums & Institutions

Inside Meret Oppenheim's 'Otherworldly, Witty, Whimsical' Show at MoMA, the Swiss Surrealist's First U.S. Museum Retrospective in a Generation

by Sarah Cascone
Inside Meret Oppenheim's 'Otherworldly, Witty, Whimsical' Show at MoMA, the Swiss Surrealist's First U.S. Museum Retrospective in a Generation
Art World

Meret Oppenheim's Furry Teacup Stirred Up a Public Sensation—Here Are 3 Things You May Not Know About the Classic Surrealist Masterpiece 'Object'

by Katie White
Meret Oppenheim's Furry Teacup Stirred Up a Public Sensation—Here Are 3 Things You May Not Know About the Classic Surrealist Masterpiece 'Object'
Art Fairs

viennacontemporary 2016 Continues Success in Second Year

by Alyssa Buffenstein
viennacontemporary 2016 Continues Success in Second Year

Meret Oppenheim Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Meret Oppenheim (1,004 results)
LA CONDITION HUMAINE, 1973

Meret Oppenheim

LA CONDITION HUMAINE, 1973

Sale Date: November 10, 2016

Auction Closed

Paire de tables dites

Meret Oppenheim

Paire de tables dites "Traccia", 1970

Sale Date: October 4, 2016

Auction Closed

Traccia end table, 1971

Meret Oppenheim

Traccia end table, 1971

Sale Date: September 21, 2016

Auction Closed

TRACCIA END TABLE, 1939

Meret Oppenheim

TRACCIA END TABLE, 1939

Sale Date: September 17, 2016

Auction Closed

«Parapapillonneries» (portfolio of 6 works), 1976

Meret Oppenheim

«Parapapillonneries» (portfolio of 6 works), 1976

Sale Date: May 20, 2016

Auction Closed

Traccia end table, 1971

Meret Oppenheim

Traccia end table, 1971

Sale Date: June 22, 2016

Auction Closed

Panthermännchen - Nachthimmel mit Achaten, 1981

Meret Oppenheim

Panthermännchen - Nachthimmel mit Achaten, 1981

Sale Date: June 16, 2016

Auction Closed

Urzeit Venus, 1933

Meret Oppenheim

Urzeit Venus, 1933

Sale Date: June 16, 2016

Auction Closed

Unterirdische Schleife, 1977

Meret Oppenheim

Unterirdische Schleife, 1977

Sale Date: June 16, 2016

Auction Closed

Le Cocon (il vit) - Objet-Porte-Bonheur, 1974

Meret Oppenheim

Le Cocon (il vit) - Objet-Porte-Bonheur, 1974

Sale Date: June 16, 2016

Auction Closed

Traccia table, 1970–1979

Meret Oppenheim and Simon Gavina

Traccia table, 1970–1979

Sale Date: June 4, 2016

Auction Closed

Eulen und Meerkatzen, 1970

Meret Oppenheim

Eulen und Meerkatzen, 1970

Sale Date: June 8, 2016

Auction Closed

Le cocon (il vit) (Der Kokon - er lebt), 1974

Meret Oppenheim

Le cocon (il vit) (Der Kokon - er lebt), 1974

Sale Date: June 25, 2016

Auction Closed

Untitled (Reisegalerie), 1969

Meret Oppenheim

Untitled (Reisegalerie), 1969

Sale Date: June 4, 2016

Auction Closed

Das Schulheft, 1973

Meret Oppenheim

Das Schulheft, 1973

Sale Date: June 7, 2016

Auction Closed

Nuages sur continent, 1964

Meret Oppenheim

Nuages sur continent, 1964

Sale Date: June 7, 2016

Auction Closed

Windhose, 1975

Meret Oppenheim

Windhose, 1975

Sale Date: June 7, 2016

Auction Closed

Sommerdunst, 1964

Meret Oppenheim

Sommerdunst, 1964

Sale Date: June 3, 2016

Auction Closed

Unterirdische Schleife, 1960

Meret Oppenheim

Unterirdische Schleife, 1960

Sale Date: May 27, 2016

Auction Closed

Urzeit-Venus, 1938

Meret Oppenheim

Urzeit-Venus, 1938

Sale Date: May 27, 2016

Auction Closed

Komposition, 1959

Meret Oppenheim

Komposition, 1959

Sale Date: May 13, 2016

Auction Closed

Masken, 1979

Meret Oppenheim

Masken, 1979

Sale Date: May 13, 2016

Auction Closed

Paire de tables dites

Meret Oppenheim

Paire de tables dites "Traccia", 1970

Sale Date: March 22, 2016

Auction Closed

HANDSCHUH 1985, 1985

Meret Oppenheim

HANDSCHUH 1985, 1985

Sale Date: March 19, 2016

Auction Closed

English (US)

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