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)
Side Table Traccia, 1939

Meret Oppenheim

Side Table Traccia, 1939

Sale Date: March 21, 2016

Auction Closed

Objekt: Handschuhe, 1985

Meret Oppenheim

Objekt: Handschuhe, 1985

Sale Date: January 30, 2016

Auction Closed

Kopf einer Frau mit roten Haaren, roten..., 1957

Meret Oppenheim

Kopf einer Frau mit roten Haaren, roten..., 1957

Sale Date: December 5, 2015

Auction Closed

TABLE,

Meret Oppenheim

TABLE, "Traccia" model, 1939

Sale Date: December 5, 2015

Auction Closed

Winterlandschaft, 1952

Meret Oppenheim

Winterlandschaft, 1952

Sale Date: December 8, 2015

Auction Closed

Liegendes Profil mit Schmetterling - Das Ohr , 1977

Meret Oppenheim

Liegendes Profil mit Schmetterling - Das Ohr , 1977

Sale Date: December 8, 2015

Auction Closed

Le Cocon (il vit), 1974

Meret Oppenheim

Le Cocon (il vit), 1974

Sale Date: November 28, 2015

Auction Closed

Le Cocon (il vit)

Meret Oppenheim

Le Cocon (il vit)

Sale Date: December 4, 2015

Auction Closed

Le cocon (il vit), Objet-porte-bonheur, 1974

Meret Oppenheim

Le cocon (il vit), Objet-porte-bonheur, 1974

Sale Date: November 25, 2015

Auction Closed

Tisch Traccia, 1939

Meret Oppenheim

Tisch Traccia, 1939

Sale Date: November 21, 2015

Auction Closed

Oppenheim, 1976

Meret Oppenheim

Oppenheim, 1976

Sale Date: November 20, 2015

Auction Closed

Handschuh, 1985

Meret Oppenheim

Handschuh, 1985

Sale Date: November 28, 2015

Auction Closed

Un tavolino 'Traccia', 1936

Meret Oppenheim

Un tavolino 'Traccia', 1936

Sale Date: November 5, 2015

Auction Closed

Tracchia table, 1939

Meret Oppenheim

Tracchia table, 1939

Sale Date: October 19, 2015

Auction Closed

Table Traccia, 1932

Traccia and Meret Oppenheim

Table Traccia, 1932

Sale Date: August 23, 2015

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1982

Meret Oppenheim

Untitled, 1982

Sale Date: June 25, 2015

Auction Closed

Handschuh

Meret Oppenheim

Handschuh

Sale Date: June 20, 2015

Auction Closed

Caroline. Gedichte und Radierungen von Meret...

Meret Oppenheim

Caroline. Gedichte und Radierungen von Meret...

Sale Date: June 18, 2015

Auction Closed

Uniform, 1968

Meret Oppenheim

Uniform, 1968

Sale Date: June 18, 2015

Auction Closed

Ohne Titel, 1962

Meret Oppenheim

Ohne Titel, 1962

Sale Date: June 11, 2015

Auction Closed

Le cocon (il vit), Objet-porte-bonheur, 1974

Meret Oppenheim

Le cocon (il vit), Objet-porte-bonheur, 1974

Sale Date: June 10, 2015

Auction Closed

Gueridon Traccia, 1939

Meret Oppenheim

Gueridon Traccia, 1939

Sale Date: June 15, 2015

Auction Closed

Traccia side table, 1971

Meret Oppenheim

Traccia side table, 1971

Sale Date: June 16, 2015

Auction Closed

Panthermännchen, 1981

Meret Oppenheim

Panthermännchen, 1981

Sale Date: June 9, 2015

Auction Closed

English (US)

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