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)
bereinandergeschlagene, 1985

Meret Oppenheim

bereinandergeschlagene, 1985

Sale Date: October 29, 2014

Auction Closed

Table with Bird's Feet, 1970–1979

Meret Oppenheim

Table with Bird's Feet, 1970–1979

Sale Date: October 12, 2014

Auction Closed

Wolken

Meret Oppenheim

Wolken

Sale Date: September 19, 2014

Auction Closed

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

Meret Oppenheim

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

Sale Date: September 22, 2014

Auction Closed

Die Seidenmotte und die stolze Rosamunde,..., 1976

Meret Oppenheim

Die Seidenmotte und die stolze Rosamunde,..., 1976

Sale Date: July 12, 2014

Auction Closed

Psyche, Freundin der Männer, pl.3 (from..., 1976

Meret Oppenheim

Psyche, Freundin der Männer, pl.3 (from..., 1976

Sale Date: July 12, 2014

Auction Closed

Der Flaggenfalter, pl. 6 (from..., 1976

Meret Oppenheim

Der Flaggenfalter, pl. 6 (from..., 1976

Sale Date: July 12, 2014

Auction Closed

Tavolo Traccia colezione Ultramobile, 1980

Meret Oppenheim

Tavolo Traccia colezione Ultramobile, 1980

Sale Date: June 25, 2014

Auction Closed

Abstrakte Landschaft (for Titan von Jean Paul), 1974

Meret Oppenheim

Abstrakte Landschaft (for Titan von Jean Paul), 1974

Sale Date: June 28, 2014

Auction Closed

Traccia table

Meret Oppenheim

Traccia table

Sale Date: June 15, 2014

Auction Closed

Traccia side table, 1939

Meret Oppenheim

Traccia side table, 1939

Sale Date: June 5, 2014

Auction Closed

Traccia side table, 1939

Meret Oppenheim

Traccia side table, 1939

Sale Date: June 5, 2014

Auction Closed

Traccia tables from the Ultramobile..., 1939–1971

Meret Oppenheim

Traccia tables from the Ultramobile..., 1939–1971

Sale Date: June 12, 2014

Auction Closed

Sansibar. Gedichte und Serigraphien von..., 1981

Meret Oppenheim

Sansibar. Gedichte und Serigraphien von..., 1981

Sale Date: June 19, 2014

Auction Closed

Handschuhpaar, 1985

Meret Oppenheim

Handschuhpaar, 1985

Sale Date: June 19, 2014

Auction Closed

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

Meret Oppenheim

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

Sale Date: June 4, 2014

Auction Closed

Das Schulheft, 1973

Meret Oppenheim

Das Schulheft, 1973

Sale Date: May 31, 2014

Auction Closed

Ohne Titel (from Les demeures d'hypnos), 1976

Meret Oppenheim

Ohne Titel (from Les demeures d'hypnos), 1976

Sale Date: May 31, 2014

Auction Closed

Table with Bird's Feet, 1939

Meret Oppenheim

Table with Bird's Feet, 1939

Sale Date: May 18, 2014

Auction Closed

Table with Bird's Feet, 1970–1979

Meret Oppenheim

Table with Bird's Feet, 1970–1979

Sale Date: May 18, 2014

Auction Closed

Wickelkind

Meret Oppenheim

Wickelkind

Sale Date: May 15, 2014

Auction Closed

Un tavolino Traccia, 1936–1972

Meret Oppenheim

Un tavolino Traccia, 1936–1972

Sale Date: April 17, 2014

Auction Closed

Traccia table from the Ultramobile collection, 1939

Meret Oppenheim

Traccia table from the Ultramobile collection, 1939

Sale Date: March 27, 2014

Auction Closed

Traccia table, 1970–1979

Meret Oppenheim

Traccia table, 1970–1979

Sale Date: March 2, 2014

Auction Closed

English (US)

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