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)
Traccia Table, 1971

Meret Oppenheim

Traccia Table, 1971

Sale Date: March 4, 2014

Auction Closed

La chaleur folie cadavre exquis, 1971

Meret Oppenheim

La chaleur folie cadavre exquis, 1971

Sale Date: February 14, 2014

Auction Closed

脚印桌 (

Meret Oppenheim

脚印桌 ("Trace" Table), 1939

Sale Date: July 7, 2013

Auction Closed

Tavolo Traccia della collezione Ultramobile, 1980

Meret Oppenheim

Tavolo Traccia della collezione Ultramobile, 1980

Sale Date: December 19, 2013

Auction Closed

Tavolo Traccia della collezione Ultramobile, 1980

Meret Oppenheim

Tavolo Traccia della collezione Ultramobile, 1980

Sale Date: December 19, 2013

Auction Closed

Guéridon / Table d'appoint modèle Traccia, 1970

Meret Oppenheim

Guéridon / Table d'appoint modèle Traccia, 1970

Sale Date: December 15, 2013

Auction Closed

La ruine est noire (Cadavre exquis), 1971

Meret Oppenheim, Anna Maria Lupo and Roberto Lupo

La ruine est noire (Cadavre exquis), 1971

Sale Date: November 20, 2013

Auction Closed

Guéridon Traccia

Meret Oppenheim

Guéridon Traccia

Sale Date: December 11, 2013

Auction Closed

Blume (Braun-Schwarz), 1958

Meret Oppenheim

Blume (Braun-Schwarz), 1958

Sale Date: December 3, 2013

Auction Closed

Tavolino Traccia, 1971

Meret Oppenheim

Tavolino Traccia, 1971

Sale Date: November 19, 2013

Auction Closed

Tisch Traccia, 1939

Meret Oppenheim

Tisch Traccia, 1939

Sale Date: November 23, 2013

Auction Closed

2 Tische Traccia (2 works), 1939

Meret Oppenheim

2 Tische Traccia (2 works), 1939

Sale Date: November 23, 2013

Auction Closed

Guéridon surréaliste Traccia, 1939

Meret Oppenheim

Guéridon surréaliste Traccia, 1939

Sale Date: November 13, 2013

Auction Closed

Traccia table, 1970–1979

Meret Oppenheim and Simon Gavina

Traccia table, 1970–1979

Sale Date: October 27, 2013

Auction Closed

Traccia table, 1970–1979

Meret Oppenheim and Simon Gavina

Traccia table, 1970–1979

Sale Date: October 27, 2013

Auction Closed

Wolkensplitter, 1978

Meret Oppenheim

Wolkensplitter, 1978

Sale Date: November 16, 2013

Auction Closed

Cadavre exquis - Le cri s'incline - Der..., 1971

Meret Oppenheim

Cadavre exquis - Le cri s'incline - Der..., 1971

Sale Date: October 26, 2013

Auction Closed

In a octopus garden, 1971

Meret Oppenheim

In a octopus garden, 1971

Sale Date: October 26, 2013

Auction Closed

Caché-trouvé

Meret Oppenheim

Caché-trouvé

Sale Date: October 26, 2013

Auction Closed

Meret Oppenheim, 1964

Meret Oppenheim

Meret Oppenheim, 1964

Sale Date: October 17, 2013

Auction Closed

Glove (in 2 parts), 1985

Meret Oppenheim

Glove (in 2 parts), 1985

Sale Date: September 26, 2013

Auction Closed

Traccia table from the Ultramobile collection, 1939

Meret Oppenheim

Traccia table from the Ultramobile collection, 1939

Sale Date: September 26, 2013

Auction Closed

Aus der Mappe: Bonjour Max Ernst, 1976

Meret Oppenheim

Aus der Mappe: Bonjour Max Ernst, 1976

Sale Date: August 10, 2013

Auction Closed

Beistellfisch mit Vogelfüßen Traccia, 1939

Meret Oppenheim

Beistellfisch mit Vogelfüßen Traccia, 1939

Sale Date: June 26, 2013

Auction Closed

English (US)

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