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)
Silberschwanz (from Parapapillonneries), 1976

Meret Oppenheim

Silberschwanz (from Parapapillonneries), 1976

Sale Date: June 12, 2012

Auction Closed

In der Nähe von Brasilia (from..., 1976

Meret Oppenheim

In der Nähe von Brasilia (from..., 1976

Sale Date: June 12, 2012

Auction Closed

Die Seidenmotte und die stolze Rosamunde..., 1976

Meret Oppenheim

Die Seidenmotte und die stolze Rosamunde..., 1976

Sale Date: June 12, 2012

Auction Closed

Flusslandschaft, 1980

Meret Oppenheim

Flusslandschaft, 1980

Sale Date: June 11, 2012

Auction Closed

Tisch Traccia, 1939

Meret Oppenheim

Tisch Traccia, 1939

Sale Date: June 2, 2012

Auction Closed

Wolken II (portfolio of 11) (+ 2 others,..., 1974

Meret Oppenheim

Wolken II (portfolio of 11) (+ 2 others,..., 1974

Sale Date: June 15, 2012

Auction Closed

Andenken an das Pelzfrühstück, 1972

Meret Oppenheim

Andenken an das Pelzfrühstück, 1972

Sale Date: June 15, 2012

Auction Closed

Traccia side table, 1939

Meret Oppenheim

Traccia side table, 1939

Sale Date: May 22, 2012

Auction Closed

Denkmal für die Mondphase, 1966

Meret Oppenheim

Denkmal für die Mondphase, 1966

Sale Date: May 10, 2012

Auction Closed

Tour de cou et son pendentif horizontal, 1982

Meret Oppenheim

Tour de cou et son pendentif horizontal, 1982

Sale Date: April 24, 2012

Auction Closed

Parapapillon, 1979

Meret Oppenheim

Parapapillon, 1979

Sale Date: April 28, 2012

Auction Closed

Bout de canapé (model Traccia), 1936

Meret Oppenheim

Bout de canapé (model Traccia), 1936

Sale Date: April 13, 2012

Auction Closed

Untitled (from Bonjour Max Ernst), 1976

Meret Oppenheim

Untitled (from Bonjour Max Ernst), 1976

Sale Date: March 28, 2012

Auction Closed

Souvenir du déjeuner en fourrure, 1972

Meret Oppenheim

Souvenir du déjeuner en fourrure, 1972

Sale Date: April 3, 2012

Auction Closed

Traccia table, 1980–1989

Meret Oppenheim

Traccia table, 1980–1989

Sale Date: February 26, 2012

Auction Closed

Einige hohe Geister neben dem Orangenbaum..., 1985

Meret Oppenheim

Einige hohe Geister neben dem Orangenbaum..., 1985

Sale Date: February 4, 2012

Auction Closed

Guéridon ovale Traccia, 1939

Meret Oppenheim

Guéridon ovale Traccia, 1939

Sale Date: January 26, 2012

Auction Closed

Senza titolo, 1970

Meret Oppenheim

Senza titolo, 1970

Sale Date: January 22, 2012

Auction Closed

Pelztasse (D'Après la Photo de Man Ray 1936), 1971

Meret Oppenheim

Pelztasse (D'Après la Photo de Man Ray 1936), 1971

Sale Date: December 15, 2011

Auction Closed

Earrings (pair), 1960–1969

Meret Oppenheim

Earrings (pair), 1960–1969

Sale Date: December 15, 2011

Auction Closed

Souvenir du déjeuner en fourrure, 1936

Meret Oppenheim

Souvenir du déjeuner en fourrure, 1936

Sale Date: November 10, 2011

Auction Closed

Gartengeist, 1971

Meret Oppenheim

Gartengeist, 1971

Sale Date: December 5, 2011

Auction Closed

Handschuhe mit Adern, 1985

Meret Oppenheim

Handschuhe mit Adern, 1985

Sale Date: November 19, 2011

Auction Closed

Parapapillonneries (portfolio of 6 w/colophon), 1976

Meret Oppenheim

Parapapillonneries (portfolio of 6 w/colophon), 1976

Sale Date: December 2, 2011

Auction Closed

English (US)

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