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 Artworks

Meret Oppenheim (1,004 results)
Stillleben mit Früchten (Still life with..., 1964

Meret Oppenheim

Stillleben mit Früchten (Still life with..., 1964

Sale Date: November 28, 2011

Auction Closed

Tavolino Traccia, 1936–1972

Meret Oppenheim

Tavolino Traccia, 1936–1972

Sale Date: October 24, 2011

Auction Closed

Insecte heureux, 1954

Meret Oppenheim

Insecte heureux, 1954

Sale Date: October 24, 2011

Auction Closed

Rahmen nu heir anfassen (11 works), 1971

Meret Oppenheim

Rahmen nu heir anfassen (11 works), 1971

Sale Date: October 6, 2011

Auction Closed

Traccia table (from Ultramobile), 1939

Meret Oppenheim

Traccia table (from Ultramobile), 1939

Sale Date: October 6, 2011

Auction Closed

Traccia, 1939

Meret Oppenheim

Traccia, 1939

Sale Date: September 27, 2011

Auction Closed

Self-portrait with fur-cup, 1967

Meret Oppenheim

Self-portrait with fur-cup, 1967

Sale Date: October 4, 2011

Auction Closed

Souvenir du Déjeuner en Fourrure, 1972

Meret Oppenheim

Souvenir du Déjeuner en Fourrure, 1972

Sale Date: September 16, 2011

Auction Closed

Bague (model Mobile), 1984–1986

Meret Oppenheim

Bague (model Mobile), 1984–1986

Sale Date: June 21, 2011

Auction Closed

Traccia table (from Ultramobile..., 1980–1989

Meret Oppenheim

Traccia table (from Ultramobile..., 1980–1989

Sale Date: June 11, 2011

Auction Closed

Beistelltisch Traccia, 1939

Meret Oppenheim

Beistelltisch Traccia, 1939

Sale Date: June 4, 2011

Auction Closed

Traccia table, 1939

Meret Oppenheim

Traccia table, 1939

Sale Date: June 1, 2011

Auction Closed

Hermesbrunnen, 1966

Meret Oppenheim

Hermesbrunnen, 1966

Sale Date: June 17, 2011

Auction Closed

Versunkene Stadt, 1979

Meret Oppenheim

Versunkene Stadt, 1979

Sale Date: June 16, 2011

Auction Closed

Italienische Landschaft, 1944

Meret Oppenheim

Italienische Landschaft, 1944

Sale Date: June 16, 2011

Auction Closed

Blanche (Blanche Siegenthaler), 1940

Meret Oppenheim

Blanche (Blanche Siegenthaler), 1940

Sale Date: June 16, 2011

Auction Closed

Fleur Bluemay-ode, 1969

Meret Oppenheim

Fleur Bluemay-ode, 1969

Sale Date: May 30, 2011

Auction Closed

Senza titolo

Meret Oppenheim

Senza titolo

Sale Date: May 27, 2011

Auction Closed

L'Écureuil

Meret Oppenheim

L'Écureuil

Sale Date: May 18, 2011

Auction Closed

Raupe-Schmetterling über Gestrüpp, 1961

Meret Oppenheim

Raupe-Schmetterling über Gestrüpp, 1961

Sale Date: May 12, 2011

Auction Closed

Le Cocon (Il vit), 1974

Meret Oppenheim

Le Cocon (Il vit), 1974

Sale Date: May 14, 2011

Auction Closed

Herbststern, 1947

Meret Oppenheim

Herbststern, 1947

Sale Date: March 21, 2011

Auction Closed

Dunkle Macht, 1959

Meret Oppenheim

Dunkle Macht, 1959

Sale Date: March 21, 2011

Auction Closed

Guéridon ovale (model Traccia)

Meret Oppenheim

Guéridon ovale (model Traccia)

Sale Date: March 14, 2011

Auction Closed