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)
Guéridon (model Traccia), 1939

Meret Oppenheim

Guéridon (model Traccia), 1939

Sale Date: March 3, 2011

Auction Closed

Japanischer Garten, 1977

Meret Oppenheim

Japanischer Garten, 1977

Sale Date: February 12, 2011

Auction Closed

Windhose, 1975

Meret Oppenheim

Windhose, 1975

Sale Date: February 12, 2011

Auction Closed

Baumstrunk vor Waldhintergrund, 1958

Meret Oppenheim

Baumstrunk vor Waldhintergrund, 1958

Sale Date: February 12, 2011

Auction Closed

Das Ohr von Giacometti, 1933–1977

Meret Oppenheim

Das Ohr von Giacometti, 1933–1977

Sale Date: February 12, 2011

Auction Closed

Tavolino (modello Traccia)

Meret Oppenheim

Tavolino (modello Traccia)

Sale Date: December 16, 2009

Auction Closed

Collier Tour de cou et pendentif horizontal...

Meret Oppenheim

Collier Tour de cou et pendentif horizontal...

Sale Date: December 14, 2010

Auction Closed

Bague, 1984–1986

Meret Oppenheim

Bague, 1984–1986

Sale Date: December 14, 2010

Auction Closed

Bague (model Cage), 1984–1986

Meret Oppenheim

Bague (model Cage), 1984–1986

Sale Date: December 14, 2010

Auction Closed

Traccia table, 1939

Meret Oppenheim

Traccia table, 1939

Sale Date: December 14, 2010

Auction Closed

Collagen (Collages) (set of 7)

Meret Oppenheim

Collagen (Collages) (set of 7)

Sale Date: December 6, 2010

Auction Closed

Guéridon surréaliste

Meret Oppenheim

Guéridon surréaliste

Sale Date: November 24, 2010

Auction Closed

Traccia table (from Ultramobil Collection), 1939

Meret Oppenheim

Traccia table (from Ultramobil Collection), 1939

Sale Date: November 27, 2010

Auction Closed

Papageien-Tulpen, 1978

Meret Oppenheim

Papageien-Tulpen, 1978

Sale Date: November 27, 2010

Auction Closed

Traccia guéridon ovale

Meret Oppenheim

Traccia guéridon ovale

Sale Date: November 22, 2010

Auction Closed

Souvenir du déjeuner au fourrure, 1972

Meret Oppenheim

Souvenir du déjeuner au fourrure, 1972

Sale Date: December 3, 2010

Auction Closed

Table (Traccia), 1972

Meret Oppenheim

Table (Traccia), 1972

Sale Date: October 18, 2010

Auction Closed

Parapapillonneries (portfolio of 6 w/ text..., 1976

Meret Oppenheim

Parapapillonneries (portfolio of 6 w/ text..., 1976

Sale Date: November 11, 2010

Auction Closed

Souvenir du Déjeuner en fourrure

Meret Oppenheim

Souvenir du Déjeuner en fourrure

Sale Date: November 11, 2010

Auction Closed

Souvenir du déjeuner en fourrure, 1972

Meret Oppenheim

Souvenir du déjeuner en fourrure, 1972

Sale Date: October 23, 2010

Auction Closed

Traccia occasional table, 1939

Meret Oppenheim

Traccia occasional table, 1939

Sale Date: September 28, 2010

Auction Closed

Ohne Titel (Documenta Kassel), 1982

Meret Oppenheim

Ohne Titel (Documenta Kassel), 1982

Sale Date: October 2, 2010

Auction Closed

Ohne Titel, 1977

Meret Oppenheim

Ohne Titel, 1977

Sale Date: October 2, 2010

Auction Closed

Mon drapeau, 1974

Meret Oppenheim

Mon drapeau, 1974

Sale Date: October 2, 2010

Auction Closed

English (US)

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