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

Meret Oppenheim's Furry Teacup Stirred Up a Public Sensation—Here Are 3 Things You May Not Know About the Classic Surrealist Masterpiece 'Object'

Meret Oppenheim's Furry Teacup Stirred Up a Public Sensation—Here Are 3 Things You May Not Know About the Classic Surrealist Masterpiece 'Object'

viennacontemporary 2016 Continues Success in Second Year

by Alyssa Buffenstein

viennacontemporary 2016 Continues Success in Second Year

Meret Oppenheim Artworks

Meret Oppenheim (1,004 results)

Traccia occasional table, 1939

Meret Oppenheim

Traccia occasional table, 1939

Sale Date: November 5, 2009

Auction Closed

Traccia table from the Ultramobile collection, 1939

Meret Oppenheim

Traccia table from the Ultramobile collection, 1939

Sale Date: October 6, 2009

Auction Closed

Das Leben entdeckt ein Geheimnis, 1971

Meret Oppenheim

Das Leben entdeckt ein Geheimnis, 1971

Sale Date: September 21, 2009

Auction Closed

Bague, 1984–1986

Meret Oppenheim

Bague, 1984–1986

Sale Date: June 15, 2009

Auction Closed

Komet, 1971

Meret Oppenheim

Sale Date: May 27, 2009

Auction Closed

Abdruck meiner linken Hand, 1984

Meret Oppenheim

Abdruck meiner linken Hand, 1984

Sale Date: May 27, 2009

Auction Closed

Japanischer Garten, 1976–1977

Meret Oppenheim

Japanischer Garten, 1976–1977

Sale Date: May 27, 2009

Auction Closed

Ohne Titel, 1975

Meret Oppenheim

Ohne Titel, 1975

Sale Date: June 11, 2009

Auction Closed

Die Termiten-Königin, 1959

Meret Oppenheim

Die Termiten-Königin, 1959

Sale Date: June 11, 2009

Auction Closed

Side table

Meret Oppenheim

Sale Date: April 25, 2009

Auction Closed

Herbststern, 1947

Meret Oppenheim

Herbststern, 1947

Sale Date: May 15, 2009

Auction Closed

Traccia side table, 1973

Meret Oppenheim

Traccia side table, 1973

Sale Date: April 25, 2009

Auction Closed

Traccia table from the Ultramobile Collection, 1971

Meret Oppenheim

Traccia table from the Ultramobile Collection, 1971

Sale Date: March 20, 2004

Auction Closed

Une maison près de la mer, 1985

Meret Oppenheim

Une maison près de la mer, 1985

Sale Date: March 25, 2009

Auction Closed

A traccia table, 1973

Meret Oppenheim

A traccia table, 1973

Sale Date: March 18, 2009

Auction Closed

Table guéridon Traccia, 1939

Meret Oppenheim

Table guéridon Traccia, 1939

Sale Date: January 28, 2009

Auction Closed

Zwei sich küssend, 1967

Meret Oppenheim

Zwei sich küssend, 1967

Sale Date: December 6, 2008

Auction Closed

Table guéridon Traccia à plateau elliptique, 1939

Meret Oppenheim

Table guéridon Traccia à plateau elliptique, 1939

Sale Date: December 18, 2008

Auction Closed

Das Schulheft ()booklet), 1973

Meret Oppenheim

Das Schulheft ()booklet), 1973

Sale Date: November 29, 2008

Auction Closed

Mon Drapeau

Meret Oppenheim

Sale Date: December 5, 2008

Auction Closed

Windhose, 1975

Meret Oppenheim

Windhose, 1975

Sale Date: November 19, 2008

Auction Closed

Composition, 1959

Meret Oppenheim

Composition, 1959

Sale Date: November 18, 2008

Auction Closed

Ohne Titel

Meret Oppenheim

Sale Date: October 28, 2008

Auction Closed

Side table Traccia

Meret Oppenheim

Side table Traccia

Sale Date: October 9, 2008

Auction Closed

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