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)
Un tavolino 'Traccia'., 1972

Meret Oppenheim

Un tavolino 'Traccia'., 1972

Sale Date: April 23, 2024

Auction Closed

Traccia tables, 1936

Meret Oppenheim

Traccia tables, 1936

Sale Date: April 23, 2024

Auction Closed

Traccia tables, 1936

Meret Oppenheim

Traccia tables, 1936

Sale Date: April 23, 2024

Auction Closed

Guéridon surréaliste

Meret Oppenheim

Guéridon surréaliste "Traccia", 1939

Sale Date: March 21, 2024

Auction Closed

Gesicht im Nachthimmel, 1963, 1963

Meret Oppenheim

Gesicht im Nachthimmel, 1963, 1963

Sale Date: March 13, 2024

Auction Closed

Kleines rotes Mädchen in einer Muschel, 1974, 1974

Meret Oppenheim

Kleines rotes Mädchen in einer Muschel, 1974, 1974

Sale Date: March 13, 2024

Auction Closed

Fleur Bluemay-Ode, 1969

Meret Oppenheim

Fleur Bluemay-Ode, 1969

Sale Date: March 6, 2024

Auction Closed

Tisch mit Vogelfüssen, 1939

Meret Oppenheim

Tisch mit Vogelfüssen, 1939

Sale Date: March 8, 2024

Auction Closed

Tavolo occasionale mod. Traccia Meret..., 1980

Meret Oppenheim

Tavolo occasionale mod. Traccia Meret..., 1980

Sale Date: February 15, 2024

Auction Closed

Fleur bluemay-Ode, 1969

Meret Oppenheim

Fleur bluemay-Ode, 1969

Sale Date: January 20, 2024

Auction Closed

Traccia

Meret Oppenheim

Traccia

Sale Date: September 26, 2023

Auction Closed

Traccia table from the Ultramobile Collection, 1939

Meret Oppenheim

Traccia table from the Ultramobile Collection, 1939

Sale Date: January 19, 2024

Auction Closed

Sansibar (16 works), 1981

Meret Oppenheim

Sansibar (16 works), 1981

Sale Date: November 29, 2022

Auction Closed

”Schulheft”, 1973

Meret Oppenheim

”Schulheft”, 1973

Sale Date: January 7, 2024

Auction Closed

Tavolo occasionale mod. Traccia, 1980

Meret Oppenheim

Tavolo occasionale mod. Traccia, 1980

Sale Date: December 14, 2023

Auction Closed

Fleur d'avoine, 1969

Meret Oppenheim

Fleur d'avoine, 1969

Sale Date: December 5, 2023

Auction Closed

Glove, 1985

Meret Oppenheim

Glove, 1985

Sale Date: November 30, 2023

Auction Closed

Ahnenbild - Portrait d'ancêtre (Ancestral..., 1956

Meret Oppenheim

Ahnenbild - Portrait d'ancêtre (Ancestral..., 1956

Sale Date: November 27, 2023

Auction Closed

Mon drapeau, 1974

Meret Oppenheim

Mon drapeau, 1974

Sale Date: November 9, 2023

Auction Closed

Poster Pelztasse, 1971

Meret Oppenheim

Poster Pelztasse, 1971

Sale Date: November 9, 2023

Auction Closed

Schmetterlingsspiel über dem Wasser, 1966

Meret Oppenheim

Schmetterlingsspiel über dem Wasser, 1966

Sale Date: November 9, 2023

Auction Closed

Selbstbildnis

Meret Oppenheim

Selbstbildnis

Sale Date: November 9, 2023

Auction Closed

Ich bin ein Wickelkind gewickelt mit..., 1985

Meret Oppenheim

Ich bin ein Wickelkind gewickelt mit..., 1985

Sale Date: November 9, 2023

Auction Closed

Die Ente die 'Non' sagt, 1960

Meret Oppenheim

Die Ente die 'Non' sagt, 1960

Sale Date: November 9, 2023

Auction Closed

English (US)

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