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)
Mann, nach links gehend, 1978

Meret Oppenheim

Mann, nach links gehend, 1978

Sale Date: May 10, 2007

Auction Closed

Self portrait, 1964

Meret Oppenheim

Self portrait, 1964

Sale Date: April 24, 2007

Auction Closed

Spiral make the rectangle, 1973

Meret Oppenheim

Spiral make the rectangle, 1973

Sale Date: April 3, 2007

Auction Closed

Mon drapeau gris

Meret Oppenheim

Mon drapeau gris

Sale Date: March 24, 2007

Auction Closed

Windhose, 1975

Meret Oppenheim

Windhose, 1975

Sale Date: December 8, 2006

Auction Closed

Komet (from Montobel portfolio), 1968

Meret Oppenheim

Komet (from Montobel portfolio), 1968

Sale Date: December 8, 2006

Auction Closed

Table Traccia, 1971

Meret Oppenheim

Table Traccia, 1971

Sale Date: November 29, 2006

Auction Closed

Le cocon. (Il vit). Objet-Porte-Bon Heur, 1974

Meret Oppenheim

Le cocon. (Il vit). Objet-Porte-Bon Heur, 1974

Sale Date: December 2, 2006

Auction Closed

Ohne Titel, 1971

Meret Oppenheim

Ohne Titel, 1971

Sale Date: November 10, 2006

Auction Closed

Traccia table, 1971

Meret Oppenheim

Traccia table, 1971

Sale Date: November 14, 2006

Auction Closed

Japanischer Garten, 1977

Meret Oppenheim

Japanischer Garten, 1977

Sale Date: November 9, 2006

Auction Closed

Wickelkind

Meret Oppenheim

Wickelkind

Sale Date: November 9, 2006

Auction Closed

Le cocon (il vit), 1974

Meret Oppenheim

Le cocon (il vit), 1974

Sale Date: November 22, 2006

Auction Closed

Oh-oh-das Schicksal der Menschen!, 1971

Meret Oppenheim

Oh-oh-das Schicksal der Menschen!, 1971

Sale Date: November 22, 2006

Auction Closed

Kinderkopf und gelbe Marguerite, 1957

Meret Oppenheim

Kinderkopf und gelbe Marguerite, 1957

Sale Date: October 27, 2006

Auction Closed

Etoile

Meret Oppenheim

Etoile

Sale Date: June 30, 2006

Auction Closed

Vase de fleurs sur un entablement, 1963

Meret Oppenheim

Vase de fleurs sur un entablement, 1963

Sale Date: June 21, 2006

Auction Closed

Souvenir du Déjeuner en fourrure, 1972

Meret Oppenheim

Souvenir du Déjeuner en fourrure, 1972

Sale Date: June 22, 2006

Auction Closed

Homme masqué, 1973

Meret Oppenheim

Homme masqué, 1973

Sale Date: June 22, 2006

Auction Closed

Gesicht mit Halbmaske, 1985

Meret Oppenheim

Gesicht mit Halbmaske, 1985

Sale Date: June 21, 2006

Auction Closed

Pelztasse (after 1936 photo by Man Ray), 1971

Meret Oppenheim

Pelztasse (after 1936 photo by Man Ray), 1971

Sale Date: June 21, 2006

Auction Closed

Pelztasse (after 1936 photo by Man Ray), 1971

Meret Oppenheim

Pelztasse (after 1936 photo by Man Ray), 1971

Sale Date: June 21, 2006

Auction Closed

Rötlicher Turm, 1979

Meret Oppenheim

Rötlicher Turm, 1979

Sale Date: June 15, 2006

Auction Closed

Blaue Insel, 1979

Meret Oppenheim

Blaue Insel, 1979

Sale Date: June 15, 2006

Auction Closed

English (US)

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