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)
Self-portrait, skull and ornament (+ 5..., 1964

Meret Oppenheim

Self-portrait, skull and ornament (+ 5..., 1964

Sale Date: April 27, 2005

Auction Closed

Dusk, 1965

Meret Oppenheim

Dusk, 1965

Sale Date: April 7, 2005

Auction Closed

Ewiger Kalender: Gerade Tage, ungerade Tage, 1980

Meret Oppenheim

Ewiger Kalender: Gerade Tage, ungerade Tage, 1980

Sale Date: March 14, 2005

Auction Closed

Pälskopp (after photo by Man Ray), 1936

Meret Oppenheim

Pälskopp (after photo by Man Ray), 1936

Sale Date: February 7, 2005

Auction Closed

Jour pairs / Jours impairs

Meret Oppenheim

Jour pairs / Jours impairs

Sale Date: November 11, 2004

Auction Closed

Souvenir du Dejeuner en fourrure, 1972

Meret Oppenheim

Souvenir du Dejeuner en fourrure, 1972

Sale Date: February 7, 2005

Auction Closed

Fleur d'avoine

Meret Oppenheim

Fleur d'avoine

Sale Date: December 12, 2004

Auction Closed

Asbach Uralt (Ready made), 1978

Meret Oppenheim

Asbach Uralt (Ready made), 1978

Sale Date: October 22, 2004

Auction Closed

Composition au palmier

Meret Oppenheim

Composition au palmier

Sale Date: November 28, 2003

Auction Closed

Winterlandschaft, 1949–1949

Meret Oppenheim

Winterlandschaft, 1949–1949

Sale Date: June 18, 2004

Auction Closed

Portrait Ferdinand Hodler

Meret Oppenheim

Portrait Ferdinand Hodler

Sale Date: June 18, 2004

Auction Closed

Der Maler Ferdinand Hodler

Meret Oppenheim

Der Maler Ferdinand Hodler

Sale Date: June 18, 2004

Auction Closed

Grosser bewölkter Himmel über..., 1964–1964

Meret Oppenheim

Grosser bewölkter Himmel über..., 1964–1964

Sale Date: June 30, 2004

Auction Closed

Pelztasse, 1971–1971

Meret Oppenheim

Pelztasse, 1971–1971

Sale Date: June 23, 2004

Auction Closed

Oiseau préliminaire, 1954–1954

Meret Oppenheim

Oiseau préliminaire, 1954–1954

Sale Date: May 14, 2004

Auction Closed

Japanischer Garten, 1977–1977

Meret Oppenheim

Japanischer Garten, 1977–1977

Sale Date: November 6, 2003

Auction Closed

Baumstrunk vor Waldhintergrund, 1958–1958

Meret Oppenheim

Baumstrunk vor Waldhintergrund, 1958–1958

Sale Date: November 6, 2003

Auction Closed

Handschuhe (Paar), 1985–1985

Meret Oppenheim

Handschuhe (Paar), 1985–1985

Sale Date: June 25, 2003

Auction Closed

Diana auf der Elsternjagd, 1939–1939

Meret Oppenheim

Diana auf der Elsternjagd, 1939–1939

Sale Date: June 24, 2003

Auction Closed

Spirale-Schlange in Rechteck, 1974–1974

Meret Oppenheim

Spirale-Schlange in Rechteck, 1974–1974

Sale Date: June 19, 2003

Auction Closed

Sonne über Strand mit Eiern, 1981–1981

Meret Oppenheim

Sonne über Strand mit Eiern, 1981–1981

Sale Date: June 19, 2003

Auction Closed

Danae, 1958–1958

Meret Oppenheim

Danae, 1958–1958

Sale Date: June 10, 2003

Auction Closed

Caroline, 1985–1985

Meret Oppenheim

Caroline, 1985–1985

Sale Date: June 3, 2003

Auction Closed

Parapaillonneries - Silberschwanz, 1976–1976

Meret Oppenheim

Parapaillonneries - Silberschwanz, 1976–1976

Sale Date: May 8, 2003

Auction Closed

English (US)

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