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)

Tavolo occasionale mod. Traccia, 1980

Meret Oppenheim

Tavolo occasionale mod. Traccia, 1980

Sale Date: June 20, 2023

Auction Closed

Tavolo occasionale mod. Traccia, 1980

Meret Oppenheim

Tavolo occasionale mod. Traccia, 1980

Sale Date: June 20, 2023

Auction Closed

Le sang de l’astre (The Blood of the Star), 1956

Meret Oppenheim

Le sang de l’astre (The Blood of the Star), 1956

Sale Date: June 30, 2023

Auction Closed

Le cocon, 1974

Meret Oppenheim

Le cocon, 1974

Sale Date: June 7, 2023

Auction Closed

Agate (top, green and yellow with reddish..., 1975

Meret Oppenheim

Agate (top, green and yellow with reddish..., 1975

Sale Date: June 8, 2023

Auction Closed

Souvenir du déjeuner en fourrure, 1972

Meret Oppenheim

Souvenir du déjeuner en fourrure, 1972

Sale Date: June 21, 2023

Auction Closed

Kleines Idol, 1961

Meret Oppenheim

Kleines Idol, 1961

Sale Date: June 21, 2023

Auction Closed

Mann, nach links gehend, 1978

Meret Oppenheim

Mann, nach links gehend, 1978

Sale Date: June 13, 2023

Auction Closed

Gesicht-Affe-Gespenst-verschleierte Frau-usw., 1970

Meret Oppenheim

Gesicht-Affe-Gespenst-verschleierte Frau-usw., 1970

Sale Date: June 13, 2023

Auction Closed

Gesicht mit Maiwurm, 1962

Meret Oppenheim

Gesicht mit Maiwurm, 1962

Sale Date: June 15, 2023

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1976

Meret Oppenheim

Untitled, 1976

Sale Date: April 27, 2023

Auction Closed

Steine - schwarze Tropfen, die zur Mitte hin , 1974

Meret Oppenheim

Steine - schwarze Tropfen, die zur Mitte hin , 1974

Sale Date: May 11, 2023

Auction Closed

Nachthimmel mit Achaten, 1971

Meret Oppenheim

Nachthimmel mit Achaten, 1971

Sale Date: May 11, 2023

Auction Closed

Selbstbildnis

Meret Oppenheim

Selbstbildnis

Sale Date: May 11, 2023

Auction Closed

Prototype 'Table with Bird's Legs', designed , 1939

Meret Oppenheim

Prototype 'Table with Bird's Legs', designed , 1939

Sale Date: April 27, 2023

Auction Closed

Prototype 'Table with Bird's Legs', designed , 1939

Meret Oppenheim

Prototype 'Table with Bird's Legs', designed , 1939

Sale Date: April 27, 2023

Auction Closed

Caroline, 1985

Meret Oppenheim

Caroline, 1985

Sale Date: April 19, 2023

Auction Closed

Schwarzer Schmetterling (Black Butterfly)..., 1978

Meret Oppenheim

Schwarzer Schmetterling (Black Butterfly)..., 1978

Sale Date: April 19, 2023

Auction Closed

Morgengymnastik (Morning Gymnastics) (C...., 1975

Meret Oppenheim

Morgengymnastik (Morning Gymnastics) (C...., 1975

Sale Date: April 19, 2023

Auction Closed

Portrait (Foto) mit Tätowierung (Portrait..., 1980

Meret Oppenheim

Portrait (Foto) mit Tätowierung (Portrait..., 1980

Sale Date: April 19, 2023

Auction Closed

Mann, nach links gehend (Man, Walking to the , 1978

Meret Oppenheim

Mann, nach links gehend (Man, Walking to the , 1978

Sale Date: April 19, 2023

Auction Closed

Silk scarf with 'Project for a Girdle..., 1937–1938

After Meret Oppenheim

Silk scarf with 'Project for a Girdle..., 1937–1938

Sale Date: April 19, 2023

Auction Closed

Jardin Japonais (Japanese Garden) (C. Z308), 1977

Meret Oppenheim

Jardin Japonais (Japanese Garden) (C. Z308), 1977

Sale Date: April 19, 2023

Auction Closed

Eichhörnchen (Squirrel) (C. S126), 1969

Meret Oppenheim

Eichhörnchen (Squirrel) (C. S126), 1969

Sale Date: April 18, 2023

Auction Closed

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