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Meret Oppenheim
October 06 1913 - November 15 1985
Photograph of Meret Oppenheim, 1984, by Hans Hammarskiöld, courtesy of the photographer and Lisa Wenger
   Place of Birth:
Berlin
Nationality:
German, Swiss
Phonetic Spelling:
MAIR-eht AH-pehn-(h-eye-m) Work Type/Media:
Sculpture, Decorative and utilitarian works, Books and manuscripts, Drawings and prints, Painting
Artistic Role(s):
Book Artist, Bronze Worker, Draftsperson, Jewelry Designer, Mixed Media Artist
, Painter, Sculptor
Style:
Surrealism, Dada
Artist's Biography:
German-born Swiss artist Meret Oppenheim was the leading female figure of the international Surrealist avant-garde. Despite her distaste for being categorized with this movement, her close friendships with artists Alberto Giacometti, Jean Arp, André Breton, and Man Ray linked her inextricably to the Surrealists.Fifteen to twenty years younger than her male counterparts, Oppenheim was celebrated for her beauty, youth, and rebellious attitude. While a student at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris, she was a regular participant in Surrealist events. Her work often involved transforming everyday objects into provocative sculptures dealing with female sexuality and exploitation. She established her name in the art world at age twenty-three with the overnight fame of her fur-lined teacup, Le déjeuner en fourrure (Lunch in fur), now an icon of twentieth-century art. The work was first shown at the Galerie Charles Ratton in Paris and later brought to The Museum of Modern Art in New York by Alfred Barr, Jr. in 1936. The overwhelming fame of the piece engulfed Oppenheim’s life and reputation.Almost twenty years of personal turmoil and creative crisis followed as the artist slowly distanced herself from the Surrealists and moved back to Switzerland. She returned to the public spotlight with renewed self-confidence in the mid-1950s, once again championing individuality and femininity.In addition to sculptures, Oppenheim produced numerous paintings, drawings, jewelry, books, and mixed-media pieces. Constantly questioning her identity, challenging society’s rigid definition of male and female, and encouraging her audience to tread the fine line between reality and dreams, Oppenheim continues to be an icon of artistic independence.
Other Occupation(s):
Model, Poet
Place(s) of Residence:
Paris
Berne Where Trained/Schools:
Académie de la Grande Chaumière, Paris, France (1932)
Kunstgewerbeschule, Basel, Switzerland (1929-1930)
Related Visual Artists:
friend of Jean Arp
friend of Alberto Giacometti
friend of Max Ernst
friend of André Breton
friend of and model of Man Ray
friend of Leonor Fini
friend of Irène Zurkinden
friend of Marcel Duchamp
friend of Pablo Picasso
friend of Dora Maar
influenced by Francis Picabia
Fellowships, grants and awards:
Grand Art Prize, City of Berlin, Berlin, Germany (1982)
Art Award, City of Basel, Basel, Switzerland (1974)
Earliest exhibition:
Le Salon des Surindépendants, Paris, France (1933)
NMWA exhibition(s):
Book as Art II
A Salute to Women: Artists' Postcards and Albums from International Festivals in Copenhagen and Nairobi Book as Art I Book as Art XII: Artists' Books from the Permanent Collection The Book as Art: Twenty Years of Artists' Books from the National Museum of Women in the Arts Artist retrospective(s):
Meret Oppenheim: A Different Retrospective, Galerie Krinzinger, Vienna, Austria (1997)
Meret Oppenheim: Beyond the Teacup, Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY, USA (1996)
Meret Oppenheim, Kunsthalle, Berne, Switzerland (1984)
Related places
Basel (died at)
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