This Swiss painter and sculptress was born in Berlin in 1913. From the age of fourteen, she recorded her dreams. She continued this throughout her life, and it became an important source of inspiration in her work.
In 1932 at the age of eighteen she travelled to Paris and became a member of the surrealist circle around Max Ernst, Alberto Giacometti, and André Breton. In 1933 she posed for Man Ray in a number of photographs, and until 1937 she exhibited with the surrealists at the Salon des Surindépendants.
Several of her most well-known works were made during these years in Paris: “Le Déjeuner en fourrure”- a teacup with plate and spoon dressed in fur, now in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and “Ma guvernante – My nurse – Mein Kindermädchen”, one of the best known works in the collection of the Moderna Museet, Stockholm.
These two works guaranteed Meret Oppenheim’s place in art history. She was celebrated by the surrealists who recognized her as an independent artist.
In 1937 she returned to Switzerland and began studies at the School of Arts and Crafts in Basel. Until 1950 she only made a few works, among them the well-known “Table with Bird’s Legs”. In the 60’s she began showing around the world once again.
During the 70’s she lived between Paris and Bern.
Meret Oppenheim’s works erase the borders between dream and reality, female and male, man and animal. Through unexpected juxtapositions she gave common objects – such as a table or a pair of shoes – new life. Her objects are in the realm of the sublime, and they tantalize our fantasy and our unconscious.
Meret Oppenheim died in Basel in 1985.
Selected exhibitions
upcoming 2022: solo MOMA, New York upcoming 2022: solo Menil Collection, Houston upcoming 2021: solo Kunstmuseum Bern, Switzerland |
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2019 | "X = an Orange Rabbit“ Meret Oppenheim, Linn Lühn, Düsseldorf, Germany |
2018 | Karma International, Zurich, Switzerland |
2017 | Meret Oppenheim Works in Dialogue from Max Ernst to Mona Hatoum, Museo d'arte della Svizzera italiana, Lugano, Switzerland |
2016 | "Die Freiheit muss man nehmen. Meret Oppenheim und Freunde - Arbeiten auf Papier, Objekte, Fotografie", Kunstmuseum Ahlen, Germany "Beyond the Fur Cup", Mjellby Konstmuseum, Halmstad, Sweden |
2016/2017 | Beyond the Fur Cup", Öregaard Museum, Hellerup, Sweden |
2015 | "Gedankenspiegel. Mirrors of the Mind", Museum Moderner Kunst, Passau, Germany |
2013 | "Über den Bäumen", Sprengel Museum, Hannover, Germany "Ein angenehmer Moment", Galerie Franz Mähder, Basel, Switzerland "Meret Oppenheim. Retrospektive", Bank Austria Kunstforum, Vienna, Austria Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin, Germany LaM Lille Métropole musée d'art moderne, d'art contemporain et d'art brut, Villeneuve d'Ascq, France |
2013/2014 | "... was hast du denn da wieder Seltsames gemacht?", Jüdisches Museum Rendsburg, Germany |
2012 | Galerie Krinziger, Vienna, Austria |
2008 | De Pury & Luxembourg, Zürich, Switzerland |
2007 | "Meret Oppenheim-Retrospective 'an enormously tiny bit of a lot'", Henie Onstad Art Centre, Oslo, Norway "Meret Oppenheim-Retrospective 'an enormously tiny bit of a lot'", Städtische Galerie, Ravensburg, Germany |
2006 | Stedelijk Museum 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands "Meret Oppenheim-Retrospective 'an enormously tiny bit of a lot'", Kunstmuseum, Bern, Switzerland |
2005 | Stadtgalerie, Klagenfurt, Austria Kunsthalle Jesuitenkirche, Aschaffenburg |
2004 | Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden |
2003 | Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, Germany Levy Galerie, Hamburg, Germany |
2002 | Centro de Arte de Salamanca, Spain |
2001 | Kunstmuseum, Bern, Switzeland Kunsthalle Bielefeld, Germany |
2000 | Martin Gropius Bau, Berlin, Germany |
1999 | Museum for Modern Art, San Francisco, US |
1998 | Bildmuseet Umea, Sweden Galleria del Gruppo Credito Valtellinese, 'Refettorio delle Stelline', Milan, Italy |
1997 | Kunsthalle, Darmstadt, Germany Kunsthalle Rotterdam, Netherlands Kunsthalle Wilhelmshaven, Germany "Meret Oppenheim: eine andere Retrospektive. A different retrospektive", Galerie Krinzinger, Vienna, Austria Museum voor Moderne Kunst, Arnheim, Netherlands Upplands Konstmuseum Helsinki City Art Museum, Finnland |
1997/1998 | Museum of Contemporary Art, NY, US Ludwigsmuseum, Budapest Städtische Galerie Fellbach, Germany Helsinki City Art Museum, Finnland |
1996/1997 | "Beyond the teacup", Guggenheim Museum, New York Museum of Centemporary Art, Chicago, Il. Bass Museum of Art Miami Beach, Fl. Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska; |
1995 | Kunstverein, Ulm, Germany Museo d'Arte, Mendrisio. |
1994 | "Die Welt der Meret Oppenheim" Levy Galerie, Hamburg Praterinsel, München. |
1991 | Freitagsgalerie Imhof, Solothurn, Switzerland Centre Culturel Suisse, Paris, France |
1990 | Palau de la Virreina, Barcelona. |
1988 | Kent Gallery, New York, US |
1987 | Galerie Renée Ziegler, Zürich, Switzerland Kunstmuseum, Bern, Switzerland |
1987/1988 | Musee Cantonal des Beaux-Arts, Lausanne, Switzerland |
1986 | Kunsthalle Winterthur, Switzerland |
1985 | Kunstverein Frankfurt, Germany Haus am Waldsee, Berlin, Germany |
1984 | Nantenshi Gallery, Tokyo. Broida Museum, New York. ARC-Musée d'Art moderne de la Ville de Paris, France Kunsthalle, Bern, Switzerland |
1983 | Basel Landschaftliche Kunstvereinigung, Sissach, Switzerland |
1983/1984 | Goethe Institut: Palazzo Biancho, Genoa, Italy Padiglione d'Arte Contemporanea, Milan, Italy Museo Diego Aragona Pignatelli, Naples and Turin, Italy |
1982 | Galerie Krinzinger, Innsbruck, Austria Akademie der Künste, Berlin, Germany Salzburger Kunstverein, Austria |
1981 | Galerie Edition Claude Givaudan, Geneva, Switzerland Galerie Nächst St. Stephan, Vienna, Austria |
1980 | Marian Goodman Gallery, New York, US Firenze- Prato, Florence, Italy |
1979 | Kunstverein Wolfsburg, Germany Städtische Galerie, Moers, Germany |
1978 | Eugenia Cucalon Gallery, New York, US Levy Galerie, Hamburg, Germany |
1977 | Galerie Boulakia, Paris, France Galerie Elisabeth Kaufmann, Basel, Switzerland |
1975 | Galeria San Lucca, Bologna, Italy Kunstmuseum Winterthur, Switzerland Wilhelm Lehmbruck Museum, Duisburg, Germany |
1974 | Galerie Renée Ziegler, Zurich, Switzerland |
1974/1975 | Museum Solothurn, Switzerland Kunstmuseum Winterthur, Switzerland Wilhelm-Lembruck-Museum, Duisburg, Germany |
1972 | Wilhelm-Lembruck-Museum, Duisburg, Germany Galerie d'Art Moderne, Basel, Switzerland |
1971 | Caché-Trouvé, Galerie Bonnier, Geneva, Switzerland |
1970 | Galleria Il Fauno, Turin, Italy |
1969 | Galerie der Spiegel, Cologne, Germany Galleria La Medusa, Rome, Italy |
1968 | Galerie Krebs, Bern, Switzerland |
1967 | Retrospective, Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden |
1965 | Galerie Gimpel & Hannover, Zurich, Switzerland |
1960 | Casa Serodine, Ascona, Italy Galerie Arturo Schwarz, Milan, Italy |
1959 | Galerie Riehentor, Basel, Switzerland |
1957 | Galerie Riehentor, Basel, Switzerland |
1956 | A L'Étoile Scellée, Paris, France |
1952 | Galerie d'Art Moderne, Basel, Switzerland |
1936 | Galerie Schulthess, Basel, Switzerland |