The fur-covered teacup, saucer, and spoon known as Object became a lightning rod for the Surrealist movement upon its creation in 1936. While the piece garnered international attention and earned Meret Oppenheim a permanent place in art history, it also trapped her within a specific aesthetic classification that she spent much of her career attempting to transcend.
Formative Years and Paris
Born in Berlin in 1913, Oppenheim was raised in Switzerland. Her early intellectual framework was shaped by the writings of Carl Jung, which prompted a lifelong commitment to documenting her dreams and utilizing archetypal motifs like snakes and spirals. In 1932, at age 18, she relocated to Paris. She enrolled at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière and quickly integrated into the local avant-garde circles, meeting Alberto Giacometti and Jean Arp. Her presence at the Café de la Place Blanche brought her into contact with André Breton, Marcel Duchamp, and Max Ernst, further embedding her in the Surrealist movement.
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The creation of Object occurred after a conversation with Pablo Picasso and Dora Maar regarding a fur bracelet Oppenheim had designed. Following a prompt from Breton to contribute to a 1936 exhibition at the Galerie Charles Ratton, she produced the fur-lined tea service. Alfred Barr acquired the work for the Museum of Modern Art in New York, though institutional resistance delayed its official entry into the permanent collection until 1963. The widespread focus on this singular piece contributed significantly to a period of professional isolation for the artist.
Artistic Development and Later Years
Following an exhibition at the Galerie René Drouin in 1939, Oppenheim entered a prolonged hiatus, stepping away from public displays until the 1950s. During this time, she faced substantial internal struggles regarding her development. When she returned to practice, she revisited earlier sketches and developed a body of work that included sculpture, jewelry design, and painting. She continued her career from locations including Bern, Basel, Steinen, and Thun, receiving the Berliner Kunstpreis in 1982. She died in 1985 in Basel and is buried in Carona.
Fast facts
- Born: 1913, Berlin
- Died: 1985, Basel
- Citizenship: Swiss, German
- Movement: Surrealism
- Notable work: Object (1936)
- Notable work: Meret Oppenheim fountain
- 1975 Award: Visual arts award
- 1982 Award: Berliner Kunstpreis
Questions readers ask
What was the inspiration for Object?
The work was inspired by a conversation with Pablo Picasso and Dora Maar about covering everyday objects in fur, following Oppenheim's design of a fur bracelet.
Did Oppenheim only produce Surrealist art?
While she is synonymous with the Surrealist movement, she worked as a painter, sculptor, and jewelry designer, and she actively resisted labels like 'feminine art' throughout her career.
Achievements
- Notable work: Meret Oppenheim fountain
- Notable work: Object
- Movement: surrealism