Meret Elisabeth Oppenheim was born in Berlin in 1913. She was a Swiss-German Surrealist artist and photographer recognized for her provocative and unconventional works that often challenged traditional notions of art, gender, and sexuality.
In 1932, at the age of 18, Oppenheim moved to Paris, where she briefly attended the Académie de la Grande Chaumière. However, she found more inspiration in the vibrant artistic circles of Montparnasse, associating with figures of the Surrealist movement such as Alberto Giacometti, Jean Arp, and Max Ernst.
Her most iconic work, Object (Le Déjeuner en fourrure) (1936), a fur-covered cup, saucer, and spoon, became a symbol of Surrealist art. It can be seen at the MoMA (New York).
She received several awards:
The Art Prize of the City of Basel in 1975
The Grand Art Prize of the City of Berlin in 1982.
