Méret Oppenheim (1913-1985)
Méret Oppenheim’s fetishistic sculptures, fashioned from items such as teacups, fur, high heels and other feminine domestic objects, address themes of food, sex, death, cannibalism and bondage, always with a mischievous twist. Born into a family of Swiss analysts, Oppenheim was well versed in psychoanalytic theory and applied it to her work. Oppenheim constantly challenged society’s rigid definition of male and female as well as the fine line between reality and dreams. Her famous fur-lined teacup, Object was embraced by the Surrealists as the quintessential expression of their movement and became an icon of 20th-century art. Oppenheim broke the glass ceiling of Surrealism by addressing fantasy, dominance and submission.
Sources:
- https://nmwa.org/explore/artist-profiles/meret-oppenheim
- http://www.theartstory.org/artist-oppenheim-meret.htm
- https://nmwa.org/explore/artist-profiles/meret-oppenheim