# Meret Oppenheim artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/meret-oppenheim/
Profile generated: 2026-05-09T06:00:00.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1913-10-06
- Death date: 1985-11-15
- Nationality: Swiss, German-born
- Movements: Surrealism
- Common media: sculpture, photography, painting, collage, assemblage, drawing

## About Meret Oppenheim

Meret Oppenheim (1913–1985) was a German-born Swiss artist recognized as one of the most original voices of the Surrealist movement. Born in Charlottenburg, Berlin, she studied at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris before joining André Breton's inner circle in the early 1930s as its youngest member. Her fur-covered teacup, saucer, and spoon — Object (1936) — entered the Museum of Modern Art's collection and became one of the most iconic Surrealist works ever made. Oppenheim's practice extended well beyond that single object: she produced sculpture, painting, collage, photography, and poetry across five decades. After studying at the Gewerbeschule in Basel from 1938, she spent much of her career in Switzerland, where she died in 1985. Major retrospectives at MoMA and European institutions have affirmed her central place in twentieth-century art.

## Common works and media

Oppenheim worked across sculpture, painting, collage, photography, drawing, and poetry. Works most commonly encountered at auction include mixed-media assemblages combining everyday objects with unconventional materials, bronze casts, oil and gouache paintings, lithographs and other editioned prints, and photographs. Her sculptural objects — especially those pairing domestic items with fur or other unexpected surfaces — are her most recognizable category. Self-portrait photographs and Surrealist collages also appear with some frequency. Material spans from her breakthrough 1930s Paris period through later series produced in Basel.

## Market and appraisal context

Oppenheim's work appears at auction chiefly in Post-War and Contemporary Art and Surrealist Art sales. Her market is anchored by the cultural importance of Object (1936), though unique sculptures, paintings, and works on paper from her wider output also trade. Provenance linked to the artist's circle or documented exhibitions can materially affect value, and pieces from her 1930s Paris period tend to be the most sought after. Editioned prints and multiples exist alongside unique works, so confirming medium, edition size, and authenticity is essential. Condition, date, and association with key Surrealist exhibitions are standard appraisal factors.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine researched artist identity data with auction records, sale dates, realized prices, comparable lots, and auction-house context when those records are available. This page draws on the Museum of Modern Art, Library of Congress, RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History, VIAF, and Wikidata sources cited above.

## Sources

- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n82233272
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/4416
- RKD — Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/60868
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q61594
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/61550307/
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A9ret_Oppenheim
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500029314