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Meret Oppenheim Gueridon

Swiss, German, 1913-1985

Though the fame of the sculptor and painter Meret Oppenheim stems mainly from a single work of art, that one was a doozy. Known as Object, the enduringly disconcerting fur-covered teacup, saucer and spoon that Oppenheim created in 1936 remains the one of the most notorious works to spawn from the Surrealist art movement.

Born in Germany and raised in Basel, Switzerland, Oppenheim was encouraged to pursue art by her maternal grandmother, a writer and illustrator. Oppenheim moved to Paris to attend art school in 1932. There, she met the sculptor (and fellow Swiss native) Alberto Giacometti, who introduced her to Man Ray, Max Ernst and André Breton, the founder of the Surrealist movement. Within a year, Oppenheim was exhibiting her paintings with the Surrealists, the first female artist to do so.

Object, the story goes, was born of a lunchtime chat that Oppenheim had with Pablo Picasso and his muse, artist Dora Maar, one afternoon in 1936. The Spanish-born artist admired an unusual fur-lined bracelet that Oppenheim wore, and she replied that anything could be covered fur, “even this cup and saucer!” Her imagination fired, Oppenheim bought some china and a swatch of Chinese gazelle fur. When it was exhibited in New York, Object was purchased by the Museum of Modern Art — the first work of art by a woman acquired by the institution.

Another Oppenheim piece has become an icon of the art-as-design genre, a category that has currency among art collectors: the Traccia table, a side table with a gold- or silver-leafed wooden top, incised with the shapes of two bird-claw impressions, and a cast-bronze base in the form of stork legs. The Traccia — from the Italian for “track,” as in animal track — was created for the 1939 opening of art dealer Leo Castelli’s first gallery, on the Place Vendôme in Paris. The maker Simon International began producing versions of the Traccia in 1970, and the piece is now made by Cassina. Examples are typically priced between $6,300 and $8,500, depending on condition. As striking and amusing today as when it first appeared, the Traccia is an always-suave addition to a modern art and design collection and a tribute to the humor and ingenuity of a groundbreaking 20th-century artist.

Find original Meret Oppenheim art and furniture on 1stDibs.

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Creator: Meret Oppenheim
20th Century Meret Oppenheim Traccia Side Table by Simon Gavina Golden '70s
By Meret Oppenheim, Simon Gavina Editions
Located in Turin, Turin
This table is a surrealist piece of furniture made while International Style was popular. Meret Oppenheim was a German-born Swiss artist and designer best known for her teacup lined ...
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Meret Oppenheim Gueridon

Materials

Bronze

Meret Oppenheim Gueridon Ovale Table
By Meret Oppenheim
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Meret Oppenheim gueridon ovale table in original condition. A true collector's art table. Live with art as furniture in home. Modern art table very rare.
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1990s Modern Meret Oppenheim Gueridon

Materials

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Meret Oppenheim gueridon for sale on 1stDibs.

Meret Oppenheim gueridon are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. Prices for Meret Oppenheim gueridon can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $3,800 and can go as high as $3,800, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $3,800.

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