Skip to main content
Video Loading
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 16

Tables in Wood and Bronze Attributed to Meret Oppenheim, France, 1930

About the Item

Table Material: wood and bronze Style: Art Deco Country: France If you want to live in the golden years, this is the tables that your project needs. We have specialized in the sale of Art Deco and Art Nouveau and Vintage styles since 1982.If you have any questions we are at your disposal. Pushing the button that reads 'View All From Seller'. And you can see more objects to the style for sale. Meret Oppenheim Meret Oppenheim -Traccia Table - The person and the works of German-Swiss artist Meret Oppenheim (1913-1985) are forever associated with surrealism and 20th century art history. Meret Oppenheim, in full Meret Elisabeth Oppenheim, (born October 6, 1913, Berlin, Germany—died November 15, 1985, Basel, Switzerland), German-born Swiss artist whose fur-covered teacup, saucer, and spoon became an emblem of the Surrealist movement. The piece, created when Oppenheim was just 23 years old, became so famous that it overshadowed the rest of her career. Oppenheim’s father was German and Jewish and her mother was Swiss. In 1914, at the outbreak of World War I, the family moved from Germany to Switzerland. Oppenheim was encouraged by her father and by her maternal grandmother, author and illustrator Lisa Wenger-Ruutz, to pursue art. Thus, in 1929 she began art studies at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Basel (through 1930). She then moved to Paris and briefly attended the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in 1932. Being in Paris offered Oppenheim the opportunity to connect with leading avant-garde artists, which, more than schooling, gave her entrée into the art world. In 1933 she met Alberto Giacometti, Man Ray, André Breton, and Jean (Hans) Arp. Oppenheim was quickly absorbed into the Surrealist circle and exhibited three paintings at the Salon des Surindépendants in Paris in 1933. Soon after meeting Man Ray, she became his muse and modeled for images such as Érotique Voilée (1933; “Erotic Veiled”), in which she appeared nude behind a large printing-press wheel, her left forearm and hand covered in black ink and held against her forehead. The image was published in the Surrealist movement’s journal, Minotaure, in 1934. That year she also began a romantic relationship with artist Max Ernst, which lasted just a year. In 1935 Oppenheim participated in international Surrealist exhibitions in Copenhagen and Tenerife, Canary Islands, and then a year later in London and New York. During the 1930s Oppenheim created assemblages of everyday items, many of which evoked eroticism, such as My Nurse (1936), a pair of women’s high-heeled shoes trussed together like a game fowl, with paper frills (crowns) on the heels, and placed sole-side up on a platter. In 1936 she also created her most famous work of art. After talking casually with Pablo Picasso and Dora Maar in a Paris café about all the mundane things she could cover in fur and turn into art—like the bracelet she had made and was wearing at the time—Oppenheim selected a teacup, saucer, and spoon to cover in Chinese gazelle fur. The result, Object, was part of the first Surrealist exhibition held at New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), “Fantastic Art, Dada, Surrealism,” curated by Alfred H. Barr, Jr., in 1936, and it became an overnight art world sensation. MoMA then acquired Object, the museum’s first acquisition (in the seven years since its founding) of art made by a woman. Breton later named the assemblage Le Déjeuner en fourrure (“Luncheon in Fur”), in a nod to Edouard Manet’s iconic painting Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe (1863; “Luncheon on the Grass”) and Austrian writer Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s erotic novella Venus en fourrures (1870; original title Venus im Pelz; “Venus in Furs”). Reaping the rewards of her newfound fame, Oppenheim had her first solo exhibition in 1936 at Galerie Marguerite Schulthess in Basel. In 1937 Oppenheim returned to Basel and enrolled in vocational school for two years to study art conservation and restoration, skills she planned to use to earn a living. Overwhelmed by the sensation caused by Object, Oppenheim retreated from the Surrealists. Also frustrated and fearful of the constraints that her early success would put on her developing artistic career, she sank into a deep depression and creative crisis that lasted nearly two decades. By her own account, she “recovered [her] pleasure in making art very suddenly in late 1954” and rented her own studio in Bern, Switzerland. During that period she also began writing and branching out into other forms of creative production. She created costumes for a production by Daniel Spoerri of Picasso’s play Le Désir attrapé par la queue (1956; Desire Caught by the Tail). In 1959 she created a performance piece for a group of close friends in Bern: Spring Feast (“Frühlingsfest”), an elaborate banquet that Oppenheim served (without silverware) on the body of a nude woman laid out on a long table. Breton asked her to reproduce the piece for the Exposition inteRnatiOnale du Surréalisme (EROS) in Paris (1959–60). Though she did participate, she was not pleased when her work was criticized for objectifying women, as her intention had been to reflect the spring abundance offered from Mother Earth. She never exhibited with the Surrealists again. In 1967 Oppenheim was recognized with a large retrospective in Stockholm. Her work was further revived in the 1970s by feminist scholars seeking to reintroduce to art history forgotten women artists. In 1975 she won the Art Award from the city of Basel and in 1982 the Grand Art Prize from the city of Berlin. Over the course of her life, Oppenheim created jewelry, sculpture, paintings, furniture, performance art, and poetry. She also designed several public and private fountains in her later years. The controversial tall stone fountain she designed for a public square in Bern (1983), which trickles water and grows algae and moss, was seen initially as an eyesore by the city’s residents. Exhibitions in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, including retrospectives in New York City (1996; Guggenheim Museum), Bern (2006; Kunstmuseum), and Berlin (2013; Martin-Gropius-Bau), portrayed her not as the Surrealist one-hit wonder that she had become in the 1930s but as a multifaceted artist with a varied and inspired body of work. Why are there so many antiques in Argentina? In the 1880 – 1940 there was a grate wave of immigration encouraged by the periods of war that were taking place. 1st World War took place between 1914 and 1918 2nd World War took place between 1939 and 1945 The immigrants options were New York or Buenos Aires. Tickets were cheap and in Buenos Aires they were welcomed with open arms, as it was a country where everything was still to be done. Argentina was the country of new opportunities, labour was needed and religious freedom was assured, in many cases the of the family travel first until they were settled and then the rest of the family members join them. In the immigrant museum “Ellis Island Immigrant Building” in New York you can se the promotional posters of the boats that would take them to a new life. Between the years 1895 and 1896, Argentina had the highest DGP (gross domestic product) per capita in the world according to the Maddison Historical Statistics index, this situation arose due to the large amount of food being exported to European countries, which were at war. The Argentinean ships left the port of Buenos Aires with food, but they returned with furniture, clothes and construction elements, (it´s common to see this the old buildings of the historic neighbourhood of San Telmo, the beams with the inscription “Made in England)”, as well as many markets that were built in Buenos Aires, such us the San Telmo Market, whose structure was brought by ship and afterwards assembled in 900 Defensa Street. With the great influence of European immigrants living in the country, the children of the upper classes travelled to study in France, resulting in the inauguration of “La Maison Argentinienne”, on 27th of June 1928, in the international city of Paris, which hosted many Argentinians that were studying in Frace. It´s the fourth house to be built after France, Canada and Belgium, being the first Spanish-speaking one. Still in place today (17 Bd Jourdan, 75014, Paris, France). Many of the children of these wealthy families who attended international art exhibitions, museums and art courses abroad, took a keen interest in the European style. This is why Buenos Aires was at the time referred as “The Paris of South America”. Between the years 1890 and 1920 more than a hundred Palaces were built on Alvear Avenue the most exclusive avenue in Buenos Aires. Today some of these palaces have been transformed into museums, hotels and embassies. In the year 1936, the Kavanagh building was inaugurated, it was the tallest reinforced concrete building in South America. During 1994 the American Society of Civil Engineers distinguished it as an “international engineering milestone”, and it´s now considered a World Heritage of Modern Architecture. At the time was common to hire foreign architects such as Le Corbusier, who visited Buenos Aires/Argentina in 1929 and in 1948 he drew up the blueprints for a house built in La Plata City (which was declared a World Heritage Site). In 1947, the Hungarian architect Marcelo Breuer designed “Parador Ariston” in the seaside city of Mar del Plata. After an Argentinean student at Harvard University convinced him to come to Argentina. He worked on an urban development project in the Casa Amarilla, area of La Boca. The Ukrainian architect, Vladimiro Acosta, arrives in Argentina in 1928 and worked as an architect until que moved to Brazil. Antonio Bonet, a Spanish architect who worked with Le Corbusier in Paris, arrives in Argentina in 1937, where he carried out several architectural works and in 1938 designs the well-known BFK chair. Andres Kálnay, of Hungarian origin, made around 120 architectural masterpieces, among which the former Munich brewery stands out, he even made the furniture’s design. The German architect, Walter Gropius, director of the Bauhaus, lived in Argentina, where he wrote articles for “Sur” magazine and founded in Buenos Aires, an architectural firm with Franz Möller, who was also an architect, where he built two houses. At the same time several famous designers decided to immigrate to Argentina, among them we can find the well-known French designer, Jean-Michel Frank, who arrived in the country in 1940 and also worked for the Rockefeller family. Special pieces were made, which were sold exclusively in the country, such as the well-known German company “WMF”, who sold their products by catalogue, which were chosen by the ladies of high society in the list of wedding gifts, as well as the pieces designed by Christofle. The Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti, made special pieces for Argentinean mansions. In 1904 the first Jansen branch outside Paris was established in Buenos Aires, as the Argentinean clientele demanded a large amount of furniture, from the end of the 19th century to the mid-20th century. In 1970, the brand Rigolleau Argentina made pieces authorised by Lalique. The brands Maple and Thompson also set up shop in the country. The French plastic artist, Marcel Duchamp moved to Argentina in 1918-1919. Glass signed Gallé, Charder, Leverre, Schneider, Muller and other French firms. They were bought in flower shops and were given to ladies with beautiful floral arrangements. Some furniture manufacturers travelled to international fairs and bough the patterns to produce the furniture in Argentina, such as the furniture firm Englander and Bonta, who bought the patterns ins Italy. It is worth mentioning that in Argentina we have the largest community of Italians outside of Italy, as it is estimated that 70 percent of the inhabitants have at least one Italian descendant, followed by Spanish immigrants. The most Important furniture stores in Argentina: Comte is founded in 1934 (under the direct management of Jean Michel Frank in 1940). Nordiska (Swedish company established in 1934). Churba in 1960, a company that brought foreign designers to present their furniture in the country: Denmark: (Arne Jacobsen, Finn Juhl, Bender Madsen, Ejner Larsen, Poul Kjaerholm, Hans Wegner) Sweden: (Hans Agne Jakobsson, Gustavsberg) United States: (Herman Miller) Finland: (Lisa Johansson, Folke Arstrom, Tapio Wirkkala, Alvar Aalto, Timo Sarpaneva) Swedish Factory: (Orrefors) Italy: (Littala, Vico Magistretti, Emma Gismondi, Gae Aulenti, Angelo Mangiarotti, Elio Martinelli, Gianna Celada, Angelo Mangiarotti, Mario Bellini, Carlo Scarpa) Finland: (Olivia Toikka) Plata Lappas (Lappas Silver): a goldsmith shop founded in 1887 in Argentina by Alcibiades Lappas of Greek origin. In 2019, in Argentina took place “the Art Deco world congress”, in which we participated as hosts invited by Geo Darder, founder of the Copperbridge – Foundation, in which prominent people from all over the world attended to learn about Art Deco in Argentina. Argentina currently has more than 100 Art Deco buildings and another 90 Art Nouveau buildings throughout the city of Buenos Aires. Argentina is a country that has not been involved in many wars, which is why it has been a refuge for works of art and antiques from different periods of time, unlike European countries. That is way many collectors, museums and antique dealers from all over the world visit it, you should not miss the opportunity to visit this great country. Laura Guevara Kjuder, architect.
  • Attributed to:
    Meret Oppenheim (Artist)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 23 in (58.4 cm)Diameter: 20.87 in (53 cm)
  • Style:
    Art Deco (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
    Bronze,Wood
  • Place of Origin:
    France
  • Period:
    1930-1939
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1930
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use.
  • Seller Location:
    Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, AR
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: F-CO-2091stDibs: LU6785231678302

More From This Seller

View All
Unusual 2 Tables in wood and bronze Attributed to Meret Oppenheim, France, 1930
By Meret Oppenheim
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
The two tables have different heights Material: wood and bronze Style: Art Deco Country: France If you want to live in the golden years, this is the tables that your project needs. We have specialized in the sale of Art Deco and Art Nouveau and Vintage styles since 1982.If you have any questions we are at your disposal. Pushing the button that reads 'View All From Seller'. And you can see more objects to the style for sale. Meret Oppenheim Meret Oppenheim -Traccia Table - The person and the works of German-Swiss artist Meret Oppenheim (1913-1985) are forever associated with surrealism and 20th century art history. Meret Oppenheim, in full Meret Elisabeth Oppenheim, (born October 6, 1913, Berlin, Germany—died November 15, 1985, Basel, Switzerland), German-born Swiss artist whose fur-covered teacup, saucer, and spoon became an emblem of the Surrealist movement. The piece, created when Oppenheim was just 23 years old, became so famous that it overshadowed the rest of her career. Oppenheim’s father was German and Jewish and her mother was Swiss. In 1914, at the outbreak of World War I, the family moved from Germany to Switzerland. Oppenheim was encouraged by her father and by her maternal grandmother, author and illustrator Lisa Wenger-Ruutz, to pursue art. Thus, in 1929 she began art studies at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Basel (through 1930). She then moved to Paris and briefly attended the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in 1932. Being in Paris offered Oppenheim the opportunity to connect with leading avant-garde artists, which, more than schooling, gave her entrée into the art world. In 1933 she met Alberto Giacometti, Man Ray, André Breton, and Jean (Hans) Arp. Oppenheim was quickly absorbed into the Surrealist circle and exhibited three paintings at the Salon des Surindépendants in Paris in 1933. Soon after meeting Man Ray, she became his muse and modeled for images such as Érotique Voilée (1933; “Erotic Veiled”), in which she appeared nude behind...
Category

Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Tables

Materials

Bronze

Table in Wood and Marble France, 1930
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Table Material: Wood and marble Style: Art Deco France We have specialized in the sale of Art Deco and Art Nouveau and Vintage styles since 1982. If you have any questions we are at...
Category

Vintage 1920s French Art Deco Sofa Tables

Materials

Marble

2 Tables in Wood and Chrome, France, 1930
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Two tables Material: wood and chrome Style: Art Deco Country: France We have specialized in the sale of Art Deco and Art Nouveau and Vintage styles since 1982. If you have any quest...
Category

Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Tables

Materials

Chrome

2 Tables Art Deco in Wood, France, 1930
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Two tables Material: wood Style: Art Deco Country: France If you want to live in the golden years, this is the tables that your project needs. We have specialized in the sale of Ar...
Category

Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Tables

Materials

Wood

Medida Table Art Deco, France, 1930 in Wood
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Table Material: wood Style: Art Deco France We have specialized in the sale of Art Deco and Art Nouveau and Vintage styles since 1982. If you have any questions we are at your dispo...
Category

Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Sofa Tables

Materials

Wood

Table Octagonal in Wood, France, 1930, Art Deco
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Table Material: Wood France We have specialized in the sale of Art Deco and Art Nouveau and Vintage styles since 1982. If you have any questions we are at your disposal. Pushing th...
Category

Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Tables

Materials

Wood

You May Also Like

Meret Oppenheim Traccia Sculptural Table
By Meret Oppenheim, Cassina
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Meret Oppenheim traccia sculptural table. Manufactured by Cassina in Italy. In 1971, Dino Gavino launched what he called “...
Category

2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Tables

Materials

Steel

Meret Oppenheim Traccia Sculptural Table
By Meret Oppenheim, Cassina
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Meret Oppenheim Traccia sculptural table Manufactured by Cassina in Italy In 1971, Dino Gavino launched what he called “l’opera d’arte funzionale”, or functional artworks, in so doing inaugurating a new approach of furnishing where surreal objects were adapted for everyday use. This led to the creation of the Ultramobile collection. These pieces, that went beyond (ultra) furniture (mobile) engaged the imagination, complementing rational intelligence with a sense of wonder, where geometry interacted with fantasy. One of these pieces was the low table that the Swiss artist Meret Oppenheim designed in 1929 for Leo Castelli’s avant-garde gallery, dubbing it the “Bird Leg Table...
Category

2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Tables

Materials

Steel

Meret Oppenheim Traccia Sculptural Table
By Meret Oppenheim, Cassina
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Meret Oppenheim Traccia sculptural table Manufactured by Cassina in Italy. In 1971, Dino Gavino launched what he called “l’opera d’arte funzionale”, or functional artworks, in so doing inaugurating a new approach of furnishing where surreal objects were adapted for everyday use. This led to the creation of the Ultramobile collection. These pieces, that went beyond (ultra) furniture (mobile) engaged the imagination, complementing rational intelligence with a sense of wonder, where geometry interacted with fantasy. One of these pieces was the low table that the Swiss artist Meret Oppenheim designed in 1929 for Leo Castelli’s avant-garde gallery, dubbing it the “Bird Leg Table...
Category

2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Tables

Materials

Steel

Meret Oppenheim Traccia Sculptural Table
By Meret Oppenheim, Cassina
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Meret Oppenheim Traccia sculptural table Manufactured by Cassina in Italy In 1971, Dino Gavino launched what he called “l’opera d’arte funzionale”, or functional artworks, in so doing inaugurating a new approach of furnishing where surreal objects were adapted for everyday use. This led to the creation of the Ultramobile Collection. These pieces, that went beyond (ultra) furniture (mobile) engaged the imagination, complementing rational intelligence with a sense of wonder, where geometry interacted with fantasy. One of these pieces was the low table that the Swiss artist Meret Oppenheim designed in 1929 for Leo Castelli’s avant-garde gallery, dubbing it the “Bird Leg...
Category

2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Tables

Materials

Steel

Meret Oppenheim Traccia Sculptural Table
By Cassina, Meret Oppenheim
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Meret Oppenheim Traccia sculptural table Manufactured by Cassina in Italy In 1971, Dino Gavino launched what he called “l’...
Category

2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Tables

Materials

Steel

Meret Oppenheim Traccia Side Table in Wood Gold Leaf and Bronze by Gavina 1980s
By Meret Oppenheim, Simon Gavina Editions
Located in Montecatini Terme, IT
Traccia side table with structure in polished cast bronze, elliptical top in plywood finished with fine yellow gold leaf. Traccia table was origi...
Category

Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Side Tables

Materials

Bronze, Gold Leaf

Recently Viewed

View All