Meret Oppenheim / Hauser & Wirth Basel

Meret Oppenheim (1913–1985), a German-born Swiss artist, was a dynamic 20th-century figure known for her originality and refusal to be confined by art movements like Surrealism and Dada. Her diverse practice, spanning painting, drawing, sculpture, and design, is celebrated in a June exhibition at Hauser & Wirth Basel, curated in close collaboration with the curator and art historian Josef Helfenstein. Featuring works from the 1930s to 1970s, including rarely seen pieces, it highlights her exploration of identity and sexuality with humor and intellectual independence. Famous for Object (Déjeuner en fourrure) (1936), a fur-covered cup, saucer, and spoon, Oppenheim’s oeuvre includes early watercolors, mythological works like Daphne und Apoll (1943), and abstract pieces like Le sang de l’astre (1956). Her later works, such as Eichhörnchen (Squirrel) (1970) and Nebelblume (1974), reflect her wit and stylistic versatility. A 1984 retrospective and the 2021–2023 Meret Oppenheim: My Exhibition underscore her lasting influence.