“Nobody will give you freedom,” said Meret Oppenheim in 1975. “You have to take it.” Inspired by the visionary Swiss artist’s own plans for an exhibition of her art, Meret Oppenheim: My Exhibition brings together nearly 200 works that offer a wide retrospective view of Oppenheim’s lifelong innovation, remarkably open concept of art, and fierce originality and wit.
Best known for her celebrated fur-lined teacup, the full scope of Oppenheim’s six-decade career has been largely unknown outside her native Switzerland, and many of the paintings, sculptures, assemblages, reliefs, jewelry designs, works on paper, and collages are on display in the US for the first time. This exhibition offers a rare opportunity to see Oppenheim’s output—from daring objects first displayed alongside those of the Surrealists in the 1930s, to painted collages that incorporate natural materials found in the Alpine landscape, to sculptures made of bronze and semi-precious stone—in all of its exuberant variety.
Prior to its MoMA presentation, the exhibition will be shown at the Kunstmuseum Bern (October 22, 2021–February 13, 2022) and the Menil Collection, Houston (March 25–September 18, 2022).
Take a deep dive into Oppenheim's life and work with text, image, sound, photography, and film via Kunstmuseum Bern.
Meret Oppenheim: My Exhibition is organized by The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Kunstmuseum Bern; and The Menil Collection, Houston.
Organized by Anne Umland, The Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller Senior Curator of Painting and Sculpture, The Museum of Modern Art; Nina Zimmer, Director, Kunstmuseum Bern; and Natalie Dupêcher, Associate Curator of Modern Art, The Menil Collection; with Lee Colón, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Painting and Sculpture, The Museum of Modern Art.
