Iconic as a photographic subject and influential as a creator of iconic objects, Meret Oppenheim (1913–1985) was both artist and muse, and was uniquely liberated in both roles. In celebration of the centennial of her birth, Mirrors of the Mind looks at Oppenheim’s singular position as maker and subject of art through numerous sculptures, prints, paintings and photographs. From the iconic "Object in Fur" to lesser-known pieces, Oppenheim’s consistently poetical and humorous work continues to find resonance in contemporary art through its candor and economy of means. This substantial, handsomely designed monograph shows the artist to have been an inspirational figure in her own era--for artists such as Man Ray, Picasso and Max Ernst--as well as an important feminist artist.
In Meret Oppenheimer’s oeuvre we encounter an early pioneer of a wholly imaginative interplay of liberal and applied art. Today the lively, poetical-humorous work still finds resonance in contemporary art through its candour as well as its spiritual and feminine independence.
The exhibition catalogue “Gedankenspiegel – Mirrors of the Mind” illustrates Meret Oppenheim’s enduring position as artist’s muse through numerous prints, paintings and photographs. Her work’s stimulating dialogue with that of artist friends and colleagues portrays a picture of the creative landscape and notional affinity of the time. |