Oct 06, 2017
Meret Oppenheim’s 104th Birthday
This Doodle’s Key Themes
Although it might not seem so unusual today for a woman to become a professional artist, it was nearly unheard of a century ago. But Meret Oppenheim, born on this date in 1913, knew from an early age that she wanted to make art and challenge accepted ideas. She became one of the foremost surrealists of her time, and she was the first woman to have a piece acquired by the Museum of Modern Art.
Oppenheim grew up in Switzerland in an intellectual family who supported her ambitions. One day Oppenheim's grandmother, also an artist, did a tarot reading for her granddaughter. The cards said it was time to try something new, and that's how Oppenheim ended up moving to Paris to attend art school.
In Paris, Oppenheim kept company with the rising stars of the abstract and surrealist movements: Pablo Picasso, Marcel Duchamp, and René Magritte - to name a few. They often asked Oppenheim to model or serve as a muse — women were seen as inspirations for art, not artists in their own right. Despite these expectations and obstacles, Oppenheim believed in herself and worked hard to make a name for herself as an artist.
Today's Doodle, created by guest artist Tina Berning, celebrates Meret Oppenheim on what would have been her 104th birthday. The Doodle nods to one of her most known works, Object, and honors the surrealist tradition of combining unexpected elements to create something new.
Below are some in-process images of the Doodle being developed:
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