Meret Oppenheim and Her Artist Friends

MASILugano
11/02/17 till 28/05/17

Meret Oppenheim (1913-1985) is a foremost twentieth-century artist, a legendary figure who achieved recognition within the male-dominated context of Surrealism, while at the same time developing her own independent research.

The aim of the Lugano exhibition is to highlight the relationship between Oppenheim and her fellow artists in the 1930s: Man Ray, Marcel Duchamp, Max Ernst, Alberto Giacometti, Jean Arp, to name just a few, documented by some of their most significant works. The exhibition offers the chance to understand the young artist’s interpretation of the themes of Surrealism, and how she herself influenced the movement with her personality and her charisma.

Emerging from the works by Meret Oppenheim and her fellow artist are the themes that the artistic imaginary of the time especially focused on: dream-like fantasies and erotic aberrations; the woman as an enchanted creature or a sorceress; fetishism and the relationship with nature. In the post-war years Meret’s work was enriched by her research into abstract art, strongly influencing the following generations of artists; parallels can be drawn with the work of Daniel Spoerri and Birgit Jürgenssen, among others, as well as with contemporary artists like Robert Gober and Mona Hatoum. mehr

Lastly, it is worth stressing that the decision to hold an exhibition of this outstanding artist in Lugano is also based on the fact that Meret Oppenheim spent long periods of time at her family home in Carona, not far from Lugano, a place she held close to her heart. 

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