Object (Le Déjeuner en fourrure)

Object (Le Déjeuner en fourrure) is a seminal Surrealist sculpture created in 1936 by the Swiss artist Meret Oppenheim. It consists of a teacup, saucer, and spoon covered in the fur of a Chinese gazelle. The work is celebrated as a quintessential example of Surrealist object-making and is held in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Description and creation

The sculpture is composed of a standard porcelain demitasse set, entirely lined with a sleek, tan fur. According to anecdote, the idea originated during a conversation at the Café de Flore in Paris, where Oppenheim was discussing her fur-covered jewelry with Pablo Picasso and Dora Maar. Inspired, she later purchased the items from a department store, Uniprix, and affixed the fur, transforming mundane domestic objects into something disquieting and evocative. The work deftly combines elements associated with feminine domesticity and animal sensuality, creating a potent tactile contradiction. Its creation was directly supported by the founder of the Surrealist movement, André Breton, who included it in his landmark 1936 Exposition Surréaliste d'Objets at the Galerie Charles Ratton.

Historical context and significance

Created during the height of the Surrealist movement in the politically charged atmosphere of 1930s Europe, *Object* emerged from a milieu obsessed with psychoanalysis, dream imagery, and the subversion of bourgeois norms. Artists like Salvador Dalí, Man Ray, and Max Ernst were producing works that challenged rational perception, often through the unexpected combination of disparate elements. Oppenheim’s piece is a premier example of the “dépaysement” of the object, stripping it of its utilitarian function to provoke unconscious associations. Its significance was immediately recognized, and it became a defining icon for both the movement and for the role of women artists within avant-garde circles, standing alongside works like Frida Kahlo's self-portraits and Leonora Carrington's mystical paintings.

Critical reception and legacy

Upon its debut, the work was met with astonishment and acclaim within the Surrealist community. It was famously featured on the cover of the magazine *Cahiers d'Art* and later, in 1937, was voted the quintessential Surrealist creation by the visitors to the Exposition Internationale du Surréalisme. Critical interpretation has been rich and varied, with scholars analyzing it through lenses of feminist art history, Freudian symbolism, and semiotics. The art historian Whitney Chadwick has extensively discussed its exploration of female sexuality and objectification. Its enduring legacy is cemented by its permanent display at the Museum of Modern Art, where it continues to be one of the most popular and analyzed works in the collection, influencing discussions about the readymade and conceptual art.

Provenance and exhibition history

After its creation, *Object* was first exhibited at the Exposition Surréaliste d'Objets in 1936. It was subsequently acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in 1946, making it one of the earliest works by a woman artist to enter the museum's collection. It has since been included in nearly every major survey of Surrealism, including exhibitions at the Tate Modern, the Centre Pompidou, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work has rarely left MoMA, and its exhibition history is meticulously documented, underscoring its status as a canonical masterpiece of 20th-century art. Its provenance is straightforward, passing directly from the artist to the museum with the assistance of figures like Alfred H. Barr Jr., MoMA's founding director.

Influence on art and culture

*Object (Le Déjeuner en fourrure)* has exerted a profound influence on subsequent generations of artists, particularly those exploring body art, feminist art, and the uncanny. It prefigured the interest in tactile, disturbing materials seen in the work of Louise Bourgeois and the subversive domestic critiques of Mona Hatoum. The piece is frequently referenced in popular culture, from allusions in fashion photography to mentions in literature and film, symbolizing the Surrealist ethos. Its conceptual daring—elevating a simple, altered object to the status of high art—also paved the way for movements like Pop Art and Installation art, influencing artists from Claes Oldenburg to Mike Kelley.

Category:Surrealist artworks Category:Sculptures in the Museum of Modern Art Category:1936 sculptures