Meret Oppenheim (1913–1985) is one of the twentieth century’s most important and unconventional artists. With Breakfast in Fur (1936), a teacup covered in fur, the young woman became a legend and key protagonist of French Surrealism.

Her multifaceted, independent oeuvre includes painting, sculpture, poetry, and design, and avoids any sort of stylistic categorization or strict lines of development. Themes determine her artistic work: the transformation of the genders, of man and animal, nature and culture, reality and imagination; dreams, myths, games, and literary material, such as the writings of C. G. Jung, serve as sources of inspiration.

The publication illuminates her diverse body of work in an international context and demonstrates the remarkable influence this fascinating personality had on later generations of artists, for instance as a feminist role model.