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Fur-covered cup, saucer, and spoon
by Meret OppenheimYear: 1936
Yuk!
This design by Meret Oppenheim is intended to be sensual, but often evokes disgust at the first instance. What is more revolting than a mouth full of hair when drinking a cup of coffee? This crockery-set covered with the fur of a Chinese gazelle has hair in abundance.
Perhaps it is just because of the repulsion and splendour of the fur that this design by Meret Oppenheim has become world famous. The immediate motive for this design was a conversation with Pablo Picasso and Dora Maar. Picasso was admiring a fur clad bracelet, which caused Oppenheimer to comment that anything could be covered with fur.
When Oppenheimer was asked, not much later, to participate in an exhibition by André Breton, she came up with the Fur-covered cup, saucer, and spoon. The idea was to transform, at time mainly with women associated, products for day-to-day use into something sensual. The design can now be seen in the MoMa in New York.
Listen to the MoMa’s audio file about the Fur-covered cup, saucer and spoon.
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