Squirrel

1960, edition 1969

Meret Oppenheim , Artist La Medusa Grafica , Publisher

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About the Artwork

With Squirrel, Meret Oppenheim continued the dada and surrealist traditions of modifying prefabricated found objects for artistic purposes in so-called assisted readymades. In this work, a beer glass with imitation foam paired with a bushy tail produce the playful form of an animal body that can be simultaneously read as a beer mug. This new object hints at the antirational, absurd, and marvelous, while also prompting the sensual and erotic associations evoked by animal fur. While Oppenheim’s artworks, often derived from dreams, appear whimsical, Squirrel may also be seen as a confrontation of nature (an animal) and culture (a glass), which the artist sought to resolve through her work.

Oppenheim first made Squirrel in 1960, shortly after emerging from a twenty-four-year creative hiatus. In 1969, she issued an edition of Squirrel in one hundred copies.

Title Squirrel

Artwork Date 1960, edition 1969

Makers Meret Oppenheim (Artist) Swiss, 1913-1985 (Publisher) La Medusa Grafica

Medium Glass, plastic foam, fur

Dimensions Overall: 9 × 6 × 3 1/2 inches (22.9 × 15.2 × 8.9 cm)

Classification Sculpture

Department European Modern Art to 1970

Credit Gift of the Lila and Gilbert Silverman Collection

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 2023.510

Markings

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Provenance

1996, sold by (Ubu Gallery, New York, New York, USA);
1996-2020, purchased by Gilbert B. Silverman [1925-2016] and Lila Silverman [1933-2020] (Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, USA);
2020-present, gift to the Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, Michigan, USA

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Exhibition History

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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

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Published References

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Catalogue Raisoneé

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Credit Line for Reproduction

Meret Oppenheim, Squirrel, 1960, edition 1969, glass, plastic foam, fur. Detroit Institute of Arts, Gift of the Lila and Gilbert Silverman Collection, 2023.510.