Imago – Meret Oppenheim

Her fur-lined tea cup is one of the most famous surrealist objects ever made, but its creator, Oppenheim, is practically unknown. Ironically, the success of the sculpture eclipsed other achievements, and contributed to a depression that sent her back to Switzerland. Her self-doubt lifted in 1954, when she began the extraordinary paintings and sculptures shown at the ICA in 1989. This film was begun in collaboration with the artist, but sadly she died before shooting got under way. Glenda Jackson reads letters and diaries with a dull matter-of-factness to an irritating soundtrack. The edifice creaks, and Oppenheim is made to seem ordinary. The woman who said 'Imagination is the landscape in which the artist goes for a walk' deserves more imaginitive treatment.