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Surrealist Mixed Media

SURREALIST STYLE

In the wake of World War I’s ravaging of Europe, artists delved into the unconscious mind to confront and grapple with this reality. Poet and critic André Breton, a leader of the Surrealist movement who authored the 1924 Surrealist Manifesto, called this approach “a violent reaction against the impoverishment and sterility of thought processes that resulted from centuries of rationalism.” Surrealist art emerged in the 1920s with dreamlike and uncanny imagery guided by a variety of techniques such as automatic drawing, which can be likened to a stream of consciousness, to channel psychological experiences.

Although Surrealism was a groundbreaking approach for European art, its practitioners were inspired by Indigenous art and ancient mysticism for reenvisioning how sculptures, paintings, prints, performance art and more could respond to the unsettled world around them.

Surrealist artists were also informed by the Dada movement, which originated in 1916 Zurich and embraced absurdity over the logic that had propelled modernity into violence. Some of the Surrealists had witnessed this firsthand, such as Max Ernst, who served in the trenches during World War I, and Salvador Dalí, whose otherworldly paintings and other work responded to the dawning civil war in Spain.

Other key artists associated with the revolutionary art and literary movement included Man Ray, Joan Miró, René Magritte, Yves Tanguy, Frida Kahlo and Meret Oppenheim, all of whom had a distinct perspective on reimagining reality and freeing the unconscious mind from the conventions and restrictions of rational thought. Pablo Picasso showed some of his works in “La Peinture Surréaliste” — the first collective exhibition of Surrealist painting — which opened at Paris’s Galerie Pierre in November of 1925. (Although Magritte is best known as one of the visual Surrealist movement’s most talented practitioners, his famous 1943 painting, The Fifth Season, can be interpreted as a formal break from Surrealism.)

The outbreak of World War II led many in the movement to flee Europe for the Americas, further spreading Surrealism abroad. Generations of modern and contemporary artists were subsequently influenced by the richly symbolic and unearthly imagery of Surrealism, from Joseph Cornell to Arshile Gorky.

Find a collection of original Surrealist paintings, sculptures, prints and multiples and more art on 1stDibs.

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Style: Surrealist
Mod Surrealist 1970 s Drawing Watercolor Painting Jungle Fantasy, Unicorn, Lion
Located in Surfside, FL
Jungle fantasy Scene, Ink, Colored ink and color watercolor surreal fantasy scene, birds, giraffes, alligators, snakes, turtles, storks, unicorn and maiden in a tepee, lions and elephants. Laurence L. Donovan Jr. (1927-2001) was a poet, artist, and English professor at the University of Miami, best known for his poetry, much of which was inspired by Florida’s natural beauty. Donovan grew up in southern Florida. His parents were Ruth and Laurence Donovan...
Category

1970s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Ink, Watercolor

3D Surrealist Mixed Media Portrait, by Jeffrey Kronsnoble, Mixed Media
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
This framed 15.5" x 13.25" mixed media female portrait by artist Jeffrey Kronsnoble features the black and white profile of a women with a circular ...
Category

1960s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Mixed Media, Graphite

Flowers and Fruit - Original Vibrant Still Life Flowers and Fruit Bowl Artwork
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C. Bernhardsson is a colorful artist who lives and paints in Sweden. Most of her works are influenced by the architecture and geometry of houses. Bernhardsson travels the world...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Paper, Mixed Media

"Time Passes #1", Surrealist, Portrait, Grey, Red, Collage, Acrylic Painting
Located in Franklin, MA
John Baker’s “Time Passes #1” is an acrylic painting on canvas with collage 20 x 16 inches in greys and blacks with red and flesh. From the “Life is Short” series, the painting is a ...
Category

2010s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Floral Still Life Postage Stamp Surrealist Collage painting
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Mabel Barnsbee (1892-1980). Miniature Watercolor Painting Surrealist Postage Stamp Collage. Image measures 4.5 x 6.5 inches. Measuring 11 x 13 inches in original frame. The Mysti...
Category

Mid-20th Century Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Le centurion
Located in OPOLE, PL
Salvador Dali (1904-1989) - Le centurion Lithograph from 1972. The edition of 187/250. Dimensions of work: 68 x 50 cm On B.F.K Rives paper as stated in the Field catalogue. Refe...
Category

1970s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Lithograph

Le centurion
Le centurion
$6,597 Sale Price
20% Off
Sailing Through The Day - Abstract Colorful Urban Collage Mixed Media Artwork
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C Bernhardsson's original artworks are influenced by the architecture and geometry of houses. Born in Sweden, Bernhardsson travels the world photographing and sketching houses ...
Category

2010s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Paper, Mixed Media

A Pink Sky - Abstract Colorful Urban Collage Mixed Media Artwork on Paper
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C. Bernhardsson is a colorful artist who lives and paints in Sweden. Most of her works are influenced by the architecture and geometry of houses. Bernhardsson travels the world...
Category

2010s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Paper, Mixed Media

Portrait of Mythological Figure
Located in Miami, FL
Works on Paper, watercolor, gouache, and pencil on paper Robert L. B. Tobin Foundation San Antonio, Texas initialed in cartouche bottom center
Category

1950s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Gouache

"Birdland (I am the Bowerbird)" Mixed-Media Retablo
Located in Chicago, IL
The intricate retablos of Chicago-based artist Patrick Fitzgerald are his means of paying homage to those who have inspired him throughout his life. Derived from Mexican votive...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Found Objects, Wood Panel

Israeli Mixed Media Painting, Tumarkin Abstract Surrealist Photo Collage
Located in Surfside, FL
Abstract Surrealist Photo collage with painting. Mixed Media with or about Amos Keinan the Israeli Playwright and journalist. Yigal Tumarkin (also Igael Tumarkin) (born 1933) is an ...
Category

1960s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Mixed Media, Silver Gelatin

Queen of the Sea, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A stone structure rises from a dreamy landscape. The blue and gold tones create a surreal and sacred atmosphere. Artist Yamilet Sempe drew inspiration from the ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Mixed Media

"Cloud"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
“Cloud“ is a luminous meditation on memory, nature, and myth. A celestial spiral of cloud forms drift weightlessly through an eternal sky, blurring the boundary between dream and rea...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Silk

Come with Me, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Artist Yamilet Sempe draws inspiration from the spiritual symbolism of goblins. Across many cultures, these magical forest dwellers are seen as guardians of nat...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Mixed Media

"The Two Dummies", Surrealist, Brown, Tan, Grey, Mixed Media, Acrylic Painting
Located in Franklin, MA
John Baker’s “The Two Dummies” is an acrylic painting on canvas with collage 32 x 24 x 1.5 inches wide in browns, tans and greys with red and yellow accents. The wooden neck lever of the ventriloquist suggests that he is in reality the dummy of the young boy; and yet, impossibly, both seem to be the dummies of one another! Regardless, the brightness of the props on the prop table...
Category

2010s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic

Sunshine Bouquet - Original Collage Floral Whimsical Still Life Boot Artwork
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C. Bernhardsson is a colorful artist who lives and paints in Sweden. Most of her works are influenced by the architecture and geometry of houses. Bernhardsson travels the world...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Paper, Mixed Media

Surrealist Mixed Media Sculptural Assemblage, Toucan .
Located in Cotignac, FR
Late 20th century mixed media sculptural assemblage by British artist Derek Carruthers. The work is not signed but was acquired along with a collectio...
Category

Late 20th Century Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Wood, Plywood, Paper, Acrylic

Howdy! (Roses) - Original Blue Floral Arrangement in Boot Still Life Artwork
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C. Bernhardsson is a colorful artist who lives and paints in Sweden. Most of her works are influenced by the architecture and geometry of houses. Bernhardsson travels the world...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Paper, Mixed Media

Daughter of the Moon, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Artist Yamilet Sempe draws inspiration from the Moon as a timeless symbol of feminine strength and intuition. Its gentle glow through darkness reflects the abil...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Mixed Media

Jardin: After Monet. Contemporary Abstract Oil Painting
Located in Brecon, Powys
A riotous explosion from the palette of Sax Berlin. This garden uses the beautiful colours familiar to those who have travelled the southern reaches of France and used to such amazin...
Category

2010s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Oil, Acrylic

Liberty, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
This piece honors the Polymita, also known as the Cuban painted snail, one of the world’s most beautiful and endangered snail species. Found only in Cuba, its...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Mixed Media

The Cartographer - Black, Yellow, Collage, Surrealism
Located in Baden-Baden, DE
The Cartographer, 2021 collage on paper 50 H x 35 W cm Raluca Arnăutu dreams the world through collages. A collage, dreamlike and surreal, populated by thousands of pieces of paper,...
Category

2010s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Paper

Snake Charmer, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A woman's face with downcast eyes emerges in a vibrant collage. Her expression is peaceful yet intense. Intricate patterns, dots, and botanical elements surroun...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Mixed Media

All We Need Is Flowers - Still Life Flowers in Vase Colorful Contemporary
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C. Bernhardsson is a colorful artist who lives and paints in Sweden. Most of her works are influenced by the architecture and geometry of houses. Bernhardsson travels the world...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Paper, Mixed Media

Trapped in Your Dreams, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A dreamcatcher and two branches with delicate white flowers appear suspended against an orange sky. Artist Yamilet Sempe depicts her creative process in this pi...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Mixed Media

Garden of Secrets - 21st Century, Textile, Flowers, Contemporary, Colorful
Located in Baden-Baden, DE
Garden with Secrets, 2015 Mixed media (Signed on reverse) 25 H × 32 3/10 W × 7 9/10 D in 63.5 H × 82 W × 20 D cm Unique The small installations designed by Raluca Arnăutu remind us ...
Category

2010s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Textile, Mixed Media

Une Pyramide en Colère, Micro-Painting on Leather by Max Ernst
Located in Roma, IT
Micro picture, gouache on paper mounted on black leather. Belonging to the serie “Microbes”. Interestingly, it is unusually mounted on a black leather surface whose shape reminds th...
Category

1940s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Leather, Gouache, Cardboard

Résumé
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Résumé Original Lithograph from 1997. The edition of 125. Dimensions of work: 32 x 21 cm. Publisher: Atelier Franck Bordas, Paris. The work is in Exce...
Category

1990s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Lithograph

Résumé
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Résumé Original Lithograph from 1997. The edition of 125. Dimensions of work: 21 x 16 cm. Publisher: Atelier Franck Bordas, Paris. The work is in Exce...
Category

1990s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Lithograph

Résumé
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Résumé Original Lithograph from 1997. The edition of 125. Dimensions of work: 21 x 16 cm. Publisher: Atelier Franck Bordas, Paris. The work is in Exce...
Category

1990s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Lithograph

Résumé
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Résumé Original Lithograph from 1997. The edition of 125. Dimensions of work: 21 x 16 cm. Publisher: Atelier Franck Bordas, Paris. The work is in Exce...
Category

1990s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Lithograph

Résumé
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Résumé Original Lithograph from 1997. The edition of 125. Dimensions of work: 21 x 16 cm. Publisher: Atelier Franck Bordas, Paris. The work is in Exce...
Category

1990s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Lithograph

Résumé
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Résumé Original Lithograph from 1997. The edition of 125. Dimensions of work: 21 x 16 cm. Publisher: Atelier Franck Bordas, Paris. The work is in Exce...
Category

1990s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Lithograph

Résumé
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Résumé Original Lithograph from 1997. The edition of 125. Dimensions of work: 21 x 16 cm. Publisher: Atelier Franck Bordas, Paris. The work is in Exce...
Category

1990s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Lithograph

Résumé
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Résumé Original Lithograph from 1997. The edition of 125. Dimensions of work: 21 x 16 cm. Publisher: Atelier Franck Bordas, Paris. The work is in Exce...
Category

1990s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Lithograph

Résumé
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Résumé Original Lithograph from 1997. The edition of 125. Dimensions of work: 21 x 16 cm. Publisher: Atelier Franck Bordas, Paris. The work is in Exce...
Category

1990s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Lithograph

Résumé
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Résumé Original Lithograph from 1997. The edition of 125. Dimensions of work: 21 x 16 cm. Publisher: Atelier Franck Bordas, Paris. The work is in Exce...
Category

1990s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Lithograph

Résumé
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Résumé Original Lithograph from 1997. The edition of 125. Dimensions of work: 21 x 16 cm. Publisher: Atelier Franck Bordas, Paris. The work is in Exce...
Category

1990s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Lithograph

Résumé
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Résumé Original Lithograph from 1997. The edition of 125. Dimensions of work: 21 x 16 cm. Publisher: Atelier Franck Bordas, Paris. The work is in Exce...
Category

1990s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Lithograph

Résumé
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Résumé Original Lithograph from 1997. The edition of 125. Dimensions of work: 21 x 16 cm. Publisher: Atelier Franck Bordas, Paris. The work is in Exce...
Category

1990s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Lithograph

Résumé
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Résumé Original Lithograph from 1997. The edition of 125. Dimensions of work: 21 x 16 cm. Publisher: Atelier Franck Bordas, Paris. The work is in Exce...
Category

1990s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Lithograph

Résumé
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Résumé Original Lithograph from 1997. The edition of 125. Dimensions of work: 21 x 16 cm. Publisher: Atelier Franck Bordas, Paris. The work is in Exce...
Category

1990s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Lithograph

Résumé
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Résumé Original Lithograph from 1997. The edition of 125. Dimensions of work: 21 x 16 cm. Publisher: Atelier Franck Bordas, Paris. The work is in Exce...
Category

1990s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Lithograph

Résumé
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Résumé Original Lithograph from 1997. The edition of 125. Dimensions of work: 21 x 16 cm. Publisher: Atelier Franck Bordas, Paris. The work is in Exce...
Category

1990s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Lithograph

Résumé
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Résumé Original Lithograph from 1997. The edition of 125. Dimensions of work: 21 x 16 cm. Publisher: Atelier Franck Bordas, Paris. The work is in Exce...
Category

1990s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Lithograph

Résumé
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Résumé Original Lithograph from 1997. The edition of 125. Dimensions of work: 21 x 16 cm. Publisher: Atelier Franck Bordas, Paris. The work is in Exce...
Category

1990s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Lithograph

Résumé
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Résumé Original Lithograph from 1997. The edition of 125. Dimensions of work: 21 x 16 cm. Publisher: Atelier Franck Bordas, Paris. The work is in Exce...
Category

1990s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Lithograph

Lino-Litho, Planche IV
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Lino-Litho, Planche IV Lithograph from 1970. Edition HC, dedicated to Jacques (Putman), who was the publisher of the series. Dimensions of work: 38 x 54...
Category

1970s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Lithograph

Lino-Litho, Planche VII
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Lino-Litho, Planche VII Lithograph from 1970. The edition Bon à tirer on Arches paper. Dimensions of work: 38 x 54.5 cm. Hand signed. Publisher: Jacqu...
Category

1970s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Lithograph

Lino-Litho, Planche VI
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Lino-Litho, Planche VI Lithograph from 1970. The edition Bon à tirer on Arches paper.. Dimensions of work: 38 x 54.5 cm. Hand signed. Publisher: Jacqu...
Category

1970s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Lithograph

Rêve de l ammonite
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Rêve de l'ammonite Etching from 1983. The edition V/XIII e.a. Dimensions of work: 31 x 19 cm. Hand signed. The work is in Excellent condition.
Category

1980s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Etching

Retour aux sources
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Retour aux sources Engraving from 1973. The edition of 99. Dimensions of work: 73 x 52.5 cm. Hand signed. The work is in Excellent condition.
Category

1970s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Engraving

Digitale
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Digitale Lithograph from 1969. The edition ea. Dimensions of work: 44 x 30.5 cm. Hand signed. Publisher: Atelier Clot, Paris. The work is in Excellen...
Category

1960s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Lithograph

Bœuf gros sel
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Bœuf gros sel Lithograph from 1969. The edition of 232/300. Dimensions of work: 44 x 30.5 cm. Hand signed. Publisher: Atelier Clot, Paris. The work i...
Category

1960s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Lithograph

Gnomes et Gnose
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Gnomes et Gnose Lithograph from 1974. The edition of XVI/XXV. Dimensions of work: 75.5 x 54.5 cm. Hand signed. Publisher: Atelier Clot, Paris. Publis...
Category

1970s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Lithograph

Gnomes et Gnose
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Gnomes et Gnose Lithograph from 1974. The edition of XVI/XXV. Dimensions of work: 75.5 x 54.5 cm. Hand signed. Publisher: Atelier Clot, Paris. Publis...
Category

1970s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Lithograph

Gnomes et Gnose
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Gnomes et Gnose Lithograph from 1974. The edition of XVI/XXV. Dimensions of work: 75.5 x 54.5 cm. Hand signed. Publisher: Atelier Clot, Paris. Publis...
Category

1970s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Lithograph

Gnomes et Gnose
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Gnomes et Gnose Lithograph from 1974. The edition of XVI/XXV. Dimensions of work: 75.5 x 54.5 cm. Hand signed. Publisher: Atelier Clot, Paris. Publis...
Category

1970s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Lithograph

Vulcanologies III
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Vulcanologies III Lithograph from 1970. The edition 80/90. Dimensions of work: 76 x 56 cm. Hand signed. The work is in Excellent condition.
Category

1980s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Lithograph

Volcan de nuit
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Volcan de nuit Etching and aquatint from 1972. The edition 23/100. Dimensions of work: 64 x 89 cm. Hand signed. The work is in Excellent condition.
Category

1970s Surrealist Mixed Media

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

Surrealist mixed media for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Surrealist mixed media available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add mixed media created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, purple, orange, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Heejin Sutton, Libby Ramage, Michele Luger, and Max Ernst. Frequently made by artists working with Mixed Media, and Paper and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Surrealist mixed media, so small editions measuring 4 inches across are also available. Prices for mixed media made by famous or emerging artists can differ depending on medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $112 and tops out at $179,950, while the average work sells for $1,711.