Surrealist Paintings
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
Beach Scene oil on canvas by Louis Wolchonok
Located in Hudson, NY
About the artist: Louis Wolchonok studied art at the National Academy of Design, City College of New York, Julian Academy in Paris, and the Brooklyn Academy of Fine Art. In addition ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Ladies Night, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
The encounter with pitcher plants is often fatal for insects and other small animals, because they are carnivorous plants. In my painting "Ladies Night" I presented the pitcher plan...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Eden, Painting, Oil on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
Summary of features: Medium & materials: oil on thick paper Finishing: protective varnish (transparent mastic paint) Location and year created: Turin, Italy - 2022 Certificat...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
I
m Your Man
Located in Greenwich, CT
Mario Soria (Spanish, b. 1966)
Oil on board, toys and tinted varnish with chrome effect.
Born in Spain in 1966, Mario Soria wanted to paint for as long ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Varnish, Oil
L
incubo, 2010
Located in Atlanta, GA
Gigino Falconi was born in Giulianova (Teramo) in 1933. He began painting at the age of sixteen, and in 1954 he obtained a Liceo Artistico of Pescara. During the early years of his c...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Inner Revolution
Located in CAMPO REAL, ES
In this canvas the author invites us to explore an inner world that transcends the mere physical representation of an architectural space. In the center of the composition, an imposi...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Linen, Oil, Wood Panel
$3,353 Sale Price
20% Off
Green Capitel
Located in CAMPO REAL, ES
The work Green Chapitel, explores the relationship between architecture and color, highlighting an architectural fragment: the column and the capital. The work uses in this case a gr...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Cotton Canvas, Oil, Wood Panel
$1,437 Sale Price
20% Off
Theories II
Located in CAMPO REAL, ES
"Theories II" is a surrealist work that explores human theories through time. In the center, two heads of classical sculptures emerge against a divided background. The head of Dionysus, in earthy tones, projects a vision that distorts reality, symbolizing man's illusory perspective. From this vision emerge colorful forms that converge towards a floating book...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Linen, Oil
$7,857 Sale Price
20% Off
Aphrodite of Cnidus
Located in CAMPO REAL, ES
This representation of Aphrodite of Cnido, an iconic figure of mythology and ancient art, undertakes a search for a new personality. Through a careful treatment of color and texture,...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Linen, Oil
$5,749 Sale Price
20% Off
START YOUNG, STAY WISE, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
By db Waterman
Located in Yardley, PA
In the scene "Start Young, Stay Wise", the essence of innocence and wisdom come together in the form of a young girl, rendered in the sharp contrast of black and white like an old ph...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Paint. Miracles of the Marsh
Located in Cuernavaca, Morelos
Acrylic on wood
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Wood Panel
Watching, Original Contemporary Surrealist Gouache Painting on Wood Panel
By Megan Frazer
Located in Boston, MA
Watching, Original Contemporary Surrealist Painting, 2014
11.25" x 18" x 1.625" (HxWxD) Gouache on Wood Panel
This surreal gouache painting features a woman laying on top of her bed...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Gouache, Wood Panel
"The Inventor", Igor Samsonov, Surrealism, Figurative, Original Oil, 47x54 in.
Located in Dallas, TX
"The Inventor" by Igor Samsonov is an Original Surrealist Oil painting that measures 47x54 in. Igor paintings are rich with symbolism and tell stories--some wel...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Criação da Fragilidade, 2025 - Ritchelly Oliveira
Located in Porto, 13
"Criação da Fragilidade" by Ritchelly Oliveira, 2025
Charcoal and Acrylic on Canvas 120 x 90 cm (47.2 x 35 in)
A compelling meditation on presence and vulnerability, "Criação da Fra...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Charcoal, Acrylic
"The Carnival is Over", Igor Samsonov, Oil on Canvas, Surrealist, Figures, 48x54
Located in Dallas, TX
"The Carnival is Over: Afternoon" by Igor Samsonov is an Oil on Canvas painting measuring 47.5x54.5 and is a prime colorful example of figurative surrealism at its finest. His deep b...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Oil painting of Clown
Located in Fredericksburg, VA
This is a painting done by the American artist L.A. McMillen. It is signed lower right and is in excellent condition for the period. This shows a clown scene with the face of a man i...
Category
Early 20th Century Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Fences Make Good Neighbours
Located in Boston, MA
Artist Commentary:
Exaggerated surreal landscape where a town is divided by fences. The left side is a town, the right side is 'other'.
Keywords: Twist, Braid, rolling hills, desert...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Butterfly, פַּרְפַּר, бабочка
Located in Boston, MA
Artist Commentary:
Butterflies and imagination are the ingredients to start a well-rounded life.
Keywords: Butterfly, aqueduct, beach, window
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Musical Tree
Located in Boston, MA
Artist Commentary:
The dreamyness of music in a small format.
Keywords: tree, water, eighth note
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Counter, Original Contemporary Surrealist Gouache Painting on Wood Panel
By Megan Frazer
Located in Boston, MA
Counter, Original Contemporary Conceptual Surrealist Painting, 2014
18" x 11.25" x 1.625" (HxWxD) Gouache on Wood Panel
A confusing and seemingly impossible juxtaposition of subject matter, this conceptual work features her signature muted color scheme, incredible use of texture, and an intensely surrealist composition. The work is slightly reminiscent of the surreal painting *The Persistence of Memory...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Gouache, Wood Panel
Preserving, Original Signed Contemporary Surrealist Gouache Painting on Panel
By Megan Frazer
Located in Boston, MA
Preserving, Original Contemporary Surrealist Painting, 2012
18" x 11.25" x 1.625" (HxWxD) Gouache on Wood Panel
Hand-signed by the artist.
This muted, dream-like surrealist painting by artist Megan Frazer features a small, pale girl sitting upon an oversized hand that is jutting out from the gray Earth. The child is licking a large red lollipop, staring out at the viewer, as she sits below a night sky that glows from the light of the full moon.
Artist Commentary:
Surrealistic image of a young girl with a lollipop conveyed above the night sea...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Gouache, Wood Panel
Love, Original Contemporary Surrealist Gouache Painting on Wood Panel
By Megan Frazer
Located in Boston, MA
Love, Original Contemporary Surrealist Painting
18" x 11.25" x 1.625" (HxWxD) Gouache on Wood Panel
A conceptual surrealist painting by artist Megan Frazer, this composition feature...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Gouache, Wood Panel
Found It, Original Signed Contemporary Satirical Surrealist Painting on Panel
By Megan Frazer
Located in Boston, MA
Found It, Original Signed Contemporary Satirical Surrealist Painting, 2014
18" x 11" x 1.625" Gouache on Wood Panel
Hand-signed by the artist.
When socks go missing, this disarticulated human arm can find them! In this dream-like surrealistic painting by artist Megan Frazer a laundry basket full of blue, red, and yellow clothing...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Gouache, Wood Panel
Paint. The Devil
s Right Hand
Located in Cuernavaca, Morelos
Acrylic on wood
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Wood Panel
“Mssr. Violette” Pink, Purple, and Grey Abstract Aristocratic Figure Painting
Located in Houston, TX
Pink, purple, and grey surrealist figurative portrait painting by contemporary Houston artist Scott Woodard. The work features an abstract woman figure wearing an aristocratic dress ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
“Mme. Violette” Pink, Purple, and Grey Abstract Aristocratic Figure Painting
Located in Houston, TX
Pink, purple, and grey surrealist figurative portrait painting by contemporary Houston artist Scott Woodard. The work features an abstract male figure wearing an aristocratic suit wi...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
“Playground” Colorful Contemporary Abstract Surrealist Landscape Painting
Located in Houston, TX
Colorful abstract surrealist landscape by contemporary Houston artist Scott Woodard. The work features a red and orange rounded polka dot character standing next to a yellow lighteni...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
"Light and Noise" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
David Cheifetz's "Light and Noise" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a monochromatic human ear with a wire above a lightbulb with various kettles ascending on the ri...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Monday: 3 Down, Method of Removing Hair Roots (12)
Located in Saint Louis, MO
Ben McLaughlin
Monday: 3 down, Method of removing hair roots (12), 2008
Oil on panel
6 3/4 x 4 1/2 inches (17.1 x 11.4 cm)
Category
Early 2000s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
BENGAL TIGER
Located in Aventura, FL
Original painting on canvas. Hand signed on front by Ferjo. Canvas is not stretched.
Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of authenticity included. All reasonable offers...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
$6,000 Sale Price
40% Off
Nature Morte
Located in New York, NY
Serge Clement
Nature Morte, 1963
Signed lower right Clement 1963
Oil on canvas, still life.
(Frame) H 25" x W 28.75" (Sight) H 18" x H 21"
Category
1960s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Surrealist Mythical Creature
s Head
Located in Houston, TX
Surrealist mythical creature of a bird like figure. Painted in red, gold, and other colors. The painting is not framed but is painted in a nice whit...
Category
20th Century Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
"10:00 Shadow" Minimal Abstract Surrealist Landscape
Located in Houston, TX
Purple structure in a grey sky with a single white cloud. Artist signed the work in the bottom right corner, as well as titled and dated the work on the back. Canvas is not framed.
...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Vibrant Surreal Beach Scene
Located in Houston, TX
Wonderful surrealist oil landscape of a man standing on a beach next to a red flag signed by artist L. Calisio in the lower right corner. Hung in gold frame with a tan mat.
Dimensi...
Category
1960s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Gentle hands that rule the world. 2020. Canvas, cardboard, oil, 60x42 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Globe and glove. 2020. Canvas, cardboard, oil, 60x42 cm
Juris Dimiters (1947)
Education:
1958-1965 Janis Rozentals Art High School of Riga
1965-1973 ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil, Cardboard
D
or. V Abstract gold leaf /blue framed painting, Painting, Acrylic on Paper
By Sia Aryai
Located in Yardley, PA
D’OR Abstract gold leaf framed painting Gold leaf is brilliant for modern painting. Brings to life elegant details that appear as an icon. Painting is 12X16â€
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Paint. Orlando
Located in Cuernavaca, Morelos
Acrylic on wood
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Wood Panel
"In Transit", Surreal Seashells and Maple Seeds
By Luis Eades
Located in Houston, TX
Surrealist painting of white maple seeds and seashells on a blue background by artist Luis Eades in 1977 titled "In Transit." Signed, dated, and titled on t...
Category
1970s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Il Porto, 2001-02
Located in Atlanta, GA
Gigino Falconi was born in Giulianova (Teramo) in 1933. He began painting at the age of sixteen, and in 1954 he obtained a Liceo Artistico of Pescara. During the early years of his c...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Music Fantasy Folk Guitar with Two Moons and Steam Locomotive in Red Background
Located in Miami, FL
Famed Illustrator Isadore Seltzer paints a fantasy folk guitar in a surreal setting. The viewer looks down at the guitar as it rests in bold red space where foreground and sky blend ...
Category
1960s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Wood, Oil
VAGUE. IV Abstract white framed green painting, Painting, Acrylic on Paper
By Sia Aryai
Located in Yardley, PA
Dynamic brushstrokes bring a sense of dancing like the waves in the VAGUE series. Painting is 8X10â€
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
French Contemporary Art By Helen Uter - Denfert-Rochereau
By Helen Uter
Located in Paris, IDF
Oil on canvas,
Helen Uter is an established Franco-American painter born in 1955 who lives and works in Donnery, near Orléans, France. Heavily influenced by Edward Hopper, she crea...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Surrealist Landscape of Appian Way, Una Via Romana Antica - Monochromatic
Located in Miami, FL
Surrealist Landscape the Appian Way - One of the earliest Roman Roads. Rich textual surface with impasto paint application.
The artist depicts a wide angle and lower angle view and...
Category
1960s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
$31,100 Sale Price
20% Off
I just don
t understand
Located in Kingston, WA
This painting was much simpler originally but I was never satisfied with it so I reworked it considerably. Adding an element of history or memory made more sense to the title which I...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Notturno Paulista" by Enzio Wenk, 2004 - Mixed Media on Canvas, Surrealism
By Enzio Wenk
Located in Bresso, IT
Translated title: "Paulist nocturne"
Mixed media on canvas.
Category
Early 2000s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Mixed Media
Paint. The Sounds of Pharoah’s Horses
Located in Cuernavaca, Morelos
Acrylic on wood
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Wood Panel
In Luck
Located in Fairfield, CT
Represented by George Billis Gallery, NYC & LA -- The idea of meditation and contemplation play a major role in the paintings of artist Craig Carlisle. His paintings articulate inde...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Linen, Oil
$3,000
Meeting of the Minds
Located in Napa, CA
Framed Oil on Canvas
Largely self-taught, Linda Ridd Herzog’s paintings boast unbelievably detailed animals and objects in fantastical, surreal scenes. Growing up in Utah, Herzog f...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Paint. The Natural Science of Speech
Located in Cuernavaca, Morelos
Acrylic on wood
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Wood Panel
The Great Bird - American Surrealism - Mid-Century - Yale
Located in Miami, FL
Frederick Haucke creates his own brand of surrealism in the 1941 stunner that was with the famous Perls gallery.
The painting is signed lower right
Signed and dated verso
Verso with Perls Gallery, New York label.
work is in original framed
Provenance: Millicent Rogers...
Category
1940s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Masonite, Oil
"India" (The Birth of the Universe), Oleg Turchin, Surrealism, Figurative, 58x30
By Oleg Turchin
Located in Dallas, TX
"India" (The Birth of the Universe) by Oleg Turchin is a Figurative Surrealism original oil on canvas painting measuring 58x30 in. This surrealist painting has a beautiful woman from...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
We bloom, Painting, Acrylic on Wood Panel
By Diana Rosa
Located in Yardley, PA
Original acrylic on Wooden Panel. Ready to hang, certificate of authenticity included. new work since May 28, 2024. :: Painting :: Surrealism :: This piece comes with an official c...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Pantomime. XXVI White framed abstract multi color, Painting, Acrylic on Paper
By Sia Aryai
Located in Yardley, PA
This lively original abstract painting on hand-cut parchment brings a pop of life to any room. The painting is 12X16â€
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Hanabi. 32 White framed abstract painting, Painting, Acrylic on Paper
By Sia Aryai
Located in Yardley, PA
It is the bold streak of gray tones and asymmetric composition, this painting adds a cool-hued abstract look to your space. this piece features overlapping streaks of baby ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Untitled - oil canvas circa 1960s
Located in Rancho Santa Fe, CA
Signed lower right
Provenance
Private collection, New York
Private collection, New York (Descent from above)
This work can be viewed at our New York City showroom by appointment.
Category
1960s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Straight To Heck, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
A bit mischievous. A little bit of good, and a little bid of bad. Like most people. We’re all going straight to heck. :: Painting :: Surrealism :: This piece comes with an official...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Visitor In My Studio 2021 colorful oil on canvas abstract Armenian Artist VATCHE
Located in Rancho Santa Fe, CA
"Visitor In My Studio" is a colorful, abstract, surrealist painting by Armenian artist, Vatche Geuvdjelian painted in 2022.
Artist’s Statement
“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱�...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Cotton Canvas, Oil
Silent Prayer
Located in Fairfield, CT
Represented by George Billis Gallery, NYC & LA -- The idea of meditation and contemplation play a major role in the paintings of artist Craig Carlisle. His paintings articulate inde...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Linen, Oil
Prime Cuts
Located in Nottingham, GB
Original Painting, Oil on Board
In 2013 the Horse Meat Scandal came to light. This scandal happened in parts of Europe in which foods advertised as containing beef and Pork were found to contain undeclared or improperly declared horse meat. Xue Wang...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
$8,866
Groovy 1970s Men
s Fashion Bell Bottoms Surreal Bumble Bee
Located in Miami, FL
In the present work, Wilson McLean departs from a typical expected fashion setting and places his two male models in a surreal world. The outdoors comes indoors with cotton ball clo...
Category
1970s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Surrealist paintings for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Surrealist paintings 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 paintings created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, orange, purple, green and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Elvic Steele, Rudolf Kosow, Isabel Rock, and Henry David Potwin. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Oil Paint 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 paintings, so small editions measuring 2 inches across are also available. Prices for paintings 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 $1 and tops out at $400,000, while the average work sells for $2,999.