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
Love
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 indel...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Wood, Oil
$1,800
I Cry To
Located in Palm Desert, CA
Matheus is greatly influenced by the city he now calls home -- New York has long been the epicenter of fashion, hip hop, and street art, where he feels his interest in contemporary a...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
India Ink, Watercolor
"The Child", Igor Samsonov, Surrealism, Figurative, Original Oil, 46x37 in.
Located in Dallas, TX
"The Child" by Igor Samsonov is an Original Surrealist Oil painting that measures 46x37 in. Igor paintings are rich with symbolism and tell stories--some well-known, others created ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Museum, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By Slav Nedev
Located in Yardley, PA
The work is inspired by a photo by © Christian Richters. What impressed me most is the counterpoint between the huge space and the small passing hum...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Fortissimo 107 one of a kind gold leaf painting, Painting, Acrylic on Paper
By Sia Aryai
Located in Yardley, PA
I am always looking for new ways to use my skills to present the ancient and contemporary materials in unexpected ways. Gold leaf is brilliant for modern painting. Brings to life el...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Simon, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Oil on Canvas :: Painting :: Surrealism :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the artist :: Ready to Hang: Yes :: Signed: Yes :: Signature Locati...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Highness
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 indel...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Wood, Oil
Masquerade
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
$10,200
Untitled (Two Woman in Blue Background) circa 1987 acrylic/canvas British artist
By Robert Lowe
Located in Rancho Santa Fe, CA
Robert Lowe was born in England in 1955. He moved to the USA in the 1980s.
Lowe's work is very rare but can be found in museum collections such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Tampa Art...
Category
1980s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
A Forgotten Flying Machine - Oil on Canvas - Romanian French Surrealism
Located in London, GB
JULES PERAHIM 1914-2008
Bucharest 1914-2008 Paris (Romanian)
Title: A Forgotten Flying Machine Une machine volante oubliée, 1978
Technique: Signed, Da...
Category
1970s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Haitian Couple in Bed Simultaneously Adjusting their Radios, Surrealism
Located in Miami, FL
Wilson Bigaud is an idea artist in who showcases visual ideas in many of his paintings. In this work, a married Haitian couple tunes their radios in sync as they lie in bed. Bigaud was greatly interested in radios, which appeared in many of his works. This work rises to the level of Surrealism in that Bigaud is doing more than just depicting a normal bedroom moment. There is something very strange and bizarre in the couple's synchronized actions. Also of note, it looks like the woman is swallowing the edge of the radio. Signed lower right in a handmade and hand-painted frame.
Wear to the edges of board, including delamination in the corners, some dents and losses. Frame rubbing with associated wear. Areas of white discoloration to the bed and headboard...
Category
1960s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
My Dancing Dragons
Located in Palm Desert, CA
Abstract. Philosophical. Colorful.
Dancing dragons spout fire and fill the sky with their bodies and dance. Each one is a different size and color. Two of the larger ones have their...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,180 Sale Price
20% Off
From The Dream To The Greatest Muhammad Ali, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
At the age of 12 Ali (then known as Cassius Clay) took up boxing after a kid stole his bicycle. Cassius wanted to make the kid pay by beating him up. A police...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
The Last Tree
Located in Palm Desert, CA
What would the last tree do? Would it come through a window, a door?
There are several of the works that I have generated that express the deep concern I hold for our home planet.
Th...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Pastel, Acrylic, Board
$400 Sale Price
20% Off
"Beyond Reach" Surrealist Still Life Painting of books with ladders
Located in New York, NY
Hardbound books in black, orange and yellow are stacked with magazines and soft cover books. In a surreal shift of scale bright orange construction ladders are leaned against the b...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Watercolor, Archival Paper
Surreal Eskimo Fairy Tale - Indigenous People Folklore Story-Teller
Located in Miami, FL
This work celebrates the customs and folklore of Indigenous People / Eskimo native life. Illustrator Gianni Benvenuti shows a partially clothed Eskimo man lying on his back in a tran...
Category
1960s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Tempera, Cardboard
The Masterpiece: Dharma
Located in Palm Desert, CA
The Sakyamuni (Historical) Buddha is credited with developing the teaching known as The Dharma.
For me, that teaching is a masterpiece. Perfect understanding of the human condition a...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Linen, Acrylic
$1,120 Sale Price
20% Off
In Hale Liberation. Ex Hale Limitation.
Located in Palm Desert, CA
Abstract. Philosophical. Colorful.
This piece flew together. The brushstrokes nearly flew from my hand to the Board. The colors demanded to play. But a name just did not show up.
I...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Paste, Gesso, Acrylic, Board
$1,360 Sale Price
20% Off
Degratissimo Rainbow
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 indel...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Wood, Oil
Mischievous
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 indel...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Wood, Oil
Fashion Beauty Kaleidoscope, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
A parade of models have been depicted in this painting displaying their beauty,attire and jewellery. Its show time and every model is at her best showing her beauty ,body shape,attir...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Notturni di Cleopatra Lo sguardo, 2020
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
Environs of Rome
Located in Miami, FL
Klett was an in-demand illustrator in the post-war period of the late 1940's and 1950's. and . His work appeared in many of the newsstand magazines at the time.
This work is a pers...
Category
1940s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Masonite, Oil
Surreal Still Life
Located in Astoria, NY
Robert O'Meara (American, 1957-2024), Surreal Still Life, Oil on Board, signed lower right, unframed. 15" H x 11.25" W. Provenance: From a 333 East 75th Street Estate.
Category
Late 20th Century Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
Surrealist Clothesline Composition
Located in Astoria, NY
Robert O'Meara (American, 1957-2024), Surrealist Clothesline, Oil on Canvas Board, signed lower right, unframed. 16" H x 16" W. Provenance: From a 333 East 75th Street Estate.
Category
Late 20th Century Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil, Board
Civic Center with Matrioska, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
From the series “Red Starâ€
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Chromatic butterfly - white, Painting, Oil on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
An original piece from the series “Please do not kill butterfliesâ€
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
needle in the eye, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
a painterly exercise designated to bitterly fight ill-received ideas. :: Painting :: Surrealism :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the artist ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Nietzsche Forever Young, w/ Turin Horse in Elysium, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
By Diana Heit
Located in Yardley, PA
“Man is the cruelest animal," says Zarathustra. "When gazing at tragedies, bull-fights, crucifixations he hath hitherto felt happier than at any other time on Earth. And when he in...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Resist, Painting, Acrylic on Paper
By Brent Hanson
Located in Yardley, PA
Original metaphorical surrealist arboreal work. Black and white with a little silver thrown in. 30x22 acrylic on heavy watercolor paper and permanently mounted on an aluminum panel...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Anoche
Located in New York, NY
Original piece by Moises Salazar Tlatenchi. Showing at The Queer Show Part II.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Yarn, Glitter, Oil
Angel
Located in Atlanta, GA
Georgian artist Merab Gagiladze was born in Tbilisi.
In 1987 he began his formal art education at the Tbilisi College of Art, School of Ceramics.
In 19...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
$15,600
Surrealist Landscape, Mountain with Nude Woman - Perls Gallery
Located in Miami, FL
A nude white woman gazes out and over a Giorgio de Chirico like surrealist landscape to an overly dramatic sunset with stylized orange rays. In the center of the composition is a cut-out of a mountain with a moat. In the extreme foreground is a silhouetted orange plane with a spiral of leaves. Along with the empty landscapes of de Chirico, it's possible that Frederick Haucke was influenced by Salvador Dalí " The Persistence of Memory" in 1931, and Dali's painting was shown at the Museum of Modern Art in 1934. In that painting, Dali, paints a vacant landscape doted with symbols from the unconscious. This painting by Frederick Haucke owes a debt to giants of the Surrealist movement but still, Haucke carves out his style. The shape of the nude's hair echoes the shape of the sunset. What the symbolism to the mountain is and the flower in the foreground we will leave to the viewer to speculate. It was shown at the very prestigious Pearls Gallery in New York City. Artists in the famous Perls' stable included Derain, Dufy, Rouault, Matisse, Picasso, Modigliani, Pascin, Soutine, Chagall and Vlaminck. With a 1971 retrospective of Alexander Calder's work. This Haucke from the Perls Gallery...
Category
1940s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Masonite, Oil
Goldfish XLII, Painting, Oil on MDF Panel
Located in Yardley, PA
A further exploration of the Goldfish theme. Painting onto a solid surface allows the colours to be more concentrated and richer. Here I've reversed the colours (except the eyes) ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Lupo, wolf, sleeping face, mystery blacks and dark colors symbolist elements
Located in Brooklyn, NY
In this series, Audrey Anastasi has shifted her focus away from naturalistic domestic settings to a dark, enigmatic, and some might say, unsettling, place. These figures could be he...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Ring of fire", Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Oil on canvas :: Painting :: Surrealism :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the artist :: Ready to Hang: Yes :: Signed: Yes :: Signature Locati...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Aerostat, Painting, Acrylic on Wood Panel
By Diana Rosa
Located in Yardley, PA
In a stylistic amalgam of Pop and folk, abstract and figurative, Diana Rosa takes inspirations from an alternative upbringing where she closely connected with the natural landscape ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Static 417 Abstract framed modern yellow painting, Painting, Acrylic on Paper
By Sia Aryai
Located in Yardley, PA
Abstract vibrant Yellow and green Framed Painting with a twist shades of green are contrasted and complemented by yellow with a twist in this one-of-a-kind abstract painting. T...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
French Contemporary Art By Helen Uter - L’Escalier
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
French Contemporary Art By Helen Uter - Ocean Girl
By Helen Uter
Located in Paris, IDF
Acrylic 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 cr...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
French Contemporary Art By Helen Uter - Mother
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 create...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
French Contemporary Art By Helen Uter - El Sol
By Helen Uter
Located in Paris, IDF
Oil on canvas with knife
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...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
French Contemporary Art By Helen Uter - El Fuego
By Helen Uter
Located in Paris, IDF
Oil on canvas with knife
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...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
French Contemporary Art By Helen Uter - El Cielo
By Helen Uter
Located in Paris, IDF
Oil on canvas with knife
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...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
French Contemporary Art By Helen Uter - Abajo
By Helen Uter
Located in Paris, IDF
Oil on canvas with knife
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...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Obsession!, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
I only make original works. Each is a one of a kind so you will have the only one! My artwork is my emotions and you can see that emotions on the canvas - You can experience it eac...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
328 Praying for more, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By Andres Vivo
Located in Yardley, PA
Another study of human behaviour. Artwork done at the 90´s . Inspired by the dramatic scenes of the famous spanish master Francisco Goya :: Painting :: Surrealism :: This piece come...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
4580 Transformaciones 2, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By Andres Vivo
Located in Yardley, PA
Its about human behaviour that has never changed, but today things are visible and politically accepted. Inspired by Goya´s dramatic art works. :: Painting :: Surrealism :: This ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Astrology Fantasy - "A Love by the Stars" - Sci-Fi Alignment of the Planets
Located in Miami, FL
Hane paints a dreamy nocturne - a fusion of earthy and celestial bodies with circling birds around a central vertical axis.
Created on assignment for De Beers' highly published A Diamond is Forever" campaign.
"A love by the stars was important. Until the right man of the wrong sign put his star on my finger. And I entered his house with my love.
The artist created the painting to be the night ... so it appears a little dark in natural light. Best viewed with a top and key light to bring out the colors. For example if you bring the painting outside on a bright day.. the colors will pop. If you view inside of a dark hallway.. it will look sombre with less detail. Again, it's a nocturne.
Hane painted the covers of the Collier-Macmillan editions of C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia books, as well as such Simon & Schuster publications as Carlos Castaneda's The Teachings of Don Juan and A Separate Reality.
In 1963, Hane was hired to do a full-page illustration for Esquire magazine; he moved to New York in 1965. He married Elaine Miller...
Category
1970s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
Castle, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
This surreal painting was created using oil paint on canvas. It measures 24x30 inches, with a depth of 0.75 in. The sides were painted so it may hang without a frame though it wo...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Chalkboard Diaries, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Chalkboard Diaries, a mixed media painting filled with oils, pastel and chalkboard paint take a diaristic approach on domestic romance.. The flames ar...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
The Xylophone Player IV, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Cameroon artist Angu Walters often paints African musicians. :: Painting :: Surrealism :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the artist :: Ready ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
My Love V, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
In this acrylic painting from Africa, a happy couple sings a love song. :: Painting :: Surrealism :: This piece comes with an official certificate...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Three on One, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Here is a painting from Africa in sparling bright pink and violet acrylic colors of three women. :: Painting :: Surrealism :: This piece comes wit...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
BREAKING BAD AGAIN, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
By Marcelo Novo
Located in Yardley, PA
Created during and inspired by Covid-19 pandemia. Like a musician playing by ear and improvising as he goes, my art begins not with cautious preliminary sketches but working directly...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Chromatic butterfly - blue, Painting, Oil on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
An original piece from the series œPlease do not kill butterflies
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Suffocated, 2023 - Ritchelly Oliveira
Located in Porto, 13
Suffocated, 2023
Charcoal and Acrylic on Canvas
50 x 50 cm / 13.8 x 13.8 in
A striking fusion of realism and emotion, Suffocated by Ritchelly Oliveira is a thought-provoking piece th...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Charcoal, Acrylic
Emblem I
Located in CAMPO REAL, ES
"Emblem I" is a small format work that captivates with its intensity and visual symbolism. At the heart of the composition, a rampant lion's head emerges majestically, framed by a ci...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Green spheres
Located in CAMPO REAL, ES
Green Spheres presents a dreamlike scene where three floating green spheres emerge within a space dominated by a dense, earthy texture, reminiscent of a luminous brick tone. A fourth...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
“Traveling Together” 2012 colorful Abstract oil on board Armenian Artist VATCHE
Located in Rancho Santa Fe, CA
“Traveling Together” is a colorful, abstract, surrealist painting by Armenian artist, Vatche Geuvdjelian painted in 2012.
Artist’s Statement
“𝘛𝘩�...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
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.