Skip to main content

Surrealist Art

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.

to
1,577
3,707
1,673
2,155
948
999
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
17
24
6,138
3,304
5
19
124
126
178
527
1,490
1,967
514
322
15
113,897
64,935
54,991
27,149
14,655
6,542
5,763
4,191
3,066
2,577
2,334
2,233
655
5,850
2,560
892
3,962
2,495
1,515
1,226
1,202
1,055
1,020
545
331
323
320
312
277
248
243
241
167
136
129
116
2,675
2,518
1,681
1,596
1,508
792
406
321
207
200
1,520
2,675
5,410
3,481
Style: Surrealist
Pkropopoï (Hand-colored)
Located in Columbia, MO
Leonor Fini was born in Argentina in 1907 but travelled and lived in Europe with her mother from a young age. By 1931, she was in Paris, in the full swing of the Surrealist movement....
Category

20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Ink, Etching

Tomas Sanchez Drawing, Del Romerillo al Blanco, 1981
Located in Miami, FL
Tomas Sanchez Del Romerillo al Blanco, 1981 Tempera on paper 13 x 18 in Certificate of authenticity by Tomas Sanchez Unique piece
Category

Late 20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Tempera, Laid Paper

The Mythology Edipus The Sphinx
Located in Hollywood, FL
ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: The Mythology Edipus & The Sphinx MEDIUM: Etching on Japon Paper EDITION NUMBER: XLII/C SIGNED: Hand Signed by Salvador Dali PUBLISHER: Pierre Argil...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

Ghost, etching/aquatint, 18.5x13.5 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Juris Putrāms graphics artists, works in book and advertising graphics, poster art, creates installations, organizes campaigns, decorates interiors and exhibitions. The artist's work...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Etching

Le Château des Pyrénées - 20th Century, Surrealist, Lithograph, Figurative Print
Located in Sint-Truiden, BE
Numbered: 193/300 Color lithograph after the 1959 oil on canvas by René Magritte, printed signature of Magritte and numbered from the edition of 300. The lithograph features the dry...
Category

20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Mélika (Hand-colored)
Located in Columbia, MO
Leonor Fini was born in Argentina in 1907 but travelled and lived in Europe with her mother from a young age. By 1931, she was in Paris, in the full swing of the Surrealist movement....
Category

20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Ink, Etching

Landscape with Tower and Columns - Original Lithograph by Antoni Clavé - 1943
Located in Roma, IT
Hand signed and dated. Signed on plate. Artist's proof. Very good conditions. Passepartout included : 49 x 34 cm Image Dimensions : 10 x 13 cm This artwork is shipped from Italy. Un...
Category

1940s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Divine Comedy Purgatory Canto 28
Located in Hollywood, FL
ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Divine Comedy Purgatory Canto 28 MEDIUM: Woodblock SIGNED: Hand Signed by Salvador Dali EDITION NUMBER: 133/150 MEASUREMENTS: Paper: 13" x 10.5" Fra...
Category

Mid-20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Woodcut

Within You II, Surrealist Etching and Aquatint by Saint Clair Cemin
Located in Long Island City, NY
Saint Clair Cemin, Brazilian (1951 - ) - Within You II, Year: 1978, Medium: Etching and Aquatint on Arches, signed, numbered and dated in pencil, Edition: 11/30, Image Size: 5.75 x ...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

1975 Original poster of Hundertwasser s exhibition at the Paul Facchetti Gallery
Located in PARIS, FR
Beautiful poster of Hundertwasser's exhibition at the Paul Facchetti Gallery. Friedrich Stowasser (December 15, 1928 - February 19, 2000), better known by his pseudonym Friedensreich...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Lithograph

LA FOLLE AU PIMENT RAGEUR
Located in Aventura, FL
Hand signed and numbered lithograph in colors on Arches paper. Mourlot 1025. Published by Maeght Éditeur, Paris. Edition of 27/30. Artwork size 91.375 x 47.875 inches. Custom framed ...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Lithograph

Surrealist Hanging Wall Sculpture, "Let s Go To Paris"
Located in San Diego, CA
This is a one of a kind original wall sculpture by San Diego artist, Cheryl Tall. Its diameter is 12 inches. A Certificate of Authenticity will follow the delivery of this piece. Th...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Ceramic

Cat Arabesque
Located in Columbia, MO
LEONOR FINI Cat Arabesque 1973 Color lithograph Ed. 157/230 12.5 x 9 inches
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

COUPS DE TÊTE Signed Lithograph, Surrealist Group, Panic Movement Arrabal, Topor
Located in Union City, NJ
COUPS DE TÊTE is a hand drawn, stone lithograph by the French artist Chrisitian Zeimert printed in Paris France c.1974 using hand lithography techniques on archival Rives BFK printmaking paper, 100% acid free. COUPS DE TÊTE presents a surreal, close-up portrait of a two male elk head-butting with a group of books between their opposing heads. Visible on the books spines are the names of members belonging to the 1960s Panic Movement group. Print size - 13 x 15.25 in., unframed, very good condition, pencil signed printers proof, inscribed H.C. with personal dedication to the master printer "Joseph", edition size unknown Image size - 8.25 x 10.5 in. Year - c. 1974 Christian Zeimer (1934 - 2020) was a French painter, the son of an upholsterer and designer who also worked as a salesman and Le Bon Marché. After he left the École Boulle, he learned how to engrave on jewelry. He then studied at the École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs, where he studied under the painter Marcel Gromaire. A libertarian and anarchist, he worked alongside Fernando Arrabal, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Olivier O. Olivier, and Roland Topor and participated in the Panic Movement in the 1960s. He contributed to the newspaper Le Fou Parle and the magazine Hara-Kiri. Alongside Henri Cueco, Jacques Jouet, Hervé Le...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Egg Walkers nude male and female figures dark green surreal egg strewn landscape
Located in Brooklyn, NY
ABOUT Stephen Basso Stephen Basso's highly original pastels and oil paintings are romantic, yet thought provoking fantasies. His whimsical works are alive with boundless imaginat...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Pastel, Archival Paper

Mirò - L Oeuvre Graphique - Vintage Poster after Joan Miró - 1974
Located in Roma, IT
Mirò - l'Oeuvre Graphique is a vintage offset and lithograph poster realized after Joan Miró, in 1974. The artwork was realized in occasion of the exhibition dedicated to the graphi...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Offset, Lithograph

"Supplicant" (2017), Surrealist Female Nude Portrait, Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
David Cheifetz's "Supplicant" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a nude woman with horns resting her head gently on a nude woman's knees, the fleshy tones of her face...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

Qualia
Located in Chicago, IL
With an illustrator’s eye for graphic impact and a wry sense of humor, artist Yoko Tanaka uses only a paint brush and her imagination to conjure whimsical landscapes and playful enco...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Untitled - Lithograph by Marcello Avenali - Mid-20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Untitled is a contemporary artwork realized by Marcello Avenali in the mid-20th Century. Mixed colored lithograph on paper. Includes frame: 38 x 3 x 43 cm Hand signed and numbered...
Category

Mid-20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

"El Innombrable" Fernando de Szyszlo, Red Mysticist Abstract Composition
Located in New York, NY
Fernando de Szyszlo El Innombrable, 1980 Titled inscribed dated verso: Orrentia 1980 "El Innombrable" Signed lower bottom edge center "Szyszlo" Oil on canvas 59 1/2 x 59 inches Fernando de Szyszlo was a Peruvian painter...
Category

1980s Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Elephant and Jupiter s Monkey - Attr. to S.Dalì - 1974
Located in Roma, IT
The Elephant and Jupiter's Monkey. Mixed colored etching on Japan paper. Signed on the lower right margin. Numbered on the lower left margin. Edition of 249/250. The artwork is from...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

Jester Cat
Located in Columbia, MO
LEONOR FINI Jester Cat 1973 Color lithograph Ed. 157/230 12.5 x 9 inches
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Joan Miro, Untitled, from Joan Miro, 1956
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph by Joan Miro (1893–1983), titled Sans titre (Untitled), originates from the 1956 publication Joan Miro. Published by Maeght Editeur, Paris, and printed by M...
Category

1950s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

TIE Fighter Beatles Oversize Pop Art Print Signed Limited Edition
Located in London, GB
TIE Fighter Beatles by B A T I K Pop art work featuring the Fab Four Paul McCartney , George Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon running away from Star Wars TIE fighters chasing...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

Faun - Original Etching on Paper by Guelfo Bianchini - 1959
Located in Roma, IT
Faun is an original artwork realized in Italy by Guelfo Bianchini (Ancona, 1937) in 1959. Original Etching on paper. Hand-signed and dated in pencil by the artist on the lower rig...
Category

1950s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

The Tribe of Benjamin, from: The Jerusalem Windows - Stained Glass Jewish Tribes
Located in London, GB
This lithograph is hand signed in pencil by the artist "Marc Chagall" in the lower right margin It is also hand numbered in pencil from the edition of 150, at the lower left margin. ...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Décoration - Masques
Located in OPOLE, PL
Henri Matisse (1869-1954) - Décoration - Masques Lithograph from 1958. Dimensions of work: 96.5 x 35.5 cm. Plate signed. Publisher: Tériade, Paris. Each copy of this Lithograph ...
Category

1950s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

The next big adventure.
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
In 1981 Maggie Taylor (b. 1961) began to photograph while she was a student at Yale University majoring in philosophy. She primarily took photographs of suburban landscapes and stran...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Digital Pigment

The magician.
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
In 1981 Maggie Taylor (b. 1961) began to photograph while she was a student at Yale University majoring in philosophy. She primarily took photographs of suburban landscapes and stran...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Digital Pigment

The hostess.
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
In 1981 Maggie Taylor (b. 1961) began to photograph while she was a student at Yale University majoring in philosophy. She primarily took photographs of suburban landscapes and stran...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Digital Pigment

Party on.
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
In 1981 Maggie Taylor (b. 1961) began to photograph while she was a student at Yale University majoring in philosophy. She primarily took photographs of suburban landscapes and stran...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Digital Pigment

Night trippers.
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
In 1981 Maggie Taylor (b. 1961) began to photograph while she was a student at Yale University majoring in philosophy. She primarily took photographs of suburban landscapes and stran...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Digital Pigment

New moon.
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
In 1981 Maggie Taylor (b. 1961) began to photograph while she was a student at Yale University majoring in philosophy. She primarily took photographs of suburban landscapes and stran...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Digital Pigment

Kindred spirits.
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
In 1981 Maggie Taylor (b. 1961) began to photograph while she was a student at Yale University majoring in philosophy. She primarily took photographs of suburban landscapes and stran...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Digital Pigment

The rescue.
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
In 1981 Maggie Taylor (b. 1961) began to photograph while she was a student at Yale University majoring in philosophy. She primarily took photographs of suburban landscapes and stran...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Digital Pigment

The philosopher s study.
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
In 1981 Maggie Taylor (b. 1961) began to photograph while she was a student at Yale University majoring in philosophy. She primarily took photographs of suburban landscapes and stran...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Digital Pigment

The harbinger.
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
In 1981 Maggie Taylor (b. 1961) began to photograph while she was a student at Yale University majoring in philosophy. She primarily took photographs of suburban landscapes and stran...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Digital Pigment

The gathering.
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
In 1981 Maggie Taylor (b. 1961) began to photograph while she was a student at Yale University majoring in philosophy. She primarily took photographs of suburban landscapes and stran...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Digital Pigment

The day sailor.
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
In 1981 Maggie Taylor (b. 1961) began to photograph while she was a student at Yale University majoring in philosophy. She primarily took photographs of suburban landscapes and stran...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Digital Pigment

The bellwether.
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
In 1981 Maggie Taylor (b. 1961) began to photograph while she was a student at Yale University majoring in philosophy. She primarily took photographs of suburban landscapes and stran...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Digital Pigment

Frontispiece for "Le Plafond de l Opéra de Paris"
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Marc Chagall Original Lithograph Frontispiece for the book "Le Plafond de l'Opéra de Paris (The Ceiling of the Paris Opera)" by Jacques Lassaigne (Paris...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

The adventure.
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
In 1981 Maggie Taylor (b. 1961) began to photograph while she was a student at Yale University majoring in philosophy. She primarily took photographs of suburban landscapes and stran...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Digital Pigment

Me myself and I.
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
In 1981 Maggie Taylor (b. 1961) began to photograph while she was a student at Yale University majoring in philosophy. She primarily took photographs of suburban landscapes and stran...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Digital Pigment

Half of me is an ocean.
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
In 1981 Maggie Taylor (b. 1961) began to photograph while she was a student at Yale University majoring in philosophy. She primarily took photographs of suburban landscapes and stran...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Digital Pigment

April is the cruelest month.
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
In 1981 Maggie Taylor (b. 1961) began to photograph while she was a student at Yale University majoring in philosophy. She primarily took photographs of suburban landscapes and stran...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Digital Pigment

1964 Original poster of Max Ernst for an exhibition on surrealism
Located in PARIS, FR
Beautiful poster of Max Ernst printed by Mourlot in 1964 for an exhibition on surrealism. A prolific artist, Ernst is one of the pioneers of the Dada movement...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Lithograph

Valley Hose, Surrealist Screenprint by Charles Magistro
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Charles Magistro Title: Valley Hose Year: 1980 Medium: Screenprint, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 300 Paper Size: 30 x 35 inches
Category

1980s Surrealist Art

Materials

Screen

Hebru Brantley Gaia (Hebru Brantley Lil Mama as Gaia)
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Hebru Brantley GAIA (Hebru Brantley Lil Mama as Gaia): Hebru Brantley’s ethereal art toy features his much iconic, Lil Mama character as Gaia, the...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Vinyl

Untitled (Landscape B), Surrealist Aquatint Etching by Hans-Georg Rauch
Located in Long Island City, NY
Hans-Georg Rauch, German (1939 - 1993) - Untitled (Landscape B), Year: circa 1978, Medium: Aquatint Etching, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 100, Size: 20 in. x 27 in. (5...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

Nieve, Surrealist Aquatint Etching by Hans-Georg Rauch
Located in Long Island City, NY
Hans-Georg Rauch, German (1939 - 1993) - Nieve, Year: circa 1978, Medium: Aquatint Etching, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 100, Size: 20 in. x 25 in. (50.8 cm x 63.5 cm)
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

Landscape (2), Surrealist Etching by Hans-Georg Rauch
Located in Long Island City, NY
Hans-Georg Rauch, German (1939 - 1993) - Landscape (2), Year: circa 1977, Medium: Etching, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: XLII/L, Image Size: 10 x 12 inches, Size: 20.5...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

Madonna Shrine, Surrealist Aquatint Etching by Hans-Georg Rauch
Located in Long Island City, NY
Hans-Georg Rauch, German (1939 - 1993) - Untitled - Madonna Shrine, Year: circa 1978, Medium: Etching with Aquatint, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 100, Size: 20 in. x 2...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

International decisions, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Around a table, on a New York terrace; the animals gather, almost to remember the last supper. But there is a void, and the disciples are wise men without culture. This is precisely ...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

The toast of last night.
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
In 1981 Maggie Taylor (b. 1961) began to photograph while she was a student at Yale University majoring in philosophy. She primarily took photographs of suburban landscapes and stran...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Digital Pigment

The pilot.
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
In 1981 Maggie Taylor (b. 1961) began to photograph while she was a student at Yale University majoring in philosophy. She primarily took photographs of suburban landscapes and stran...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Digital Pigment

The girls.
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
In 1981 Maggie Taylor (b. 1961) began to photograph while she was a student at Yale University majoring in philosophy. She primarily took photographs of suburban landscapes and stran...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Digital Pigment

The bargain.
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
In 1981 Maggie Taylor (b. 1961) began to photograph while she was a student at Yale University majoring in philosophy. She primarily took photographs of suburban landscapes and stran...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Digital Pigment

That good night.
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
In 1981 Maggie Taylor (b. 1961) began to photograph while she was a student at Yale University majoring in philosophy. She primarily took photographs of suburban landscapes and stran...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Digital Pigment

Ship of fools.
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
In 1981 Maggie Taylor (b. 1961) began to photograph while she was a student at Yale University majoring in philosophy. She primarily took photographs of suburban landscapes and stran...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Digital Pigment

Almost home.
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
In 1981 Maggie Taylor (b. 1961) began to photograph while she was a student at Yale University majoring in philosophy. She primarily took photographs of suburban landscapes and stran...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Digital Pigment

Surrealist art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Surrealist art 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 art 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, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Salvador Dalí, Marc Chagall, Joan Miró, and Leonor Fini. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Lithograph 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 art, so small editions measuring 1 inches across are also available. Prices for art 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 $1,450,000, while the average work sells for $1,426.

Still Thinking About These?

All Recently Viewed