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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.

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Style: Surrealist
Gaze 2 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Modern Women, Floral
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity About Artist Oluw...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Flapper
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Erté Title: Flapper Medium: Embossed serigraph Year: 1990 Edition: CCXXII/CCC Sheet Size: 41 3/4" x 29 1/4" Image Size: 35 1/4" x 23 1/4" Signature: Stamped signature
Category

1990s Surrealist Art

Materials

Screen

Figurative Sculpture in Raku Ceramic and Carved Poplar Wood People Series
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Figurative mixed media sculpture combining raku-fired ceramic and carved black poplar wood with oil polychromy. Created by Spanish sculptor Óscar Aldonza, whose practice bridges intu...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Ceramic, Porcelain, Poplar, Wood

Leonor Fini, Untitled, from Fruits of Passion, 1980 (after)
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite heliogravure, titled Sans titre (Untitled), after Leonor Fini, from the album Fruits de la passion, trente-deux variations sur un theme de Leonor Fini (Fruits of Passi...
Category

1980s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Homage to Chagall (huge original painting on canvas)
Located in Aventura, FL
Original oil painting on canvas. Hand signed lower front by Ferjo. Canvas image size 50 x 70 inches. Canvas is not stretched Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of aut...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Surrealist composition
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: collotype (after the Miro lithograph). Printed in 1947 in an edition of 1500 by Meriden Gravure and published by Curt Valentin for "The Prints of Joan Miro" portfolio. Size: ...
Category

1940s Surrealist Art

Materials

Photogravure

Chimera No. 5
Located in Columbia, MO
Leonor Fini (Argentine-French, 1907 - 1996) was an independent and visionary artist whose work defied categorization within Surrealism, despite her association with its key figures i...
Category

20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Etching, Aquatint

Armando Villagran Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Armando Villagran (Mexican, 1945-1995) Untitled (Figure with Animal), 1991 Oil on canvas, signed and dated lower right Canvas: 55"h x 43.5"w, overall (with frame): 56"h x 44"w Born ...
Category

1990s Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

The Minotaur - Woodcut - 1963
Located in Roma, IT
The Minotaur - The Divine Comedy is a woodcut print realized in 1963 for a series illustrating the Medieval poem of the "Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri. Not signed, as issued. ...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Woodcut

Nude Man Spouting in the Desert - Gay Interest- Born from Mother Earth
Located in Miami, FL
We are all born from Mother Earth. Mimicking a plant or tree, a muscular man standing on his head emerges upward from the desert ground with is legs spread out like branches. Seen f...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Lightweights and Heavyweights
Located in Napa, CA
Framed Oil on Canvas Painting Largely self-taught, Linda Ridd Herzog’s paintings boast unbelievably detailed animals and objects in fantastical, surreal scenes. Growing up in Utah, ...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

original lithograph
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. Printed in Paris by Mourlot and published by Pierre à Feu and Maeght Editeur for the Marcel Duchamp / André Breton project Surréalisme en 1947. Issued in...
Category

1940s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

(after) Wifredo Lam - lithograph
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: lithograph (after the drawing). Printed in 1953 for the art revue Derrière le Miroir (issue number 52) and published in Paris by Maeght. Sheet size: 15 x 22 inches (378 x 560...
Category

1950s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

In a Playful Labyrinth With Nature - Whimsical Figurative Artwork on Paper
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Italian painter Silvia Pavarini is known for her distinctly feminine artworks that resonate with the quiet whispers of nature. Each piece she creates embodies an ongoing dialogue wit...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Acrylic, Pencil

Yves Tanguy Jours de Lenteur 1974- Vintage
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This framed reproduction of Jours de lenteur ("Days of Slowness") by surrealist painter Yves Tanguy presents a dreamlike, abstract landscape filled with soft, biomorphic forms and in...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Offset

La Flèche De Zénon - 20th Century, Surrealist, Lithograph, Figurative Print
Located in Sint-Truiden, BE
Numbered: 138/275 Color lithograph after the 1964 oil on canvas by René Magritte, printed signature of Magritte and numbered from the edition of 275. The lithograph features the dry...
Category

20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Le Rhinoceros - Lithograph - 1970
Located in Roma, IT
Lithograph on wove paper, after drypoint etching. Image dimension 36.5x49.5. Edition of 163/275. Hand signed and numbered in pencil. Browned. Ref. Michler-Lopsinger 450.
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

French Surrealist Abstract Painting
Located in Surfside, FL
Georges DUSSAU est né le 14 Mars 1947, à Chalon-sur-Saône (France) Il vit et travaille à Mellecey (France) et à Mougins (France) 1962 - 1963 - 1964 - Ecole de dessin - Chalon-sur-Saô...
Category

20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas

The Death of Carmen - Lithograph - 1970
Located in Roma, IT
Color lithograph on Arches paper. Hand signed and numbered in pencil. Edition of LXVII/CCXXV (67/125). Ref. Michler-Lopsinger 1328b. Carmen's Death  is the last original colored l...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Prunella and Sylvie
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Helmut Newton (1920-2004) was one of the greatest photographers of the 20th century, known for his unflinching, heavily eroticized images of women. Born in 1920 in Berlin, Newton’...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Polaroid

And the Spirit of God Moved upon the Face... - Lithograph by Abel Pann - 1920ca
Located in Roma, IT
Lithograph realized by Abel Pann in 1920 ca. Hand signed lower right. Good condition except for a big repaired rip in the top right.
Category

1920s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

The Guardian Angels of the Valley - Woodcut - 1963
Located in Roma, IT
The Guardian Angels of the Valley - Purgatory, Plate - 8 - Divine Comedy is a woodcut print realized in 1963 for a series illustrating the Medieval poem of the "Divine Comedy" by Dan...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Woodcut

L incubo freddo, 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 Art

Materials

Acrylic

Shell City
Located in New York, NY
Created by Surrealist Fanny Brennan from 1992-96, Shell City is an original lithograph in colors on wove paper, hand-monogrammed by the artist in pencil and numbered from the edition...
Category

Late 20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Bon Fire Night (Body Terrain) - In Celebration of Pride Month
Located in New Orleans, LA
Stone and Press Gallery is excited to offer several works in celebration of the LGBTQ community. This is number 1 from a limited edition of 12. London-based Photographer and Graphic designer Omer Ga'ash, graduated from Bezalel Academy...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

C Print

Light Angel Figurative Surrealism Original oil Painting, Ready to Hang
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Tigran Hovumyan Figurative Surrealist Oil Painter Artwork Title: Light Angel Medium: Original Oil on Linen Dimensions: 36" x 39" x 1" (91 x 100 x 3 cm) Year: 2012 Unframed, Stretche...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Tauramachie Surrealiste The Parrots
Located in Hollywood, FL
ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Tauramachi Surrealiste The Parrots MEDIUM: Etching SIGNED: Hand Signed PUBLISHER: Pierre Argillet, Paris EDITION NUMBER: 149/150 MEASUREMENTS: ...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

The Lady Dulcinea (framed hand signed etching and aquatint)
Located in Aventura, FL
From Historia de Don Quichotte de la Mancha. Etching and aquatint on Japon paper. Edition AP 23/50. Sheet size 29.875 x 22.125 inches. Image Size 15.75 x 17.5 inches. Frame size ap...
Category

1980s Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Etching, Aquatint

A 1940s Modern Surrealist Abstract Drawing, "Flash Watch" by Hananiah Harari
Located in Chicago, IL
A Striking, 1940s Modern Surrealist Abstract Drawing, "Flash Watch" by Notable New York Avant Garde Artist, Hannah Harari (Am. 1912-2000). Graphite on green toned paper, dating from...
Category

Mid-20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Graphite

French Surrealist Lithograph Legendary Mime Marcel Marceau Third Eye Surrealism
Located in Surfside, FL
Le Troisième Oeil (The Third Eye) Lithograph on Arches paper Hand signed and numbered 1981 Dimensions: 21.5 X 30 inches Marcel Marceau (French: born Marcel Mangel; 1923 – 2007) was ...
Category

1980s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Spring Figurative Surrealism, Original oil Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Ashot Yan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2016 Style: Figurative Surrealism, Title: Spring, Size: 31.5" x 27" x 1'' ...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Autumn" original lithograph
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. Printed in 1938 and published in Paris by Teriade for the art revue Verve (Volume 1, Number 3). Four artists were commissioned to contribute compositions...
Category

1930s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

"Ahead of me 2" Photography 39" x 39" in Edition 1/3 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Ahead of me 2" Photography 39" x 39" in Edition 1/3 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA issued by the artist Not...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Photographic Paper

Fantastic woman
Located in Zofingen, AG
This painting belongs to the series of paintings "Blue." Long before 2022, a process of spiritual transformation took place in my life, in particular, a rethinking of the feminine pr...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Acrylic, Archival Paper

Hot sun
Located in Zofingen, AG
shipped in roll This painting belongs to the series of paintings "Blue." Long before 2022, a process of spiritual transformation took place in my life, in particular, a rethinking of...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Acrylic, Archival Paper

Soft indecision
Located in Zofingen, AG
The series "Dissonance of Softness" consists of five paintings: "Soft Silence," "Soft Solitude," "Soft Maturity," "Soft Fragility," and "Soft Indecision." The word "softness" does no...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Acrylic, Archival Paper

Le Destin (Destiny)
Located in OPOLE, PL
Henri Matisse (1869-1954) - Le Destin (Destiny) Lithograph from 1983. Dimensions of sheet: 61 x 39 cm Dimensions in frame: 73 x 53 cm Publisher: George Brazilier, New York. Prin...
Category

1950s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Le Lagon II (The Lagoon II)
Located in OPOLE, PL
Henri Matisse (1869-1954) - Le Lagon II (The Lagoon II) Lithograph from 1983. Dimensions of sheet: 61 x 39 cm Dimensions in frame: 73 x 53 cm Publisher: George Brazilier, New Yor...
Category

1950s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Consumed, Surrealist Lithograph by Andre Masson
Located in Long Island City, NY
Andre Masson, French (1896 - 1987) - Consumed, Portfolio: Dessins Erotiques, Year: 1971, Medium: Lithograph on Arches, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 23/125, Image Size:...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Le Toboggan (The Slide)
Located in OPOLE, PL
Henri Matisse (1869-1954) - Le Toboggan (The Slide) Lithograph from 1983. Dimensions of sheet: 61 x 39 cm Dimensions in frame: 73 x 53 cm Publisher: George Brazilier, New York. ...
Category

1950s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Le Codomas (The Codomas / The Acrobat on the Trapeze)
Located in OPOLE, PL
Henri Matisse (1869-1954) - Le Codomas (The Codomas / The Acrobat on the Trapeze) Lithograph from 1983. Dimensions of sheet: 61 x 39 cm Dimensions in frame: 73 x 53 cm Publisher:...
Category

1950s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

ICY SLICE Signed Lithograph, Mini Landscape, Iceberg, Giant Saw
Located in Union City, NJ
ICY SLICE is a hand drawn, limited edition lithograph by the American surrealist artist Fanny Brennan, created using traditional hand lithography techniques printed on archival Arche...
Category

1990s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Beach Scene, Surrealist Lithograph by Andre Masson
Located in Long Island City, NY
Andre Masson, French (1896 - 1987) - Beach Scene, Portfolio: Dessins Erotiques, Year: 1971, Medium: Lithograph on Arches, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 23/125, Image Si...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Dream Weavers (Blush)
Located in Red Bank, NJ
Dream Weavers (Blush) by Allison Green Painting, Pink, Birds, Nest, Aesthetic, Oval, Whimsical, Home decor, Wall Art, Bedroom Art, Nature
Category

20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Birch, Oil, Wood Panel

Joan Miro, The Extreme Origin, from XXe siecle, 1976
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph by Joan Miro (1893–1983), titled L'origine extreme (The extreme origin), from the album XXe Siecle, Nouvelle serie, XXXVIIIe Annee, No. 47, originates from ...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Leonor Fini Avant de S Endormir 1983 Vintage
Located in Brooklyn, NY
From the portfolio containing six reproductions of some of Fini's famous images, such as: La Passagere, Vesper Express, Heliodora, La Serrure and Le Bout du Monde. Published by Frede...
Category

1980s Surrealist Art

Materials

Offset

Childhood , Paris, Salon d Automne, New York, ASL, Corcoran, PAFA, Art Deco
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower right 'Nura' for Nura Woodson Ulreich (American, 1899–1950). Titled, verso, 'Childhood', signed with artist's Paris address and dated 1926. This early twentieth-century...
Category

1920s Surrealist Art

Materials

Watercolor, Gouache, Illustration Board

A Colorful 1930s Modern Surrealist Abstraction by Hananiah Harari "The Military"
Located in Chicago, IL
A Colorful, 1930s Modern Surrealist Abstraction by Notable New York Avant Garde Artist, Hannah Harari (Am. 1912-2000). Titled "The Military", the artwork is ink and colored pencil ...
Category

1930s Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Ink, Color Pencil

The Visitor
Located in New York, NY
Created by Surrealist Fanny Brennan from 1992-96, The Visitor is an original lithograph in colors on wove paper, hand-monogrammed by the artist in pencil and numbered from the editio...
Category

Late 20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

UNTITLED (GIRAFFE)
Located in Aventura, FL
Original crayon and pencil drawing on cut-out paper mounted on board. Hand signed with artist's initials CA. Executed in 1966, this work is registered in the archives of the Calder...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Crayon, Pencil

Bastet – 01-01-19, Drawing, Pencil/Colored Pencil on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
Bastet – 01-01-19 My Egyptian series is an addition to my ‘j’accuse’ painting ‘The Revelation of Bettie Page’. My New Year’s resolution for this year: I dare all alg...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Pencil

Surrealist composition
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: collotype (after the Miro lithograph). Printed in 1947 in an edition of 1500 by Meriden Gravure and published by Curt Valentin for "The Prints of Joan Miro" portfolio. Size: ...
Category

1940s Surrealist Art

Materials

Photogravure

A Colorful, 1937 Modern Surrealist Abstraction by Hananiah Harari, "To the Wind"
Located in Chicago, IL
A Striking, Colorful 1930s Modern Surrealist Abstraction by Notable New York Avant Garde Artist, Hannah Harari (Am. 1912-2000). Titled "To the Wind", the artwork is colored pencil a...
Category

1930s Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Color Pencil, Graphite

"The Designers" Mixed-Media Collage
Located in Chicago, IL
This work entitled “The Designers” by Chicago-based artist Patrick Fitzgerald continues his series of abstract “track paintings,” initially born as the imagined racetracks navigated ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Paper, Oil, Acrylic, Graphite

Strength in Root - 21st Century Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Africa Women
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Strength in Roots is a powerful portrait that celebrates the beauty and resilience of Black identity. The subject's afro hair, a symbol of natural beauty and cultural heritage, frame...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Salvador Dali etching, signed with monogram, Frere Ogrin l’ermite
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Salvador Dalí (Spanish, 1904–1989) Frère Ogrin l’ermite (Brother Ogrin the Hermit) Drypoint etching in colour From the 1970 Tristan and Iseult series, British book edition, printed o...
Category

20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

Birds in Flight (Comanche Native American surrealist painting)
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Birds in Flight, ca. 1975-80. Gouache on Arches rag paper, Sheet measures 23 x 30 inches. Image measures 22 x 29 inches. Signed lower left. Excellent condition. Unframed.
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Gouache, Rag Paper

Analysis of Various Evils - Lithograph and Stencil
Located in Paris, IDF
Paul KLEE (after) Analysis of Various Evils Lithograph and stencil (Jacomet process) Printed signature in the plate On canson vellum 50 x 38.2 cm (19.6 x 14.9 in) INFORMATION : Thi...
Category

Early 20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph, Stencil

Salvador Dali - Le Cerf from Le Bestiaire de la Fontaine - Signed Engraving
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
SALVADOR DALI Le Cerf se voyant dans l'eau from Le Bestiaire de la Fontaine 1974 Hand signed by Dali Edition: /250 The dimensions of the image are 22.8 x 15.7 inches on 31 x 23.2 in...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Drypoint, Aquatint

"Shot 2" Black White Photography 39" x 39" in Edition 1/3 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Shot 2" Black White Photography 39" x 39" in Edition 1/3 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Not framed. Ships in a tube...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Photographic Paper

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.

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