Surrealist More Art
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.
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Canvas, Oil
1950s Surrealist More Art
Lithograph
Artist Comments
A mesmerizing underwater scene comes to life where an enchanting mix of sea creatures, humans, and scuba bunnies coexist in perfect harmony. The submerged wor...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Oil
1960s Surrealist More Art
Lithograph
Artist Comments
This painting features a horse standing against a stylized coastal landscape. Geometric shapes define the sky, clouds, and buildings, while background elements ...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Acrylic
1960s Surrealist More Art
Paper, Lithograph
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Resin, Vinyl
Artist Comments
A surrealist painting captures the tension between prey and predator. In the foreground, a rabbit stands wary while a fox snarls nearby. Others of their kind sc...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Three peculiar cat figures awkwardly dance on narrow, elevated platforms inside a mysterious underground sewer system. Artist Kat Silver invites the viewer to i...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Oil
1950s Surrealist More Art
Photogravure
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Canvas, Oil
1930s Surrealist More Art
Lithograph
Artist Comments
This is the second painting in artist Kat Silver’s ongoing series of cozy cat scenes celebrating calm indoor moments. At first glance, it appears to be a play...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Oil
1930s Surrealist More Art
Lithograph
1930s Surrealist More Art
Photogravure
Artist Comments
This watercolor painting features a pegasus rendered in warm earth tones accented with bright blue feathers. Playful in spirit yet gentle in pose, the winged ho...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Watercolor
Artist Comments
Mountains and sea merge in this abstract landscape, where shifting forms and colors reveal a world suspended between calm and chaos. Each stroke carries depth, ...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
A surreal domestic scene features two cats resting in a room, gazing directly at the viewer. Whimsical moments unfold around them as a tiny animal stands by a m...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Four cups connect at the center of the composition, forming a diamond shape. Wavy lines ripple around them, while bright beams radiate from the handles and rims...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Oil
1940s Surrealist More Art
Paper, Photogravure
Artist Comments
The bison and the beetle have a prehistoric elegance about them that I thought would compliment each other perfectly. Symbolically, both represent life and mortality, which has been on my mind lately. To Native Americans, bison are symbolic of sacred life and abundance. And in ancient greek mythology the beetle became revered as a symbol of rebirth and immortality -- its daily journey across the sky became an allegory of human life. The Wallpaper collection is a juxtaposition of masculine meets feminine. I wanted to create a unique series that stands apart from traditional nature paintings, where the wild and somewhat prehistoric aspects of my animals featured contrast against their delicate backdrops. In addition to this, many of my paintings are created with a little bit of underlying symbolism usually sparked from a world event or life moment that I am experiencing. I concentrate on this theme as a therapeutic mantra throughout the creation of the painting. For each painting, different techniques and layers of design are implemented when creating the wall paper effect. To keep the patterns consistent I create a stencil to outline the shapes of my hummingbirds, bugs and fish, and then I hand paint each shape individually. In the areas where I wanted a little more chaos, I would forgo the stencil and eyeball each design. My animals are always painted first, and then I layout the design around them.
About the Artist
Australian-born Alana Clumeck...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Acrylic
1940s Surrealist More Art
Etching, Aquatint
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Surrealist More Art
Lithograph
1950s Surrealist More Art
Lithograph
1950s Surrealist More Art
Lithograph
Artist Comments
The artwork depicts the Nine of Pentacles card, symbolizing rapidly growing success, incoming financial satisfaction, and wealth. White bison figures represen...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Surrealist More Art
Gold Leaf
Artist Comments
"A panther in space, now that's out of this world," says artist Miranda Gamel. She depicts a surrealist image of the ebony fe...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Ink, Watercolor, Archival Paper, Graphite
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Part of her series about the divinatory meanings of the swords tarot cards, artist Rachel Srinivasan paints a minotaur with blades and a caduceus. She feature...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Oil
1930s Surrealist More Art
Paper, Engraving
Artist Comments
An old-timey frog couple stands together, but they seem to be miles apart. The artwork delves into the profound exploration of human connections, revealing ho...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
A robot elephant balances an heirloom tomato and a pot of daisy flower on its head. This is artist Diane Flick's first painting using AI-generated reference p...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Water, waves, vessel, and the color blue are all symbolic of emotions in the cosmology of tarot. Galloping horses and unicorns frame the scene. The artwork is p...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Oil
1950s Surrealist More Art
Lithograph
1970s Surrealist More Art
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Acrylic, Board
2010s Surrealist More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Acrylic, Board
1950s Surrealist More Art
Lithograph
1940s Surrealist More Art
Photogravure
1920s Surrealist More Art
Paper
1950s Surrealist More Art
Paper
1910s Surrealist More Art
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Canvas, Oil
1930s Surrealist More Art
Paper, Photogravure
1980s Surrealist More Art
Tapestry
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist More Art
Acrylic, Board
1950s Surrealist More Art
Lithograph
1950s Surrealist More Art
Lithograph
1950s Surrealist More Art
Lithograph
Mid-20th Century Surrealist More Art
Canvas, Oil
