Surrealist Figurative 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
"Fragrance, " Mixed Media Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Ifeoluwa Alade ( Nigeria based) "Fragrance" is an original, handmade acrylic painting that depicts a female model and a male model with colorful butterflies and flowers ebbing betwee...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
"Paper City, " Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Alla Bartoshchuk's "Paper City" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a blue hued female figure in the company of ghostly greyhounds with an orange sun appearing alongsi...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
$3,600 Sale Price
20% Off
"Adonai sitting on Easter eggs"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
This painting is the third part of the cycle of works "Come and see" It was painted in the city of Kiev, Ukraine in 2001. The picture shows one of the main tenets of the "Kabbalah", ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
In My Heart - Original Figurative Monochromatic Red Art Charcoal on Sheet Music
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Robert Lebsack creates artworks using mixed media with ink, acrylic, and charcoal on archival copies of newspapers, textbooks, and sheet music. As a visionary artist, Lebsack weaves ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Paper, Charcoal, Ink, Mixed Media
Conspiracy
Located in Zofingen, AG
Unlike many surrealists, who present their dreams, the central subjects of Ta’s work are people and bold colours. Her work opens up new art dimensions to explore. Her Blue Valentine ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
Mythological Oil Painting Depicting a Mystical Scene with Figures French 20th C
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Mystical Scene with Figures
by Guy Nicod
(French 1923 - 2021)
signed oil on canvas laid on board, framed
Framed: 35.5 x 27 inches
Canvas: 32.5 x 24 inches
Provenance: private collec...
Category
Mid-20th Century Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
The Big Closed Gate - Contemporary, Kid, Gate, Figurative Painting, Blue, Brown
By Mihai Florea
Located in Baden-Baden, DE
The Big Closed Gate, 2019
Oil on canvas
51 3/16 H x 39 3/8 W in.
130 H x 100 W
The artwork was part of the solo show ONIRIX.
ONIRIX is a project about how we remember and interpre...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Unexplicable (teal art apricot lady brown vintage earth tone nostalgia fur coat
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
keywords; surrealism, fruit, ripe fruit, humour, apricot, fur coat lady, uncanny, lady, vintage, earth tones, oil painting, figurative painting, str...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Toulouse Canal de Brienne Bridge" (2024) By Christopher Clark, Oil & Acrylic
Located in Denver, CO
Christopher Clark's "Toulouse Canal de Brienne Bridge" is an original, handmade oil & acrylic painting that depicts an abstracted landscape with a small bridge going over a river sur...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Acrylic, Wood Panel
Untitled, Figurative, Charcoal on Paper by Modern Indian Artist "In Stock"
Located in Kolkata, West Bengal
Anita Roy Chowdhury - Untitled
Charcoal on Paper
10 x 16 inches, 1960
(Framed & Delivered)
In this tender charcoal sketch, Anita Roy Chowdhury captures the gentle innocence of a you...
Category
1960s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Paper, Charcoal
Vintage Surrealist Figurative -- At the Hop
Located in Soquel, CA
Vintage Surrealist Figurative -- At the Hop
Vibrant, dreamy abstract expressionist painting by California artist Molly E. Brubaker (American, 1922-2000). Unframed. Image, 30"H x 24"...
Category
1980s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
$1,202 Sale Price
35% Off
Green Virgin, Surrealist Oil on Canvas Painting by Hattakitkosol Somchai
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Hattakitkosol Somchai, Thai (1934 - 2000)
Title: Green Virgin
Year: 1970
Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed l.l.
Size: 27.5 x 31.5 in. (69.85 x 80.01 cm)
Category
1970s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"TOAST TO THE SEA"
Located in Los Angeles, CA
YURI MARTINEZ RAMOS
"TOAST TO THE SEA"
OIL ON CANVAS, SIGNED, TITLED
CUBAN-AMERICAN, DATED 2008
40 X 30 INCHES
Toast to the sea is a depiction of the beautiful women at Miami beaches, sunny days, drinks, and having a good moment feeling.
Yuri Martinez Ramos was born in Havana, Cuba on November 24, 1964.
He studied at the Elemental School of Plastic Arts from 1975 – 1979 and the National School of the Arts from 1979 – 1983.
Martinez’ figurative paintings have been compared to Botero because of his satirical social commentary. His style, however, is uniquely his own with typically vibrant Latin colors and use of expressive magical realism. His paintings tell his story and the story of the Cuban dilemma.
Martinez was granted permission by the US Justice Department after much effort with Cuban authorities to come to the US with his family and pursue his career outside Cuba. He now lives and works in Texas.
Papillon Gallery...
Category
Early 2000s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
$6,375 Sale Price
25% Off
On Top (cupcake rasberry lady dessert americana vintage surreal painting)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
A young woman in a vintage dress and cloche hat perches solemnly atop an enormous raspberry mousse dessert, her poised figure seemingly unaware of the surreal scale beneath her. Rend...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Savage Garden
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Timothy Berry (b.1948). Savage Garden, 1996. Oil on canvas, 34 x 32 inches. Sigh on verso. Original gallery label affixed on verso. Canvas stretched over...
Category
1990s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
$900 Sale Price
40% Off
'Musicians' Surrealist Oil Painting of a Musician, Signed Oil Painting
By Alexei Kvaratskheliya
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
'Musicians' Surrealist Oil Painting of a Musician, Signed Oil Painting
By Russian artist Alexei Kvarayskhelia, 20th Century
Signed by the artist on the lower left hand corner, also labelled on the back
Oil painting on card, framed
Frame size: 16 x 17 inches
Wonderfully stylish and unique oil painting. This surrealist painting of a band...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
American Family III, Oil Painting on Panel by Ramon Santiago
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Ramon Santiago, American (1943 - 2001)
Title: American Family III
Year: 1972
Medium: Oil on Panel, signed and dated
Size: 40 x 30 inches
Category
1970s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
Dreamers (yellow banana vintage car surrealist oil painting grey monochrome)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
Two photographic motifs, which can by no means fit together in real life, result in a coherent and at the same time completely absurd image on a painting level. It may symbolize wishful thinking which can never be realized in reality.
keywords; americana, surrealism, yellow banana, vintage, oil painting, men figurative painting...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Jardin Fantastique
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork. titled "Jardin Fantastique" c.1990, is an oil painting on canvas by noted Haitian surrealist artist Murat Saint Vil, b.1955. It is signed at the lower left corner by th...
Category
Late 20th Century Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
Ivory Tower Modern Figurative Oil Painting
By John Nathaniel Fenton
Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL
Ivery Tower Modern Figurative Oil Painting
John Nathaniel Fenton was born in 1929 in Mountaindale, New York. He is a 20th-century American painter and printmaker who studied at the A...
Category
1960s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Hinges, " Mixed Media Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Ifeoluwa Alade ( Nigeria based) "Hinges" is an original, handmade acrylic painting that depicts a female model and a male model with colorful butterflies and flowers ebbing between t...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic, Mixed Media
"GIOTTO ANGEL WITH CIRCLES", oil on wood, renaissance gothic, spiritual, surreal
By Tony Geiger
Located in Toronto, Ontario
GIOTTO ANGEL WITH CIRCLES is a new oil on wood surrealist painting by Brooklyn, New York artist Tony Geiger. It measures 20x24" and is a unique artwork. Th...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Wood Panel
Surrealist Large Painting Royal College of Art LGBTQ+ Female Blue Water Sea
By Isabel Rock
Located in Norfolk, GB
Isabel Rock is a creator of contemporary fairy tales. A graduate of the Royal College of Art in London, her work is an explosion of strange occurrences while a surreal narrative takes the audience on a journey into the imagination.
In October 2023 Isabel won the Evelyn Williams Drawing Award at the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize. Known as the UK’s most prestigious annual open exhibition for drawing; part of the prize is a solo show at Hastings Contemporary, scheduled for 2024.
Whilst Isabel always has a tale to tell for each of her images, you may or may not choose to go on the journey with her or you may indeed have a different story, one of your own that jumps off the page at you, that that you decide to follow.
Artwork Details:
Call of the Sea, 122 x 152cm, Collaged woodblock print, acrylic inks on Somerset satin paper, 2023
Artwork Provenance: from the Artist Studio
photo credits, Isabel working, black and white shots, James Brown
In Isabel's own words:
Call of the Sea:
The sea was calling, calling its sirens song. It threw tempting little waves flirtatiously on the shore. 'Come,' it said, 'come.' The sea glittered with promise, it whispered sweet nothings as it rolled the tiny gem pebbles on the beach. 'Come to me,' it said, 'I will show you the world, the true meaning of life.'
The people felt the pull, the blood pumping in their veins, like a magnet they were drawn towards the sea. Mesmerised, bewitched, they stripped of their clothes, leaving them in molehills on the beach. The breeze caressed bare bottoms, free from the constraints of life. They stepped cautiously at first but as excitement overwhelmed them they broke into a run as they neared the water. The sea tickled their toes and beckoned them in, making sweet promises of delightful pleasures.
*Please note we are happy to ship this work rolled in an art tube. Whilst the work is on heavy duty art paper and mixed media, the artist is happy that the painting will be rolled. This is a more cost effective and environmentally sound method of shipping. Shipping via this method is free.
About Isabel Rock and her work:
Taking inspiration from Japanese woodblock prints and Indian miniature painting Rock has developed a unique collage technique that combines bold structures with large-scale woodblock prints and intricate detailing. The subject is a grand mixture of humour, drama, hidden morals, fanciful characters, modern culture, mythical beings and fantastical situations.
Rock creates a world that pulls you in and demands your attention. Quality of line is paramount, the drawings are created using a dipping pen and acrylic ink. An essential tool is a squirrel...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Paint, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Archival Paper, Pen
Tapestry of Love - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Men, Modern, Cat
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure
Ships in a well-protected tube.
This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy.
Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity.
About Artist
Lawrence Amoo (...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Cotton
GENEVIEVE ZONDERVAN (1922-2013) FRENCH OIL PAINTING - MOTHER AND CHILD PORTRAIT
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
"Mother & Child"
by Geneviève Zondervan (French 1922-2013)
signed with initials
oil painting on board
board: 18 x 14.75 inches
Mid 20th century oil painting on board by the French ...
Category
Late 20th Century Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
Transparent Melody, Nude Figurative Original oil Painting, Ready to Hang
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Year: 2018
Style: Surrealism,
Subject: Transparent Melody
Size: 39" x 27.5" x 1'' inch, 100x70x2 cm...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Saint Michel House Sunset" (2024) By Christopher Clark, Oil & Acrylic Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Christopher Clark's "Saint Michel House Sunset" is an original, handmade oil & acrylic painting that depicts an abstracted landscape with a house surrounded by trees, tall, grass and...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Acrylic, Wood Panel
Autumn - Original Surrealist Hyperrealist Figurative Sunglass Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The figurative surrealistic paintings of Carlos Gamez de Francisco are heavily influenced by his Cuban upbringing in a Russian governed academia setting. This presence exposed Franci...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Her Green Robe
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
The heart of this artwork features a woman seated gracefully on her bed, a place of comfort and solace. Her posture exudes a sense of tranquility and introspection, as she gazes into...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Original Surrealist “Before the Dreamtime” Figurative in Oil Paint
Located in Soquel, CA
Vibrant surrealist creation oil painting “Before the Dreamtime” with birds and figures by Harald Dry Schmit
Compelling and vibrant, we're pleased to offer this surrealist figurative...
Category
1970s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars
$2,640 Sale Price
20% Off
Portrait in Black, Face Silhouette, Pink Details, Abstract, Line Drawing, White
Located in Barcelona, ES
The paintings of Aleix Font (Sabadell, Spain, 1984) function as a narrative between the collective and the individual world, exploring space and its interac...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Spray Paint, Acrylic, Handmade Paper
Patiently Waiting 2 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Black Woman, Love
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure
FREE Shipping Worldwide
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 Authent...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Plaques of Egypt
By Kate Orr
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Plagues of Egypt
by Kate Orr (British 20th century)
signed lower corner, circa 1990's
oil painting on board, unframed
painting: 31 x 25 inches
Superbly painted, Modern British oil ...
Category
Late 20th Century Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
$1,150 Sale Price
30% Off
Girl in Green
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
This artwork beautifully portrays the poignant story of a young girl who bravely faces the absence of her father at home, as he fulfills his honorable duty as a soldier. It delves into the complex emotions she experiences, capturing the resilience she must summon to navigate the challenges of growing up without his presence. Through this touching depiction, the artist sheds light on the sacrifices made by military families and the profound impact it has on the lives of children.
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
Daniel Oguche...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
"Sanguis Maledictum" (2023) by Sybiline, Oil Painting, Surreal Still Life
Located in Denver, CO
Sybiline's (CAN based) "Sanguis Maledictum" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts several purple blooms with tiny fangs and dripping blood.
About the Artist:
Sybiline ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
GENEVIEVE ZONDERVAN (1922-2013) FRENCH OIL PAINTING - PORTRAIT OF SEATED MAN
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
"Seated Man"
by Geneviève Zondervan (French 1922-2013)
oil painting on board
board: 18 x 14.75 inches
Very fine 20th century oil painting on board by the French artist, Geneviève Z...
Category
Late 20th Century Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Extravagant Coat" (2021) By Yuko Montgomery, Original Oil Painting of Vulture
Located in Denver, CO
Yuko Montgomery's "Extravagant Coat" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a close up portrait of a vulture in front of a surreal landscape with an eclipse in the sky ab...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Wood Panel
Musicians, Figurative Surrealism, Original oil Painting, Ready to Hang
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Year: 2020
Style: Surrealism,
Subject: Musicians,
Size: 30" x 40" x 1'' inch, 76x101.5x6 cm,
Framed...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
The Candles
Located in Nottingham, GB
Original artwork, oil on board
Anna starts by sketching her figures. Based on everyday people, everyday life. Embossing her art boards with telephone directory before adding oils. I...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Into the Night, " Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Sara Scribner's (US based) "Into the Night" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a woman in a long pink dress walking towards a background ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
"Rene Magritte"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
In this oil painting, I explored a junction of surrealism and futurism, where the ordinary meets the fantastically impossible. I have manifest towns with vibrant, whimsical architect...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
Cheerleader 1
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Always be your BIGGEST cheerleader, first. Remember to stay true to yourself and have faith in yourself. Even on difficult days, never give up on making your dreams happen. Go after them with all that you are and work hard until they all become a reality. Good things take time, so remember to honor those little steps every day. Celebrate the small victories, as they are still accomplishments. All of these small steps...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Point To Where It Hurts (Hummingbird, Portrait, Storytelling, Oil Painting)
Located in Kansas City, MO
Joseph Broghammer
Point To Where It Hurts (Hummingbird, Portrait, Storytelling, Oil Painting)
Oil on Canvas
Year: 2023
Size: 66x72in
Signed by hand
COA provided
Ref.: 924802-1898
*o...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Large Italian Modernist Surrealist Lady Mod Oil Painting "La Ragazza Ungherese"
Located in Surfside, FL
Lazzaro Donati (Italian, 1926-1977), Framed oil painting "La Ragazza Ungherese" The Hungarian Girl. Dated 1961.
Framed: 36.25 x 28.5 inches. In good condition.
Lazzaro Donati was b...
Category
1960s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
The Happy Couple, Mid Century Surrealist Fantasy Landscape by Ohio artist
By Mary Spain
Located in Beachwood, OH
Mary Spain (American, 1934-1983)
The Happy Couple
Oil on canvas
Signed middle right, signed and titled verso
22 x 26 inches
Set in a realm of fantasy, Mary Spain’s work exhibits oddly distorted figures in a child-like manner with an underlying sense of absurdity. Through her toylike and primitive style, Spain created surrealistic dramas that puzzle and entrance the viewer.
Born in Raleigh, North Carolina, Mary Spain studied art at Syracuse University and moved to Ohio in the 1960s to teach art at Chagrin Falls...
Category
Mid-20th Century Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Within the Hollow" (2024) by Morgan Cameron, Original Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Morgan Cameron’s (US based) “Within the Hollow” (2024) is an oil painting on panel that depicts a surreal portrait of a woman with white hair and antlers letting the snow from a pine...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
"Dragon Kiss"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
The painting "The Kiss of the Dragon" is the final fifth work in the cycle "Come and see". In Asia, there is a myth that the one whom the Dragon kisses will have strength, luck and i...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Acrylic, Canvas
FRANCINE BRANIARD - HUGE FRENCH SURREALIST SIGNED OIL - FANTASY FIGURES
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist/ School: Francine Braniard (French contemporary), signed
Title: 'La Source', titled verso and to exhibition label
Medium: oil painting on c...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
1970 Mod Surrealist Painting Collage David Hare Abstract Landscape Summer Land
By David Hare
Located in Surfside, FL
David Hare
Summer Land, 1970
Acrylic or oil paint and collage on board
Dimensions: 26 X 36 inches. Framed measuring 29 x 38 inches.
Hand signed, dated and titled on tape to verso 'Summer Land 1970 Hare'.
Provenance: Hamilton Gallery of Contemporary Art, New York
David Hare (1917 – 1992) was an American artist, associated with the Surrealist movement. He is primarily known for his sculpture, though he also worked extensively in photography and oil painting. The VVV Surrealism Magazine was first published and edited by Hare in 1942.
Born March 10, 1917 in New York City, New York to father Meredith Hare, a lawyer and mother Elizabeth Sage Goodwin, an art collector. In the 1920s the family moved first to Santa Fe, New Mexico and later to Colorado Springs, Colorado, in hope that the fresh air would help heal Meredith Hare's tuberculosis. His mother founded the Fountain Valley School, where David attended high school. After high school Hare married and moved to Roxbury, Connecticut where he worked as a color photographer. He attended Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson from 1936 to 1937, studying biology and chemistry.
In the late 1930s, with no previous artistic training, he began to experiment with color photography. Using his previous education in chemistry Hare developed an automatist technique called "heatage" in which he heated the unfixed negative from an 8 by 10-inch plate, causing the image to ripple and distort.
Hare's Surrealist experiments in photography were only one of his many projects. In 1938 he met Susanna Winslow Wilson and the couple soon married. Both David and Susanna pursued their interests in Surrealism and regularly attended Surrealist gatherings in New York Larre French restaurant on 56th street and at Breton's Greenwich Village apartment. In 1940 he received a commission from the American Museum of Natural History to document the Pueblo Indians of the American Southwest, for which he eventually produced 20 prints developed using Eastman Kodak's then-new dye transfer process (a time-consuming and complicated technique). In the same year, he also opened his own commercial photography studio in New York City and exhibited his photographs in a solo show at the Julien Levy Gallery.
In the next few years, through his cousin the painter Kay Sage, he came into contact with a number of Surrealist artists who had fled their native Europe because of World War II. Hare became closely involved with the émigré Surrealist movement and collaborated closely with them on projects such as the Surrealist journal VVV, which he co founded and edited from 1941 to 1944 with André Breton, Max Ernst, and Marcel Duchamp. With numerous illustrations by Breton, Leonora Carrington, Marc Chagall, Roberto Matta, Giorgio de Chirico, MarcelDuchamp, Max Ernst, Andre Masson, Joan Miro, Enrico Donati, Dorothea Tanning, and others.
Published in only four issues between 1942-44, VVV was an experimental New York-based magazine devoted to the dissemination of Surrealism. Edited by David Hare, the short-lived magazine featured contributions from some of the leading avant-garde artists of the period.
David and Susanna divorce in 1945 and Breton’s wife Jacqueline Lamba...
Category
1970s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Board
Beauty of the Bride
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
The inspiration behind "Beauty of the Bride" stems from the age-old practice of African kings selecting brides of great beauty to grace their courts. This tradition, often intertwine...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"GIOTTO ANGEL WITH CIRCLE AND STAR", oil on wood, renaissance gothic, surreal
By Tony Geiger
Located in Toronto, Ontario
GIOTTO ANGEL WITH CIRCLES AND STAR is a new oil on wood surrealist painting by Brooklyn, New York artist Tony Geiger. It measures 20x24" and is a unique ar...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Wood Panel
Liberation, Oil Painting
By Kat Silver
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A woman character is shown floating near an open window, where a giant bluebird is waiting as a spirit animal guide. The bird serves as a reminder to not give...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
Red Bow II - Original Framed Surrealist Figurative Portrait
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The figurative surrealistic paintings of Carlos Gamez de Francisco are heavily influenced by his Cuban upbringing in a Russian governed academia setting. This presence exposed Franci...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Ink, Watercolor, Archival Paper, Graphite
La Princesa
By Sofia Ruiz
Located in Los Angeles, CA
"LA PRINCESA"
OIL AND ACRILIC ON CANVAS
SIGNED, 2013
EXHIBITED MUSEO DEL BANCO CENTRAL
DE COSTA RICA
43.5 x 35.25 INCHES
Sofía Ruiz was born in 1982.
...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
"SORCERER'S BISCUIT", painting, surrealist dream, wolf, queen, duality, magic
By Tony Geiger
Located in Toronto, Ontario
SORCERER'S BISCUIT is a new oil on canvas surrealist painting by Brooklyn, New York artist Tony Geiger. It measures 16x20" and is a unique artwork. Note the artist's vocabulary present here – the young girl in early 20th century clothes holding the chewed biscuit; on poles either side of her what looks like a wolf in top hat, and a queen with crown. The wolf and queen are dimensional though appear as garish silhouettes – setting up a duality, a dream, a magic spell...
Tony Geiger has said his paintings take you to a certain place, but you have to find your own way back. The world he creates encompasses both classical surrealism and more contemporary concerns. Conflict is usually present. These mischievous juxtapositions make statements on the human condition – either politically, physically or spiritually. Geiger wants the viewer to be challenged and amused by this mixture of the macabre and the playful.
A graduate of the School of Visual Arts, New York and a longtime NYC resident, Tony Geiger still considers himself a transplanted Californian. He has exhibited paintings at the Sideshow Gallery in Williamsburg, the Barbican Centre in London, England, Miami Projects at Art Basel, Ceres Gallery in Chelsea, NYC, and he was accepted into The Drawing Center’s Viewing Program. Tony Geiger lives in Carroll...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
Pigging Out at the Diner, Surreal Anthropomorphic Pig Satirical Illustration
Located in Soquel, CA
A satirical, surreal depiction of a pig at a lunch counter by an unknown artist (20th Century). This scene, full of symbols and satire, portrays the anth...
Category
Late 20th Century Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Illustration Board
"Apocalypse, four horsemen"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
This painting was conceived during one of the most difficult periods of my life. It was 1995. It was then that I first encountered the Old Testament and New Testament scriptures. Hav...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
Screams for Peace
Located in Zofingen, AG
Sometimes I like to let my paintings do the talking for me when we switch on the news at the moment, it's full of horror when the world is crying out for peace
To say that Ta is a v...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
Huge Triptych Surrealist Royal College Art Painting LGBTQ+ Artist Oranges Blues
By Isabel Rock
Located in Norfolk, GB
Isabel Rock is a creator of contemporary fairy tales. A graduate of the Royal College of Art in London, her work is an explosion of strange occurrences whi...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Mixed Media, Paint, Archival Paper, Pen
Autumn oil on canvas painting surrealist woman
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Felix Ferreras - Autumn - Oil on canvas
Oil measurements 100x65 cm.
Frame size 115x80 cm..
Félix Ferreras is a visual artist with numerous national and international awards and dist...
Category
1990s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
$950 Sale Price
33% Off
Surrealist figurative paintings for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Surrealist figurative 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 figurative 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, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Rudolf Kosow, Carlos Gamez De Francisco, Henry David Potwin, Ferjo, and Fernando de Jesus Oliveira. 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 figurative paintings, so small editions measuring 2.13 inches across are also available. Prices for figurative 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 $3,770.