Surrealist Figurative Paintings
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 Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Charcoal, Acrylic
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Paper, Acrylic, Pencil
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Gouache, Paper
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Paint, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Archival Paper, Pen
1940s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Linen, Oil
1980s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Acrylic, Wood Panel
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Fabric, Canvas
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Plaster, Wood Panel, Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
A woman walks through a summer field in a loose blue jumpsuit, her hair tied up in a bun. She notices the odd presence of yellow taxis and a white truck parke...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
1980s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Oil
1960s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Panel
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Oil
1990s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Acrylic, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Gouache, Watercolor, Paper
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Panel
1990s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Watercolor, Laid Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Oil
Early 2000s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Fabric, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Acrylic, Canvas
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
1960s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Paint, Paper, Mixed Media
Late 20th Century Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic, Mixed Media
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars
20th Century Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Oil
Mid-20th Century Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Two striking figures stand against towering cacti, their bold features blending fashion and nature. One wears a lavender top adorned with tigers, while the ot...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
A stylized man and woman meet in a surreal, exotic environment with towering cacti. Bold colors, botanical elements, and intricate patterns define their featu...
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Linen, Oil
1990s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Oil
Late 20th Century Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Paper, Charcoal, Crayon, Watercolor, Pencil
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Panel
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Oil, Acrylic, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Linen, Oil
2010s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Oil
1940s Surrealist Figurative Paintings
Masonite, Oil