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.
Soft Cityscape - Abstract Architectural Landscape Acrylic Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C Bernhardsson's original artworks are influenced by the architecture and geometry of houses. Born in Sweden, Bernhardsson travels the world photographing and sketching houses ...
Canvas, Acrylic
The Colors of Los Angeles - Large Abstract City Landscape Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C Bernhardsson's original artworks are influenced by the architecture and geometry of houses. Born in Sweden, Bernhardsson travels the world photographing and sketching houses ...
Canvas, Acrylic
House on a Hill 2 - Abstract Colorful Architectural Landscape Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C Bernhardsson's original artworks are influenced by the architecture and geometry of houses. Born in Sweden, Bernhardsson travels the world photographing and sketching houses ...
Canvas, Acrylic
Sunflowers and poppies. Glitch
Located in Zofingen, AG
Decorative wall panel / three-dimensional artwork / wall sculpture. This vibrant decorative artwork combines the traditions of mosaic still-life painting with the aesthetics of digi...
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Cardboard
Isotopic Matriculation
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Isotopic Matriculation, c. late 1940s, mixed media on Masonite, signed lower right, 15 x 18 inches, label verso reads: "Isotopic Matriculation / Ed Cowley / Price $25", presented in ...
Masonite, Mixed Media, Oil
Mystery of the golden fields
Located in Zofingen, AG
What if, one day, the idyllic landscape of the Tuscan countryside became the setting for an extraordinary event? Among golden hills, vineyards, and endless flowering fields, where a ...
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Cardboard
Mid Century Mexican Surrealist Painting - Landscape with Arches, Signed
Located in Soquel, CA
Mid Century Mexican Surrealist Painting - Landscape with Arches, Signed Intriguing mid-century surrealist painting by Mexican artist Jose Arciga (20th Century.) Two flat green arche...
Canvas, Oil, Board
Nudist Woman Surrealist Oil Painting, Signed, Mid-20th Century
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Nudist Women, Signed Oil Painting By French artist Claude Benard, (1926 - 2016) Signed by the artist on the lower left hand corner, Oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas size: 32 x...
Oil
$4,988Sale Price|28% Off
In Spite of it All (Window, Skyscape, Warm, Dreamy, ~29% OFF)
By Annieo Klaas
Located in Kansas City, MO
Annieo Klaas In Spite of it All 2024 Oil on Canvas 84 x 48 inches (213.36 x 121.92 cm) Signed lower right COA provided *On stretcher frame - gallery wrapped - ready to hang Annieo ...
Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars
$1,777Sale Price|28% Off
Held Inside a Shaft of Light (Window, Skyscape, Warm, Dreamy, ~29% OFF)
By Annieo Klaas
Located in Kansas City, MO
Annieo Klaas Held Inside a Shaft of Light 2023 Oil on Canvas 40 x 30 inches (101.6 x 30.48 cm) Signed lower right COA provided *On stretcher frame - gallery wrapped - ready to hang ...
Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars
$1,440Sale Price|20% Off
Spheres and Cubes - Geometric Surrealist Landscape in Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Soquel, CA
Spheres and Cubes - Geometric Surrealist Landscape in Acrylic on Canvas Bright and lively surrealist landscape by Randy Dunham (American, b. 1961). Six spheres float above a minimalist landscape with mountains and a body of still water. Some of the spheres are transparent and others are opaque, with three cubes partially obscuring the transparent ones. There are streams of water hitting the shapes and splashing into the body of water below. Signed and dated "Randy Dunham © Nov 04" in the lower left corner. No frame. Canvas size: 36"H x 48"W Randy Dunham (American, b. 1961) was born in Troy New York...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,034Sale Price|20% Off
Île Saint-Louis - River Seine Paris France Surrealist Oil on Board Painting
Located in Sevenoaks, GB
* No US duty or taxes to pay on this item * A very beautiful signed and dated 1972 oil on board depicting a surrealist view of the Île Saint-Louis in Paris at sunset. Striking and ...
Oil, Board
$728Sale Price|20% Off
Fluorescent Surreal Landscape Acrylic Painting on Canvas and Cardboard
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Fluorescent surreal landscape painting by French artist Nico Pearleyes, created in acrylic with a satin varnish on canvas mounted on cardboard. Rounded hills, suspended organic forms...
Acrylic, Canvas, Varnish, Cardboard
Morning Grid - Abstract Colorful Architectural City Landscape Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C Bernhardsson's original artworks are influenced by the architecture and geometry of houses. Born in Sweden, Bernhardsson travels the world photographing and sketching houses ...
Canvas, Acrylic
Saturn Over Titan Tower, UT, by Astronomical Artist Joe Bergeron
Located in New York, NY
Joe Bergeron (American) Saturn From Titan, 1980 Oil on canvas Framed: 40 x 30 x 1 1/2 in. Signed lower right: Bergeron 80 Inscribed verso Joe Bergeron grew up in the twin hamlets of Endicott and Endwell in upstate New York. As a boy he taught himself the constellations using a cardboard star wheel, watching in awe as stars he had never before identified rose according to prediction. Later he began a more thorough examination of the heavens using various small telescopes. A devoted hiker, Joe prowled his surroundings at all hours of the day and night, often discovering semi-abandoned sites of human activity which his imagination invested with the mystery of ancient ruins. Joe was known as a "class artist" in high school, mostly by virtue of superhero drawings done in ballpoint pen. His early efforts at painting were clumsy at best and disastrous at worst, leading him to be intimidated by the brush. Finally, called upon to produce planetarium shows during a summer job, Joe taught himself to paint so he could create visuals for the shows. Soon he was selling paintings and drawings at science fiction art...
Canvas, Acrylic
A Unique, Modern Surrealist Beach Scene, Bathers, Hyde Park, Chicago
Located in Chicago, IL
A Unique, Visually Striking, Surrealist Mid-Century Modern Abstract Beach Scene by Notable Chicago Artist, Harold Haydon (Am. 1909-1994). Depicting an abstracted female bathers stan...
Oil, Canvas, Board
Divine UFO over the poppy fields of Tuscany
Located in Zofingen, AG
What if, one day, a portal between the earthly and heavenly realms opened above the peaceful hills of Tuscany? Amid golden fields, flowering meadows, and endless expanses of red popp...
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Cardboard
A secret mission in golden Italy
Located in Zofingen, AG
What if, one day, something happened in the heart of the peaceful Italian countryside that could not be explained by our understanding of everyday reality? Inspired by the decorativ...
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Cardboard
Desert Goddess / - Transcendental Realism -
Located in Berlin, DE
Karin Hauke, Desert Goddess, 1976. Oil on wood, 70 x 50 cm (image size), 73 cm x 53 cm (frame), signed “K. HAUKE” lower right and dated “[19]76.” - Small flaking in the lower area, o...
Oil
Queen of the Chanterelles - Surrealist Figurative in Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Soquel, CA
Queen of the Chanterelles - Surrealist Figurative in Acrylic on Canvas Bright, fantastical composition by TEMBO (20th Century). A woman is depicted in profile, head slightly tilted ...
Canvas, Acrylic
Intriguing Surrealist Painting of Downtown Chicago by James Mesplé
Located in Chicago, IL
An Intriguing 1991 Surrealist painting of downtown Chicago by artist James Mesplé. Oil and tempera on panel. Signed and dated "James Mesplé 1991", lower right; titled on label on ...
Oil, Tempera, Panel
$1,425
The Family - Abstract Colorful Architectural Landscape Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C Bernhardsson's original artworks are influenced by the architecture and geometry of houses. Born in Sweden, Bernhardsson travels the world photographing and sketching houses ...
Canvas, Acrylic
Urban Life - Abstract Earthy Tone Architectural Landscape Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C Bernhardsson's original artworks are influenced by the architecture and geometry of houses. Born in Sweden, Bernhardsson travels the world photographing and sketching houses ...
Canvas, Acrylic
Surrealist Landscape Oil Painting, 20th Century, Framed, 30 x 24.25 in
Located in Beachwood, OH
Surrealist Landscape Oil on canvas 'R. Lee Glenn' verso 30 x 24.25 inches 31.75 x 26.75 inches, framed Surrealism aims to revolutionize human experience. It balances a rational visi...
Oil
In the embrace of the waves
Located in Zofingen, AG
This contemporary surrealist painting transports the viewer into a world where the sea becomes a realm of dreams and the boundary between reality and fantasy dissolves in the golden ...
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Cardboard
$960Sale Price|20% Off
Tramp (pet dog, beagle, troubadour guitare, animal portrait, surrealist painting
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
"Tramp," by Rudolf Kosow, is a whimsical painting that delights in its surreal juxtaposition of scale and serenity. At the center is a beagle's face, depicted with lifelike detail and expressiveness, eyes glistening with a calm intelligence that beckons the viewer into a state of contemplation. Positioned against the backdrop of the dog's vast visage, a small, solitary figure strums a guitar. The musician, dressed in casual attire, appears as a wandering troubadour, his music resonating with the quietude of the scene. This miniature man, though diminutive in size, plays a significant role in the narrative, providing a sense of companionship and shared experience. The painting's title, "Tramp," suggests a free spirit, both in the itinerant musician and the beagle, known for its adventurous and exploratory nature. Kosow's piece is an ode to the wandering souls and the moments of unexpected harmony they encounter. Through "Tramp," we are reminded of the melodies that score our journeys and the silent kinship we find along the way. It is an invitation to embrace the music of life, to find connection in the tranquility of existence, and to acknowledge the symphonies that unfold in the presence of kindred spirits, regardless of their size or form. keywords; painting on canvas, surrealist painting, animal vs human, americana, nature, man, man vs nature, surrealism, giant animal...
Canvas, Oil
Let's Move In Together - Abstract Color Drenched Architecture Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C Bernhardsson's original artworks are influenced by the architecture and geometry of houses. Born in Sweden, Bernhardsson travels the world photographing and sketching houses ...
Canvas, Mixed Media
Stallion and a Unicorn -21st Century, Contemporary, Abstract, African, Horse
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
A Stallion and a Unicorn explores the duality of action and aspiration, grounding us in the tension between lived reality and imagined possibility. The stallion embodies patriotism r...
Canvas, Acrylic
French Mod Surrealist Commedia dell'arte Circus Scene Oil Painting J.P. Serrier
Located in Surfside, FL
Jean Pierre Serrier (French, 1934-1989) Oil on canvas painting depicting four figures Hand signed lower right. Measures (frame) 26.5" x 30" wide, and (sight) 18.25." x 22.25" wide....
Canvas, Oil
$999
Immigrant Experience - 21st Century, Contemporary, Abstract, African, Landscape
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
At first glance, The Immigrant Experience presents a simple paper boat. Yet within its fragile form lies the weight of a nation’s story. Set adrift on turbulent waves, the boat evoke...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,425
The Skyline is Blue - Abstract Architectural Landscape Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C Bernhardsson's original artworks are influenced by the architecture and geometry of houses. Born in Sweden, Bernhardsson travels the world photographing and sketching houses ...
Canvas, Acrylic
Algun Dia - figurative painting, landscape painting
Located in New York, NY
This beautiful surrealist painting by Mauricio comes rolled in a tube and needs to be stretched when received. In his pieces, Mauricio combines his figurative expertise along with su...
Canvas, Oil
$796Sale Price|20% Off
Signed Surreal Southwest Modernist Desert Cactus Original Vintage Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American modernist surreal landscape oil painting. Oil on canvas, circa 1940. Signed. Unframed. Image size, 28"L x 20"H.
Canvas, Oil
"The Game of Time", Surrealist Oil on Canvas, 1967
Located in Astoria, NY
John Philip Capello (American, b. 1939), "The Game of Time", Oil on Canvas, 1967, signed lower right, signed, titled, dated, and artist's stamp verso, giltwood frame. Image: 28.5" H...
Canvas, Oil
$3,300
Quietude From Turmoil - Original Colorful Mixed Media Surrealist Landscape Art
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 ...
Paper, Charcoal, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
"Gold Coast, " California Landscape Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Gregory Block's (US based) "Gold Coast" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a sandy beach raked with sunlight. Gregory was born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1986 and...
Oil
Country Town - Original Abstract Architectural Landscape Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C. Bernhardsson's original artworks are influenced by the architecture and geometry of houses. Born in Sweden, Bernhardsson travels the world photographing and sketching houses...
Canvas, Acrylic
The Girl in Central Park - Abstract New York Architectural Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C Bernhardsson's original artworks are influenced by the architecture and geometry of houses. Born in Sweden, Bernhardsson travels the world photographing and sketching houses ...
Canvas, Acrylic
Spring Harvest, Surrealist Acrylic on Canvas, Original 122 x 92 CM
Located in London, Chelsea
We offer complimentary worldwide shipping and cover all tariffs and import taxes for this artwork. This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet C...
Canvas, Acrylic
Sea Embrace
Located in Zofingen, AG
This contemporary surrealist painting transports the viewer into a world where the sea becomes a realm of dreams and the boundary between reality and fantasy dissolves. Amid the tur...
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Cardboard
The Summer Houses - Architectural Cool Tone Still Life Mixed Media Collage
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C. Bernhardsson is a colorful artist who lives and paints in Sweden. Most of her works are influenced by the architecture and geometry of houses. Bernhardsson travels the world...
Paper, Mixed Media
City Layers - Abstract Colorful Architectural Landscape Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C Bernhardsson's original artworks are influenced by the architecture and geometry of houses. Born in Sweden, Bernhardsson travels the world photographing and sketching houses ...
Canvas, Acrylic
Surrealist Nocturnal Hawaiian Figurative Landscape w. Blue Skirted Woman & Moon
Located in Soquel, CA
Surrealist Nocturnal Hawaiian Figurative Landscape w. Blue Skirted Woman & Moon by Marguerite Louis Blasingame Striking mid century modern Hawaiian noct...
Linen, Oil
"Fungo Atomico" (Atomic Mushroom) Surrealist Landscape
By Luigi Pretin
Located in Houston, TX
Surrealist painting of a white structure in a barren desert titled "Fungo Atomico" by Italian surrealist painter Luigi Pretin, circa 1976. Signed and dated in lower right corner as w...
Acrylic
Ba Ba Ba Ma Tri dom
By Valton Tyler
Located in Dallas, TX
In The New York Times Arts in America column, Edward M. Gomez writes of Valton Tyler, "visionary seems the right word for describing his vivid, unusual and technically refined painti...
Canvas, Oil
Texas In Fuschia - Vibrant Architectural Colorful Landscape Mixed Media Collage
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C. Bernhardsson is a colorful artist who lives and paints in Sweden. Most of her works are influenced by the architecture and geometry of houses. Bernhardsson travels the world...
Paper, Mixed Media
The Moment
Located in Zofingen, AG
The Moment After the dark night of the soul, there will always be the sun. After darkness, dawn always comes. “The Moment” is a space between night and light, between what has alread...
Canvas, Acrylic
Surreal Landscape by Italian Artist Lanfranco Finocchioli
Located in New York, NY
Lanfranco Finocchioli (Italian, b. 20th century) Sognando Capri (Dreaming of Capri), 2003 Oil on canvas 13 3/4 x 19 5/8 in. Framed: 19 1/4 x 23 1/4 x 1 1/8 in. Signed and dated lower...
Canvas, Oil
"Tiny Cow"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
"Tiny Cow" is a captivating journey into the realm of Magic Realism. The composition centers on a majestic blue cow, rendered in deep indigo and azure tones, gazing at a mysterious, ...
Canvas, Acrylic
Saguaro - Framed Abstract Colorful Architectural Landscape Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C Bernhardsson's original artworks are influenced by the architecture and geometry of houses. Born in Sweden, Bernhardsson travels the world photographing and sketching houses ...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,646Sale Price|20% Off
Surreal Landscape - Mid 20th Century English Surrealist Oil on Canvas Painting
Located in Sevenoaks, GB
A beautiful 1960's English oil on canvas depicting a surrealist landscape with rainbow and gilt framed painting on a wall. A stunning and unusual painting presented in a bespoke gilt...
Canvas, Oil
Antique Italian Super Realist Surreal Landscape Framed Signed Modern Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique Italian modernist landscape oil painting. Oil on board. Signed. Framed. Provenance from a Brooklyn, NY collection. Measuring: 23 by 33 inches overall. Handsomely framed in d...
Oil, Board
'Place de la Concorde', Paris, California, Surrealist, Neo-classical Symbolism
By Henri Julie
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower right, 'Henri Julie' (French, 1903-1984) and painted circa 1955. Displayed in a custom-made, carved wood and water-gilded frame by Richard Tobey & Son with gilt tit...
Oil, Board
The Mysteries of Life, Surrealist, Outsider Art Oil Painting
Located in Grand Rapids, MI
Jaro Hess (Czech/American, 1889-1979) Signed: Jaro Hess '66 (Lower, Right) " The Mysteries of Life ", 1966 (titled by provenance) Oil on Canvas laid on Masonite 18" x 26" Housed...
Canvas, Masonite, Oil
Burning Iceberg Seascape, Surreal Oil Painting on Canvas, 2020
By Raúl Álvarez
Located in FISTERRA, ES
An iceberg burns above dark ocean water in this surrealist oil painting on canvas by Raúl Álvarez, an allegory of climate change. Titled Burning Ice VII and painted in 2020, the wor...
Oil, Canvas
Woodland Fancy, Mid-Century Fantastical Figurative Landscape 1969
Located in Soquel, CA
Unique and fantastical mid-century painting of a nude figure standing in front of a fish in the forest surrounded by flowers, plants, and a portrait by Kenneth Fong...
Paper, Gouache
$2,800Sale Price|20% Off
Apto - figurative painting, landscape painting, 89X97 cm
Located in New York, NY
"Apto" explores the relationship between identity, memory, and loyalty through a surreal composition inspired by the visual language of René Magritte. A faceless figure stands motion...
Canvas, Oil
La Tia Surrealist Landscape Painting, Oil on Canvas, Unframed
Located in New York, NY
This beautiful surrealist painting by Mauricio comes rolled in a tube and needs to be stretched when received. In his pieces, Mauricio combines his figurative expertise along with su...
Oil, Canvas
Shrine: A High Place
Located in Plano, TX
Freeman Baldridge's depiction of a shrine at a sandy beach and lake. Oil on canvas measures 20 x 16; frame dimensions measure 24 1/2 x 20 1/2 x 1 1/2...
Oil
$1,275
Don't Let Us Fade Away - Original Colorful Mixed Media Surrealist Landscape Art
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 ...
Paper, Charcoal, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel