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.
Believe - 21st Century, Contemporary, Surrealism, African Nature, Fashion
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Believe is a moving meditation on hope, self-worth, and the courage to look past our limits. Standing on a bed of clouds, the figure wears an oversized blue coat and giant red boots,...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,636
Large 20th Century British Surrealist Abstract Figurative Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Surrealist Figures by Ronald Hull, British 20th century signed oil on canvas framed framed: 27 x 37 inches canvas : 24 x 34 inches Provenance: private collection, Cotswolds, England ...
Oil
$1,880Sale Price|20% Off
Harvest is Ready - 21st Century, Contemporary, Surrealism, African Nature, Child
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. Akanji Bolaji (b...
Canvas, Acrylic
Star-Crossed, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Two astronauts sit across from each other, the table between them barely separating their bodies as they lean in close. It was a first date, and they had a wond...
Oil
Waiting Portrait Surrealism Original oil Painting
By Ashot Yan
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Figurative Surrealism Original Painting Artist: Ashot Yan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2023 Style: Portrait Surrealism, T...
Canvas, Oil
Newcomer, Portrait Surrealism Original oil Painting
By Ashot Yan
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Portrait Surrealism Original Painting Artist: Ashot Yan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2019 Style: Portrait Surrealism, Tit...
Canvas, Oil
"The Post-Truth Era V", Surrealist Portrait, Brown, Collage, Acrylic Painting
By John Baker
Located in Franklin, MA
John Baker’s “The Post-Truth Era V “ is an acrylic painting on canvas with collage 20 x 16 inches in blues, whites, tans and browns. In our post-truth era it is next to impossible to...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Sea Shanty, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
The surrealist painting depicts a pirate and a mermaid sitting at a dimly lit bar. Glowing bottles and deep green walls surround the pair. He offers to buy her ...
Oil
Island. Full Moon, Oil Painting
By Guigen Zha
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
The surrealist portrait painting depicts a pale-faced woman gazing into the distance. Flowers and bare branches adorn her hair. A bright blue sky and a full moo...
Oil
Vintage American Modernist Surreal Abstract Figural Signed Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American modernist surreal figural painting. Oil on canvas. Signed. Framed. Provenance from a Sag Harbor, NY collection. Measuring: 23 by 29 inches overall. Handsomely frame...
Oil, Canvas
"Pink Moon, " Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Sara Scribner's (US based) "Pink Moon" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a realistic portrait of a feminine form cradling a small moon i...
Oil, Panel
$1,800
"Spring in Februrary" (2015), Original Female Portrait, Oil Painting on Panel
Located in Denver, CO
"Spring in February" (2015), is a masterful realist bust portrait of a woman wearing an intricate flower crown, standing confidently, eyes locked with the viewer. This piece is fram...
Oil, Panel
Still life with Blue-eyed Woman Portrait Surrealism Original oil Painting
By Ashot Yan
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Portrait Surrealism Original Painting Artist: Ashot Yan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2020 Style: Portrait Surrealism, Tit...
Canvas, Oil
Five stories about Ms. Janet, Portrait Surrealism Original oil Painting
By Ashot Yan
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Figurative Surrealism Original Painting Artist: Ashot Yan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2023 Style: Portrait Surrealism, T...
Canvas, Oil
Dancing Lovers
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this oil painting, I've blended abstract, figurative, and surreal elements to capture the fluid motion and raw emotion of an intimate dance. The intertwining forms, awash in shade...
Oil
"Dressing the Sewing Dummy", Surrealist, Red, Blue, Collage, Acrylic Painting
By John Baker
Located in Franklin, MA
John Baker’s “Dressing the Sewing Dummy” is an acrylic painting on canvas with collage 38 x 20 inches by .75 inch in reds, yellows, blues and purples. A young seamstress is elated by...
Canvas, Acrylic
"Moon Glow, " Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Sara Scribner's (US based) "Moon Glow" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a realistic portrait of a feminine form holding a full moon in ...
Oil, Panel
Goddess the Violinist and Swan
Located in Zofingen, AG
As the artist, I've poured my soul into this canvas, blending oils to evoke a sense of enigmatic allure and surreal wonder. With each stroke, I've strived to weave a narrative that t...
Oil
"Studio Gothic" (2025) Oil Painting on Panel
Located in Denver, CO
This incredible photorealist oil painting by renowned American painter Heather Neill is framed at 33 x 21 inches, and is ready to hang. Artist Autobiography: Born in Honolulu, Hawai...
Oil, Panel
"Something in the Way" (2024) By Nadezda, Original Oil Painting on Panel
By Nadezda
Located in Denver, CO
Nadezda's beautiful new oil on panel painting "Something in the Way" (2024) is a surreal portrait of a man stuck in a slouched position with his arms over a bar and his head undernea...
Oil, Panel
Vintage Modernist Surreal "Metamorphosis" Still Life Exhibited Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American modernist surreal interior scene oil painting. Oil on canvas. Signed. Framed. Provenance from a Sag Harbor, NY collection. Measuring: 27 by 30 inches overall. Hands...
Canvas, Oil
Angel I. Mystic/symbolic oil painting, vertical, dark colors, medium size
Located in Oslo, NO
This portrait is truly mystic. A young, beautiful person—let's call her Angel—is playing an invisible violin. The surroundings are dark, yet a strong light illuminates only her face ...
Canvas, Oil
Saint Sebastian - original painting on round canvas Paula Craioveanu
Located in Forest Hills, NY
"St Sebastian", acrylic on canvas, 20in, round Inspired by the St Sebastian religious paintings, this double portrait is a dreamlike superimposed view of an expressive and sensual fi...
Acrylic
The Tub, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
This painting is a modern reinterpretation of the English nursery rhyme "Rub-a-dub-dub, Three Men in a Tub," first published in Mother Goose's Melody in 1798. I...
Oil
$4,608Sale Price|20% Off
Villosa
Located in Dallas, TX
This work was featured at ComplexCon 2019 - November 2nd and 3rd in Long Beach, CA.
Wood, Oil
$950
A Unique, Surrealist 1950s Mid-Century Modern Beach Scene Oil Painting- Bather
Located in Chicago, IL
A Unique, Visually Striking, 1950s Surrealist Mid-Century Modern Abstract Beach Scene by Notable Chicago Artist, Harold Haydon (Am. 1909-1994). Depicting an abstracted female nude b...
Masonite, Oil
"Studio Sketch of Valerie", Surrealist, Brown, Pink, Collage, Acrylic Painting
By John Baker
Located in Franklin, MA
John Baker’s “Studio Sketch of Valerie” is an acrylic painting on canvas with collage 18 x 14 inches in pinks, greys and browns. When Valerie visited my studio she at first stayed ve...
Canvas, Acrylic
"Sister Mary Josephine", Surrealist, Black, White, Collage, Acrylic Painting
By John Baker
Located in Franklin, MA
John Baker's "Sister Mart Josephine" is an acrylic painting on canvas with collage 30 x 24 inches in blacks, whites and tans with red, blue and lavender accents. Part of the "Studio ...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
$487Sale Price|25% Off
"Moderato, " Oil Painting
By Sybiline
Located in Denver, CO
Sybiline's (CAN based) "Moderato" is an original, handmade oil and alkyd painting that depicts a portrait of a woman juxtaposed with white and blue patterning. About the Artist: Sy...
Oil, Panel, Alkyd
Gaining Perspective, Oil Painting
By Kat Silver
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A surreal scene depicts a colossal woman standing amid farmland, her gaze fixed on a bird flying from her birdcage torso. A viaduct emerges from the base of her...
Oil
"To The Shade" (2024) by Morgan Cameron, Original Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Morgan Cameron’s (US based) “To The Shade” (2024) is an oil painting on panel that depicts a surreal portrait of a skeleton cowboy. About the artist: I am an oil painter based ou...
Oil, Panel
$4,275
Confident Figure - Original Figurative Abstract Man in Purple Suit on Blue Wall
By Iqi Qoror
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Iqi Qoror's surreal figurative paintings are arresting in their earthy palettes offset by pops of fluorescent textile embroidery. His artworks revolve around questions of trust, inte...
Wool, Canvas, Thread, Mixed Media, Acrylic
"Nightfall, " Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Sara Scribner's (US based) "Nightfall" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a realistic portrait of a feminine form in blue cradling a smal...
Oil, Panel
Social Etiquette V - Surrealist Portrait Figurative Woman in Mask Original Art
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...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,200
"The Book Mark", Surrealist, Portrait, Woman, Maroon, Collage, Acrylic Painting
By John Baker
Located in Franklin, MA
John Baker’s “The Book Mark” is an acrylic painting on canvas with collage 30 x 24 inches in maroon, orange, white and blue. A young woman, dressed in prim fashion, has looked up fro...
Canvas, Acrylic
"Night Swim" (2024) Original Oil Painting on Panel
By Nadezda
Located in Denver, CO
Nadezda's beautiful handmade oil on panel painting "Night Swim" (2024) is a portrait of a young girl in a surreal scene, laying in ocean waters while carried by a shiver of sharks. ...
Oil, Panel
"Ashore" (2024) Original Oil Painting on Panel
By Nadezda
Located in Denver, CO
Nadezda's beautiful handmade oil on panel painting "Ashore" (2024) is a portrait of a young girl clutching her face contently while resting in a white decorative chair, captured in a...
Oil, Panel
Naive Girl Portrait Painting with Blue and Orange Sculptural Frames
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Original portrait painting depicting a doll-like girl framed by two sculptural resin frames, exploring memory, constructed identity and the visual language of childhood. The Orange ...
Spray Paint, Acrylic, Board
Legend about a white Cow Figurative Surrealism Original oil Painting
By Ashot Yan
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Figurative Surrealism Original Painting Artist: Ashot Yan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2023 Style: Portrait Surrealism, T...
Canvas, Oil
"Smoking Lady" (2024) By Nadezda, Original Oil Painting on Panel
By Nadezda
Located in Denver, CO
Nadezda's beautiful new oil on panel painting "Smoking Lady" (2024) is an abstract portrait of a woman wearing a black dress smoking inside of her brightly colored house, she is stan...
Oil, Panel
"Untitled, " Acrylic Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Ifeoluwa Alade ( Nigeria based) "Untitled" is an original, handmade acrylic painting that depicts a female model with colorful butterflies and a dark background. Artist bio: Ifeol...
Acrylic, Canvas
Meeting, Portrait, 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: 2019 Style: Figurative Art, Subject: Meeting Size: 24" x 20" x 1'' inch, 61x51x3 cm, Unframed, Stretched on Wooden Bar, Gallery Wrapped, Ready to Hang. Tigran Hovoumyan was born on November 8, 1969 in American Armenia...
Canvas, Oil
$90,000
Vertumnus, Oil Painting by William Skilling, After Giuseppe Arcimboldo
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: William Skilling, After Giuseppe Arcimboldo Title: Vertumnus Year: circa 1950 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed l.r. Size: 42 in. x 36 in. (106...
Canvas, Oil
"The Post-Truth Era IX", Surrealist Portrait, Brown, Collage, Acrylic Painting
By John Baker
Located in Franklin, MA
John Baker’s “The Post-Truth Era IX” is an acrylic painting on canvas with collage 13 7/8 x 11 inches in greys and browns with red highlights. In the post-truth era straightforward, ...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Thinking Portrait Surrealism Original oil Painting
By Ashot Yan
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Portrait Surrealism Original Painting Artist: Ashot Yan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2023 Style: Portrait Surrealism, Tit...
Canvas, Oil
Surreal Woman Portrait With Neon Green Light Figurative Acrylic Painting
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Surreal woman portrait painting illuminated by neon green light, combining figurative painting, dark humor and psychological ambiguity. Fluorescent Husband belongs to Inés Silvalde'...
Canvas, Acrylic
Purple Leaves - Large Colorful Surrealist Figurative Feminine Portrait Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The figurative surrealist paintings of Carlos Gamez de Francisco are heavily influenced by his Cuban upbringing. This presence exposed Francisco to the world of figurative arts while...
Canvas, Acrylic, Watercolor
"Fuchsia de Mirabilibus" (2023) by Sybiline, Oil Painting, Fairy Flower
By Sybiline
Located in Denver, CO
Sybiline's (CAN based) "Fuchsia de Mirabilibus" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a green fairy in a suspended flower. About the Artist: Sybiline is a Canadian art...
Oil, Panel
$763Sale Price|20% Off
20th Century French Modernist Signed Oil Painting Portrait of Young Girl Green
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Tristan Fabris 1970's French surrealist artist signed oil on canvas, framed framed: 19 x 16 inches canvas: 18 x 15 inches private collection, France The painting is in overall sound ...
Canvas, Oil
"Siren in Green Gold" (2024) Original Oil Painting on Panel
By Nadezda
Located in Denver, CO
Nadezda's beautiful handmade oil on panel painting "Night Swim" (2024) is a portrait of a woman dressed in an intricate green-gold outfit, donning a headdress and resting in a conten...
Oil, Panel
The Pearl Necklace Story II - Surrealist Figurative Feminine Framed 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 academic setting. This presence exposed Franci...
Canvas, Acrylic
"Wisdom" (2024) By Nadezda, Original Surrealist Oil Portrait Painting
By Nadezda
Located in Denver, CO
Nadezda's beautiful new oil on panel painting "Wisdom" (2024) is a surrealist portrait of three women performing a ritual. Nadezda is a painter, sculptor, photographer, and concept ...
Oil, Panel
$4,900Sale Price|30% Off
"The Wrinkled Sea Beneath Her Crawls, " Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Alexandra Manukyan's "The Wrinkled Sea Beneath Her Crawls" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a female figure balancing on one foot as blue waves swirl behind her in ...
Linen, Oil
Reflections, American 20th Century Oil Painting
By Philip Campbell Curtis
Located in London, GB
Philip Campbell Curtis American 1907 - 2000 Reflections Oil on board, signed and dated 1960 Image size: 12 ½ x 5 ½ inches Original frame
Oil
$750
"Studio Sketch of Arthur", Surrealist Portrait, Brown, Collage, Acrylic Painting
By John Baker
Located in Franklin, MA
John Baker's "Studio Sketch of Arthur" is an acrylic painting on canvas with collage 20 x 16 inches in tans and browns with pink, yellow and blue accents. Part of the "Studio Visitor...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Three Stories, Portrait Surrealism Original oil Painting
By Ashot Yan
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Figurative Surrealism Original Painting Artist: Ashot Yan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2023 Style: Figurative Surrealism, ...
Canvas, Oil
$2,900Sale Price|39% Off
Shape of Face No. 5 - Framed Textural Expressionist Surrealist Figurative Art
By Iqi Qoror
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Iqi Qoror's surreal figurative paintings are arresting in their earthy palettes offset by pops of fluorescent textile embroidery. His artworks revolve around questions of trust, inte...
Wool, Canvas, Thread, Mixed Media, Acrylic
10 Angry Men
Located in Zofingen, AG
I have sent my work to over 65 countries and some significant landmarks such as Berkeley Square in London’s Mayfair, 5th Ave New York, Malibu beach in California Hong Kong, Monaco, M...
Oil
Egg flowers
Located in Zofingen, AG
“The longer you look at an object, the more abstract it becomes, and, ironically, the more real.” Lucian Freud My hero, Vincent Van Gogh, painted his sunflowers in Arles, in the Sou...
Oil
$19,800Sale Price|20% Off
Antique American Large Surreal Masterpiece Landscape Portrait Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique surrealist oil painting of a landscape with a sculpture. Oil on board, circa 1949. Signed. Displayed in a period frame. Image, 35"L x 22"H.
Canvas, Oil