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Surrealist 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
Color:  Red
"Roses Are Not Only Red, " Mixed Media Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Ifeoluwa Alade ( Nigeria based) "Roses Are Not Only Red" is an original, handmade acrylic painting that depicts a female model with a rose and butterfly cast in a deep red glow. Ar...
Category

2010s Surrealist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

'Vujá Dé, ' by Paul Micich, Acrylic and Alkyd on Canvas Painting, 2016
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
This 40" x 30" acrylic and alkyd on canvas painting, 'Vuja De,' by Paul Micich is from the artist's 'Paper Airplane' series. A headless black coat wearing ...
Category

2010s Surrealist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Alkyd

Surrealist Figurative Painting, "Repair"
Located in San Diego, CA
This is a one of a kind original surrealist figurative drawing by San Diego artist, Charlene Mosley. Its dimensions are 24x72. It is unframed. The a...
Category

2010s Surrealist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

The Optimas
By Lynne Naylor
Located in Miami, FL
Lynne Naylor is an Emmy Award winning, animator, artist, director, producer, and voice actress. Filmography: SpongeBob SquarePants, Wander Over Yonder, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Fish Hooks, Breaking the Mold: The Re-Making of Mighty Mouse...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

ENCOUNTER, Oil on Canvas
Located in Montreux, CH
Karen Shahverdyan „Encounter“ 140 X 190cm, oil on canvas
Category

2010s Surrealist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Bibliotheque
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Uruguayan artist Leonardo Aguirre creates visually animated surreal scenes in a theatrical environment. Aguirre rearranges whimsical components into unexpectedly harmonious ways of s...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

THE FIFTH ELEMENT II, Oil on Canvas
Located in Montreux, CH
Karen Shahverdyan „The fifth element II“ 160 X 190cm, oil on canvas
Category

2010s Surrealist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

TORERO, Oil on Canvas
Located in Montreux, CH
Karen Shahverdyan „Torero“ 130 X 180cm, oil on canvas
Category

2010s Surrealist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

TOROS, Oil on Canvas
Located in Montreux, CH
Karen Shahverdyan „Toros“ 180 X 130cm, oil on canvas
Category

2010s Surrealist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

ELIXIER, Oil on Canvas
Located in Montreux, CH
ELIXIER, Oil on Canvas, 80 X 100cm
Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

A source - XXI Century, Contemporary Acrylic Architecture Painting, Colorful
Located in Warsaw, PL
Marta Rynkiewicz is a young Polish artist born in 1983. She studied painting with Professor Henryk Czenik and graphic arts with Professor Jerzy Krechowicz, at the Faculty of Paintin...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Universal Force, Surrealist Pop Art Painting by Michael Knigin
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Michael Knigin, American (1942 - 2011) Title: Universal Force Year: 1990 Medium: Acrylic on canvas on board, signed and dated in pencil Size: 3...
Category

1990s Surrealist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Canvas, Board

Red in the Sky
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...
Category

1970s Surrealist Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

Related Items
Portrait de Femme ( Self Portrait ? )
Located in Miami, FL
This is a possible self portrait by the famed female surrealist artist. It is also strikingly similar in style with it's exaggerated eyes to her portrait of Jean Genet, ( Leonor F...
Category

1940s Surrealist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Monday: 3 Down, Method of Removing Hair Roots (12)
By Ben McLaughlin
Located in Saint Louis, MO
Ben McLaughlin Monday: 3 down, Method of removing hair roots (12), 2008 Oil on panel 6 3/4 x 4 1/2 inches (17.1 x 11.4 cm)
Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

1970's Large French Surrealist Oil Painting Figures on the Beach
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Surrealist composition French School, dated 1975 verso oil on canvas, framed framed: 33.5 x 27 inches canvas: 32 x 25.5 inches inscribed verso provenance: private collection, France ...
Category

1970s Surrealist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Jin Liu Surrealist Original Oil Painting "Production Plan-2"
Located in New York, NY
Title: Production Plan-2 Medium: Oil on canvas Size: 12 x 12 inches Frame: Framing options available! Condition: The painting appears to be in excellent condition. Note: This paintin...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Surrealist orixa Brazil acrylic on board painting surrealism Ubeda
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Gustavo Úbeda (1930-1994) - Orixa - Acrylic on panel Acrylic measurements 61x91 cm. Frameless. The painting by Gustavo Úbeda Romero (Herencia, 1930 – Sao Paulo, 1994) comes from a f...
Category

1970s Surrealist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Board

1970 Mod Surrealist Painting Collage David Hare Abstract Landscape Summer Land
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 Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Board

Bulb of Africa 1
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Bulb of Africa was not just a hairstyle; it was a celebration of African heritage and a testament to the resilience of its people. Passed down through generations, it represented strength, beauty, and the rich tapestry of African traditions. The Bulb showcased the natural texture and volume of African hair, transforming it into an intricate masterpiece of braids, twists, and coils. The Bulb of Africa became a symbol of empowerment, reminding people of their strength, resilience, and the beauty of their shared heritage. It served as a reminder that hair was more than a physical attribute; it was a connection to something greater—a connection to their ancestors, their community, and celebrating the beauty within themselves. Beyond their physical beauty, African women possess an immeasurable inner strength that resonates through "Bulb of Africa." Odunayo masterfully captures this strength, highlighting the resilience and determination that have defined African women throughout history. The women depicted in the artwork emanate confidence, wisdom, and a sense of purpose. Their gaze speaks volumes, embodying the stories of countless African women who have overcome adversity, shattered barriers, and carved out their own paths to success. In "Bulb of Africa," Iyiola Odunayo...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Bulb of Africa 1
Bulb of Africa 1
No Reserve
H 24 in W 18 in D 1 in
"Diver" Contemporary Figurative Surrealist Portrait painting
Located in East Quogue, NY
"Diver" - Surrealist portrait painting of a female emerging from the water with a pearl on her tongue by Paul Green. Acrylic on panel. Signed on back by art...
Category

1990s Surrealist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Wood Panel

Surrealist carnival acrylic on board painting surrealism Ubeda
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Gustavo Úbeda (1930-1994) - Carnival - Acrylic on panel Acrylic measurements 61x91 cm. Frameless. The painting by Gustavo Úbeda Romero (Herencia, 1930 – Sao Paulo, 1994) comes from ...
Category

1970s Surrealist Paintings

Materials

Board, Acrylic

Bulb of Africa 3
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Bulb of Africa was not just a hairstyle; it was a celebration of African heritage and a testament to the resilience of its people. Passed down through generations, it represented strength, beauty, and the rich tapestry of African traditions. The Bulb showcased the natural texture and volume of African hair, transforming it into an intricate masterpiece of braids, twists, and coils. The Bulb of Africa became a symbol of empowerment, reminding people of their strength, resilience, and the beauty of their shared heritage. It served as a reminder that hair was more than a physical attribute; it was a connection to something greater—a connection to their ancestors, their community, and celebrating the beauty within themselves. Beyond their physical beauty, African women possess an immeasurable inner strength that resonates through "Bulb of Africa." Odunayo masterfully captures this strength, highlighting the resilience and determination that have defined African women throughout history. The women depicted in the artwork emanate confidence, wisdom, and a sense of purpose. Their gaze speaks volumes, embodying the stories of countless African women who have overcome adversity, shattered barriers, and carved out their own paths to success. In "Bulb of Africa," Iyiola Odunayo...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Surrealist cubism acrylic on board painting picassian
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Gustavo Úbeda (1930-1994) - Picasso Cubism - Acrylic panel Acrylic measurements 81x100 cm. Frameless. The painting by Gustavo Úbeda Romero (Herencia, 1930 – Sao Paulo, 1994) comes f...
Category

1970s Surrealist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Board

Still life with pears - Figurative Oil Painting, Realism, Polish art
Located in Warsaw, PL
ZBIGNIEW WOZNIAK (b. 1952) Studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Wroclaw, at the Department of Glass and Ceramics. He is involved in painting, graphics and artistic glass design. He...
Category

2010s Surrealist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Previously Available Items
Putting on the Ritz
Located in Napa, CA
Framed Oil on Canvas Largely self-taught, Linda Ridd Herzog’s paintings boast unbelievably detailed animals and objects in fantastical, surreal scenes. Growing up in Utah, Herzog fo...
Category

2010s Surrealist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Modernist Surreal Landscape with Full Moon by Jill Russell
Located in Buffalo, NY
Modernist surreal landscape with a full moon by Jill Russell. Oil on canvas, circa 1970. Signed. Displayed in a goldmetal frame. Image, 14"L x 11"H, o...
Category

1970s Surrealist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Surrealist paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Surrealist 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 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, green and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Elvic Steele, Rudolf Kosow, Isabel Rock, and Henry David Potwin. 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 paintings, so small editions measuring 2 inches across are also available. Prices for 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 $2,999.

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