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
Soft Maturity
Located in Zofingen, AG
The series "Dissonance of Softness" consists of five paintings: "Soft Silence," "Soft Solitude," "Soft Maturity," "Soft Fragility," and "Soft Indecision." The word "softness" does no...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Archival Paper
"Absolut Keck" Vodka Abstract Surrealist Black and White Airbrush Painting
Located in Houston, TX
Abstract surrealist black and white airbrush painting of an Absolut Vodka bottle surrounded by a variety of figures. The piece includes the faces of ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Foam Board
Vagabond (labrador retriever pet dog surrealism animal neutral tones)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
Please note, the whites areas in the painting are trully white as opposed to bluey as shown in the pictures.
Painting is signed at the front.
COA provided
keywords; surrealism, humo...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Surreal Collage: 'Mechanical Garden'
Located in New York, NY
Combining found elements with those fashioned by my own hand, my work encompasses two- and three-dimensional collage as well as sculptural objects. Infused with a rich sense of histo...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Mixed Media
Muddle. Composition with violins and seagull. 2014. Oil on canvas, 100x80 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Muddle. 2014. Oil on canvas, 100x80 cm
The artist Vadim Kovalev was born in 1968 in the capital of Latvia, Riga, where he is also presently living and creating his works.
When Vad...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
$3,975 Sale Price
20% Off
Protector (diptych)
Located in CAMPO REAL, ES
This artwork, part of the "Classical Series," is composed of two vertical canvases that engage in a dialogue through their shared symbolism and subtle narrative differences. At the t...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Surrealist Composition, Untitled, Lambert Werner (1900-1983), Oil Canvas, 1937
Located in New York, NY
Lambert Werner (1900-1983)
Untitled, 1937
Oil on canvas
21 7/10 × 19 7/10 in l 55 × 50 cm
23 2/3 x 21 2/3 l 60 x 55 cm (Frame included)
Signed and dated lower left
Exhibition histor...
Category
1930s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Flora, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Original oil painting by Austin based artist Sandra Boskamp :: Painting :: Surrealism :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the artist :: Ready t...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Surrealist Oil Painting By Fernand Carette, 20th Century
Located in Hoddesdon, GB
Fernand Carette 1921- 2005 Futuristic surrealist landscape . oil painting by Belgian artist Carette painted during the 1960s while he was working with the Phases group . 64cm x 49cm ...
Category
1960s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Paint.Danger on the Road to Here
Located in Cuernavaca, Morelos
Acrylic paint on paper
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Paper
Rebel (pitbull dog ear surrealism scale animal armed men nostalgia vintage art)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
keywords; surrealism, pitbull, humour, uncanny, animals, purple, earth tones, oil painting, figurative painting, strangeness, contemporary surrealistic, unsettling, contemporary figu...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
la sala de la bruja (sorcerer's parlor), surrealist interior, green, bird, nude
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Narrative, colorful and surreal fantasy of a room interior. The image incorporates many of the recurring symbols in the artist's work such as hearts fe...
Category
1990s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Circular butterfly, Painting, Oil on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
An original piece from the series "Please do not kill butterflies", pins, oil and pencil on paper (mounted on a wood panel), 35 x 30 cm, 2018. Please, all these dead animals ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Gidget's Hideaway" Minimal Surrealist Landscape Painting
Located in Houston, TX
White and grey structure on a grey sky with a few white clouds, a black palm tree, and bright blue water. Artist signed the work in the bottom right corner, as well as titled and dat...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Silent call - figurative painting
Located in New York, NY
This surreal landscape painting by Henryk was done in 2013.
It will ship from the artists studio in Poland.
More about Henryk Laskowska:
Henryk Laskowski...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
The Happy Family, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
This golden surreal painting of an African family is oil on canvas :: Painting :: Surrealism :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the artist :: ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Shape of my heart, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
By Diana Rosa
Located in Yardley, PA
Original , surrealism, ready to hang :: Painting :: Surrealism :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the artist :: Ready to Hang: Yes :: Signed: ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Release, female figure on cliff colorful birds in flight dreamlike imagery
Located in Brooklyn, NY
An oil on canvas from 2017 depicting a young lone woman standing on the edge of a cliff overlooking a deep green sea. She lifts her dress releasing hundreds of colorful birds into a ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
Fate Challenge II (lady climber art forbidden apple snake brown earth tones
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
In "Fate challenge II“ a mountaineer is eagerly climbing a steep rocky promontory, hoping to get the sweetest fruit, an apple, and take a bite out of it. Although, she is completely ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Metamorphosis"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
A surrealist painting, intertwining images of woman and seduction. Leaping architecture dances in the arousal of the female body.
The painting is depicted on a Ukrainian banknote. Th...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Paper, Oil
"Game of the gods"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
One of my best works in this series is "Art from Money." A painting with a philosophical meaning.
A prophetic painting depicting global geopolitics, where the Old Men seize power ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Paper, Oil
"Paradise"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
One of my best works in this series is "Art from Money." A painting with a philosophical meaning:
The painting reflects the philosophy of human impact on the planet.
The paintin...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Paper, Oil
"Salvador Dalí USA"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
The painting was painted on money. This is a new world art direction. It has appeared in 40 countries. My paintings are in the collections of world museums. This is a great investmen...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Paper, Oil
"Holodomor"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
This painting tells of the tragic historical events in which millions of Ukrainians perished from starvation during the Holodomor (1932-1933). The painting tells the story of an ent...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Paper, Oil
"Falling angel"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
A prophetic painting depicting an angel's fall into war. It predicts the capture of Crimea in 2014 by little green men, the beginning of a world war. A global apocalypse! Today, lit...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Paper, Oil
"Cheshire cat"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
This painting is about the fairy tale Alice in Wonderland and her friend, the Cheshire Cat.
In this work, I have captured a dance of colors and emotions on canvas. Through oil ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Paper, Oil
Pawn, Painting, Oil on Watercolor Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
"Pawn" is an oil and mixed media collage on hand pressed archival watercolor paper. The piece depicts the abstracted head of a warrior in profile, using many symbols including an ear...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Surrealist Landscape of Appian Way, Una Via Romana Antica - Monochromatic
Located in Miami, FL
Surrealist Landscape the Appian Way - One of the earliest Roman Roads. Rich textual surface with impasto paint application.
The artist depicts a wide angle and lower angle view and...
Category
1960s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
$31,100 Sale Price
20% Off
An Abstract, Surrealist 1950s Mid-Century Modern Interior Still Life Painting
Located in Chicago, IL
A Visually Striking, 1950s Abstract Surrealist Mid-Century Modern Still Life Painting by Notable Chicago Artist, Harold Haydon (Am. 1909-1994). Depicting a colorful studio interior ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Graphite, Canvas
Untitled Surrealist Mythical Portrait
By Bob Camblin
Located in Houston, TX
Abstract Surrealist ink and gouache drawing of a human and deer hybrid head sitting within a jar. The work is signed by the artist in the bottom corner. The work is framed in a silve...
Category
20th Century Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Ink, Gouache
Theories
Located in CAMPO REAL, ES
In Theories, the viewer is confronted with an enigmatic scene where time and space seem to dissolve. Two sculptures float suspended in a dark, earthy-toned environment, divided by a ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Hello Hen ! Large Surrealist Contemporary Oil on Canvas.
Located in Cotignac, FR
Large surrealist contemporary oil on canvas by Scottish artist Frank McLean Docherty R.S.W.
This piece whilst wonderfully colourful, playful and erotic is typical of the witty sense of humour this artist displays in all his work. The title 'Hello Hen !' ( Hen being the scottish slang for 'girl' ) is used playfully as a double-entendre. In the image we see the artist has before him a beautiful naked woman and yet chooses to paint the real hen. Also we notice that the plant's flower heads under the woman are wilting and the artist pictured (a self portrait of Docherty), an older man, suggest that the artist's desires are on the wane. Docherty likes to tease us visually and asks questions and presents conundrums to the viewer.
Frank McLean Docherty was born in Glasgow , Scotland in 1942. He became a student at Glasgow School of Art in 1960 and graduated from the Department of Printed Textiles in 1964. He taught in a secondary school in the East End of Glasgow for two years, thereafter departing to work in Dublin in the Republic of Ireland as a textile designer (Marks & Spencer, Heals and Liberty of London). He was also an illustrator for a range of newspapers and an Art Director of magazines.
In 1973, he was appointed Principal Teacher of Art in a Scottish High School and in 1978 was honoured by the Queen when he was appointed Member of the Royal Society of Painters in Watercolours (R.S.W.) He left education in 1994. Since that time he has developed a vision which is quite unique in Scottish Art.
Bank Managers, toucans, lighthouses, penguins, bowler hats, Frank Docherty...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
$9,438 Sale Price
33% Off
Together (oil painting vintage couple figurative nostalgia sleeping beauty flesh
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
Mental closeness connects two dissimilar beings, despite great differences.
keywords; surrealism, portrait, oil painting, earth tones, figurative painting, strangeness, contemporary...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Dialogue - figurative painting
Located in New York, NY
This painting by Henryk was done in 2018.
It will ship from the artists studio in Poland.
More about Henryk Laskowska:
Henryk Laskowski has been worki...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Soft silence
Located in Zofingen, AG
The series "Dissonance of Softness" consists of five paintings: "Soft Silence," "Soft Solitude," "Soft Maturity," "Soft Fragility," and "Soft Indecision." The word "softness" does no...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Archival Paper
Impossible Walls, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
My surrealist paintings are always inspired by nature and the fact that we come from it. I am intrigued by both, nature and the meaning of our own existence. The more connected we ar...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Aquarius, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Aquarius, the Water Bearer that floods the desert to bear fruit. :: Painting :: Surrealism :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the artist :: Re...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
The Sequence of Life, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
I am fascinated by nature and the calmness it brings. That's where we all belong. That's my inspiration. This painting comes with a contemporary floater frame. It's ready to hang! ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
The Dance of a Million Dead Insects, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Original painting by Austin based artist Sandra Boskamp :: Painting :: Surrealism :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the artist :: Ready to Ha...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
“Attinŭm” (Миг)
Located in Zofingen, AG
“Attinŭm” (The Moment)
From the series “Arcana of the Heart”
This painting speaks of a fleeting moment granted to two loving souls. It is a space of intimate closeness where the Sun ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
"Go With The Flow" Fantasy and Surreal Oil on Canvas by acclaimed British artist
Located in Southampton, NY
In continuing with representing fine artists that are connected to the music industry we are please to announce that we are the only gallery in the United States representing the wor...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Another Vanitas 2" - surrealist still life, objects, flowers, books, pattern
By Guy Robinson
Located in Atlanta, GA
This painting features hues of green, purple and blue.
This surrealist still life a pear, skull, glove, vase, bird, plants, a book, and patterned rug fragment.
Guy Robinson is inspi...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Linen, Oil
French Contemporary Art By Helen Uter - Louvre
By Helen Uter
Located in Paris, IDF
Oil on canvas,
Helen Uter is an established Franco-American painter born in 1955 who lives and works in Donnery, near Orléans, France. Heavily influenced by Edward Hopper, she crea...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
Elfi Schuselka Surrealist Composition Mixed Media
Located in Astoria, NY
Elfi Schuselka (Austrian, b. 1940), Surrealist Composition, Mixed Media on Paper, stamped "Studio / Elfi Schuselka" to verso. 39.75" H x 29.75" W. Provenance: From the Collection o...
Category
Late 20th Century Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Graphite, Watercolor
Horse Head
Located in CAMPO REAL, ES
Horse Head
The majestic profile of a horse, inspired by a Madrid sculpture, takes center stage in this work. A warm circle, almost like a luminous medallion, frames the powerful pres...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Leopard, Panther, Lion, Elephant, Zebra, Rhino, Peaceable Kingdom
Located in Miami, FL
This early work by famed Chilean naive painter Gustavo Novoa features a group portrait of eight African animals looking at the viewer in sync. In my opinion, Novoa's early work in th...
Category
1970s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Wood Panel
Struggle of man, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
This image represents the struggle of an angelic soul with the World . Combination of a free expressive painting of an angelic soul drowning in a sharp geometric field. Ready to han...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
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 Paintings
Materials
Spray Paint, Acrylic, Handmade Paper
Dreaming in the Backyard, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
By Brent Hanson
Located in Yardley, PA
Original acrylic painting of a surreal dream-like setting. Varnished, with sides of canvas painted neutral tone and wired. No framing necessary. :: Painting :: Surrealism :: Thi...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Jules Perahim Surrealism Oil Painting on Paper Romanian French Surrealist Figure
Located in Surfside, FL
Jules Perahim (Born: 1914; Bucharest, Romania - Died: 2008; Paris, France)
Oil painting on paper depicting a figure with abstract multicolor design. (this might be gouache on paper)
...
Category
1960s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Paper, Oil
A Vibrant, Surrealist 1942 Modern Painting, "Classics Aloft" by Hananiah Harari
Located in Chicago, IL
A vibrant, whimsical Surrealist Modern painting, "Classics Aloft" by Notable New York Avant Garde artist, Hannah Harari (Am. 1912-2000). Oil on canvas, dating 1942. Artwork size: ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
"The Water" (2024) By David Cheifetz, Oil on Aluminum Panel Painting
Located in Denver, CO
David Cheifetz's "The Water" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts an odd and richly colorful assortment of objects, with green and blue raindrops cascading down on the ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Candido Ballester Personale original surrealist mixed media painting
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
Personale original contemporary mixed media painting.
Cándido Ballester is a contemporary Mallorcan painter who was born in 1926. As a child he had to emigrate to Argentina. In the ...
Category
1980s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Mixed Media, Cardboard
Chromatic butterfly - light blue, Painting, Oil on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
An original piece from the series “Please do not kill butterfliesâ€
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
"The Scream", A 1950s Mid-Century Modern Surrealist Abstract Painting
Located in Chicago, IL
"The Scream", A compelling, enigmatic 1950s Mid-Century Modern Surrealist Abstract Painting by Notable Chicago Artist, Harold Haydon (Am. 1909-1994). Executed in Haydon's unique, a...
Category
Mid-20th Century Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
New Mexican Walls, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
This painting was inspired by the Pueblos in New Mexico. Those walls were painted in the style of impossible art which tricks the mind to create a very thought provoking and intrigui...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
4710 Jineteadas-horse riding, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By Andres Vivo
Located in Yardley, PA
Confussion of horse riders and other equines. Batlle dispersion, caos and rush outs. Inspired by the dramatic artworks of the spanish master Francisco Goya :: Painting :: Surrealism ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Joker Figurative Surrealism Bronze Original oil Painting, Ready to Hang
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Tigran Hovumyan
Figurative Surrealist Oil Painter
Artwork Title: Joker
Medium: Original Oil on Linen, Bronze Sculpture
Dimensions: 40" x 32" x 8" (101 x 81 x 20 cm)
Year: 2024
Unfra...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Bronze
"Conflab" Oil on Canvas 18x22"
Located in Southampton, NY
In continuing with representing fine artists that are connected to the music industry we are please to announce that we are the only gallery in the United States representing the oil...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Soil
Located in Zofingen, AG
This painting belongs to the series “Who's Next?”. In August 2025, the painting ‘Soil’ along with four other paintings from this series was exhibited at the exhibition “Dialogue betw...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Archival Paper
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.