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
Blossom, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By Slav Nedev
Located in Yardley, PA
A work (#6) from the ELEMENTS series Why did I call this series elements? Because there is air in it, there is water, there are earth and fire… There are birth, life and death, ...
Category
Early 2000s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Civic Center with Matrioska, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
From the series “Red Starâ€
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Robber", Surreal, Figure, Green, Red, Blue, Oil, Monotype, Mixed Media, 1980
Located in Natick, MA
“Robber” by artist Mary Spencer is a 22.5 x 30 inch surreal mixed media painting on paper with dominant colors of blue, red and green. The painting is signed on the front and back.
...
Category
1980s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Paper, Mixed Media, Monotype
Vortex XVI, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Light is streaming out of the vortex, looking into a ray of hope. Shipping: if your country is not in the shipping table contact me and I'll get a price. :: Painting :: Surreali...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Luna, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Wild, bright and bold, Luna's gaze of daydreaming wonder. Original oil painting of Heather Ireland's Surrealism series. :: Painting :: Surrealism :: This piece comes with an official...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
French Contemporary Art By Helen Uter - La Bourasque
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
Canvas, Oil
French Contemporary Art By Helen Uter - Le Blouson
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
Canvas, Oil
Hourglass butterfly, 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
Chromatic butterfly - white, 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
Surrealist Collection Number 6
By Sax Berlin
Located in Brecon, Powys
Sax Berlin has embarked on a journey through Surrealism. This collection writhes & flows from his "Billion Dollar Hand" creating a complexity of interwoven rhythms. Berlin has been e...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Surrealist Collection Number 6
By Sax Berlin
Located in Brecon, Powys
Sax Berlin has embarked on a journey through Surrealism. This collection writhes & flows from his "Billion Dollar Hand" creating a complexity of interwoven rhythms. Berlin has been e...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
All in bloom. VII Shades of vibrant blue painting, Painting, Acrylic on Paper
By Sia Aryai
Located in Yardley, PA
Abstract vibrant blue framed painting, This bold, brushstroke hand-cut parchment works great as an abstract statement piece everywhere from entryways to guest bedrooms. The paint...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Nietzsche Forever Young, w/ Turin Horse in Elysium, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
By Diana Heit
Located in Yardley, PA
“Man is the cruelest animal," says Zarathustra. "When gazing at tragedies, bull-fights, crucifixations he hath hitherto felt happier than at any other time on Earth. And when he in...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
THE GEOGRAPHER (VERMEER INDIANA)
Located in Aventura, FL
Original oil painting on canvas. Hand signed on front by the artist. Canvas is stretched.
Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of authenticity included. All reasonable...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
needle in the eye, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
a painterly exercise designated to bitterly fight ill-received ideas. :: Painting :: Surrealism :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the artist ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Goldfish XLII, Painting, Oil on MDF Panel
Located in Yardley, PA
A further exploration of the Goldfish theme. Painting onto a solid surface allows the colours to be more concentrated and richer. Here I've reversed the colours (except the eyes) ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Osso Sonata, music and anatomy , violin, face,
Located in Brooklyn, NY
In this series, Audrey Anastasi has shifted her focus away from naturalistic domestic settings to a dark, enigmatic, and some might say, unsettling, place. These figures could be heros and heroines of Greek tragedy...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Dog
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 f...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Surreal Collage: 'The Witness'
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
French Contemporary Art By Helen Uter - El Sol
By Helen Uter
Located in Paris, IDF
Oil on canvas with knife
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...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
A plate of fish, Painting, Oil on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
A surreal interior view. A male figure looks out of a window. Inside the room, a table with un unexpected plate full of fish. The painting is realized with oil colors on thick paper ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Easter" - surrealist still life, objects, flowers, egg, colorful, patterns
By Guy Robinson
Located in Atlanta, GA
This painting features hues of green, purple and blue.
This surrealist still life features flowers and an egg.
Guy Robinson is inspired by the work of Paul Klee, Albrecht Durer and ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Linen, 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 ... Of ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Goldfish XLV, Painting, Oil on MDF Panel
Located in Yardley, PA
A further exploration of the Goldfish theme. Painting onto a solid surface allows the colours to be more concentrated and richer. This painting is sold without a frame but please...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
The Happy Villagers IV, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Here is an acrylic painting of two friends deeply engaged in conversation over drinks in an African village within a jungle setting. The colors are so bright. :: Painting :: Surreali...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
"Deception, " Keith McIntyre, Surrealist Figure, Scottish Artist
By Keith McIntyre
Located in New York, NY
Keith McIntyre (Scottish, b. 1959)
Deception, 1996
Oil on canvas
30 x 28 inches
Signed and dated lower right
Scottish Artist Keith McIntyre was born ...
Category
1990s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
The Past is Present
Located in Kingston, WA
In this artwork, I sought to blend the boundaries between the tangible and ethereal—a surreal vista that pulls the observer into a dialogue between past and present. The ethereal fac...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Carp, Painting, Oil on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
The medieval illustrators represented animals that they had never seen, described by others, or derived from mythology. This generated monstrous creatures. From here comes the idea o...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Shaohua Nong Surrealist Original Oil Painting "Others"
Located in New York, NY
Title: Others
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 31 x 31 inches
Frame: Framing options available!
Condition: The painting appears to be in excellent condition.
Year: 2013
Artist: Shaohua Nong...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Jinapin Chen Surrealist Original Oil Painting "Path In My Dream"
Located in New York, NY
Title: Path In My Dream
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 23.5 x 31 inches
Frame: Framing options available!
Condition: The painting appears to be in excellent condition.
Year: 201...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Shaohua Nong Surrealist Original Oil On Canvas "Untitled 44"
Located in New York, NY
Title: Untitled 44
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 11.5 x 8 inches
Frame: Framing options available!
Condition: The painting appears to be in excellent condition.
Year: 2014
Artist: Shaohua Nong...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Dagon Calapesce, Symbolic Male Warrior Figure Surrounded by Water, Acrylic/Panel
Located in Chicago, IL
Oliver Hazard Benson
Dagon Colapesce
acrylic on panel
11h x 14w in
27.94h x 35.56w cm
OB0106
Oliver Hazard’s paintings are produced directly from his imagination and deals with a mi...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Panel
MATYC, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
MATYC 2023 OIL ON CANVAS 50X40X2 :: Painting :: Surrealism :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the artist :: Ready to Hang: Yes :: Signed: Yes ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
The Waiting, 2025 - Ritchelly Oliveira
Located in Porto, 13
"The Waiting" by Ritchelly Oliveira, 2025
Charcoal and Acrylic on Canvas 120 x 90 cm (47.2 x 35 in)
A profound exploration of time, solitude, and introspection, "The Waiting" by Rit...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Charcoal, Acrylic
IN VINO VERITAS, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
By Marcelo Novo
Located in Yardley, PA
This piece is part of my "Contrast Series". "Like a musician playing by ear and improvising as he goes, my art begins not with cautious preliminary sketches but working directly on ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Yes, But Does It Float - Original Surreal Oil Painting with Symbolic Imagery
By Mark Bowers
Located in Chicago, IL
Mark Bowers- Artist Statement
With the depiction of landscape playing such a central role in the history of North American art, it seemed to offer many of the critical possibilities I was looking for, and it felt more and more like something I have always known. Something I could easily apply, stage, and manipulate as a diary.
My work consists of small-scale highly detailed landscape paintings. They are inspired by the comfort, trepidation, and beauty found in the mundane Chicago Suburbs. I combine nature, decorative house wares...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Linen, Oil
4600 Transformaciones-All together, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By Andres Vivo
Located in Yardley, PA
A study of human behaviour today Inspired by the dramatic artworks of the famous spanish master Francisco Goya. :: Painting :: Surrealism :: This piece comes with an official cert...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Yu Wang Contemporary Art Original Mixed Media "Long Love"
Located in New York, NY
Title: Long Love
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 18.5 x 18.5 inches
Frame: Framing options available!
Condition: The painting appears to be in excellent condition.
Note: This painti...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Beach Scene oil on canvas by Louis Wolchonok
Located in Hudson, NY
About the artist: Louis Wolchonok studied art at the National Academy of Design, City College of New York, Julian Academy in Paris, and the Brooklyn Academy of Fine Art. In addition ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Joker", Igor Samsonov, Original Oil on Canvas, Surrealism, Figurative, 60.5x39
Located in Dallas, TX
"The Joker" by Igor Samsonov is an Oil on Canvas painting measuring 60.5x39 and is a prime colorful example of figurative surrealism at its finest. His dark colors of deep blue and g...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
4224 The batlle, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By Andres Vivo
Located in Yardley, PA
In the heat of the independence, locals fighting spanish colonizers. Uruguay first fought against Spain and later on against the brazilian. We also hat to get rid of british invador...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Today Happens Once by Lucas Aoki
Located in New York, NY
Archival Pigment print
Limited Edition of 25
18 x 24 inches
Signed and numbered by the artist
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Giclée
Goldfish XLIII, Painting, Oil on MDF Panel
Located in Yardley, PA
A further exploration of the Goldfish theme. Painting onto a solid surface allows the colours to be more concentrated and richer. This painting is sold without a frame but pleas...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Bossa Nova, Surreal painting oil on canvas, sepia, brown and white shades
Located in Miami, FL
Professionally known as Vignoli, was a Brazilian painter and sculptor. He began his career in 1982 creating canvases in oil on canvas, where he applies his own technique, which, acco...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Mvet Player II, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Here is a painting of an African musician playing the mvet, a traditional African musical instrument. The pointed roof at the top center is the way traditional village homes look...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Pyramid Chromatic Tone Indica - l Acrylic Painting by Frida & Raul -2020
Located in Roma, IT
Pyramid chromatic tone indicator is a beauty painting with wooden frame by the Italian artists Frida & Raul in 2020. It is realized by abstract tecni...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Bold Eagle Figurative Abstract
Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL
Bold Eagle Figurative Abstract
Artist signed lower right corner, : 54 X 68 X 1.25 in.
Yankel (Jacob) Ginzburg (Russian/American, Born 1945). An original Surrealist acrylic painting ...
Category
1980s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Cotton Canvas, Oil
The Drummer, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Here is an oil painting of an African street musician, a vivid character, performing for tips. :: Painting :: Surrealism :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenti...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Counter, Original Contemporary Surrealist Gouache Painting on Wood Panel
By Megan Frazer
Located in Boston, MA
Counter, Original Contemporary Conceptual Surrealist Painting, 2014
18" x 11.25" x 1.625" (HxWxD) Gouache on Wood Panel
A confusing and seemingly impossible juxtaposition of subject matter, this conceptual work features her signature muted color scheme, incredible use of texture, and an intensely surrealist composition. The work is slightly reminiscent of the surreal painting *The Persistence of Memory...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Gouache, Wood Panel
4477 Brave horsemen heroes old, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By Andres Vivo
Located in Yardley, PA
Many referencial heroes like Napoleon, Garibaldi,Don Quijote ...cowboys,explorers, etc who did on horseback. :: Painting :: Surrealism :: This piece comes with an official certifica...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Historical journey, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
A travel into the past. This is a reflection of the struggle of the black race for survival, equality etc. The 2 portraits is my representation of who we are - royals, warriors, and ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Victor Brauner - La récapitulation de l'amour, surreal, surrealist, painting
Located in London, GB
Victor Brauner (1903-1966)
La récapitulation de l'amour
1934
oil on canvas
50.2 x 61.2 cm
Price:
£85,000 GBP
Provenance:
Edouard Léon Théodore Mesens, Brussels
Thence by descent
N...
Category
1930s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, 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
"Another Vanitas 3" - 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 has a flowers, a skull, a book and a seashell.
Guy Robinson is inspired by the work of Paul Klee, ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Linen, Oil
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
DC On The Grow Large Oil With Tiger
Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL
DC On The Grow Large Oil With Tiger
Yankel (Jacob) Ginzburg (Russian/American, Born 1945). An original Surrealist acrylic painting on canvas. Titled "DC On The Grow". A colorful work...
Category
1980s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Cotton Canvas, Oil
Look Up - contemporary diptych depicting a male and female looking up at the sky
Located in Hamburg, DE
"Look Up" (Schau Aufwärts) is a two-piece work (diptych) of German artist Klaus Heuermann. The artist depicts a female in one work (140 x 100 cm) and a male in the other work (140 x...
Category
1970s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Three heads are better than one, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
This happens to be an old painting of mine that i retouched recently. The popular saying has always been two heads are better than one, but i have titled mine three heads are better ...
Category
Early 2000s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
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.