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
Autumn rose. Rose woman.
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Autumn rose. Rose woman.
Category
1990s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Watercolor
Theories II
Located in CAMPO REAL, ES
"Theories II" is a surrealist work that explores human theories through time. In the center, two heads of classical sculptures emerge against a divided background. The head of Dionysus, in earthy tones, projects a vision that distorts reality, symbolizing man's illusory perspective. From this vision emerge colorful forms that converge towards a floating book...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Linen, Oil
"The Three Graces" - Surrealism, figurative, nudes, patterns - Arcimboldo
By Guy Robinson
Located in Atlanta, GA
"The Three Graces" features hues of blue, pink, yellow, orange, green, and black.
Guy Robinson is inspired by the work of Paul Klee, Albrecht Durer and Giuseppe Arcimboldo.
Atlanta ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Linen
The Long Play, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
The series features paintings of desert landscapes complete with classic Eskridge offbeat animals including bats, opossums, and raccoons. To be sure, the motley crew of animals are j...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
"Anatomy Lesson" - Geometric Surrealist Painting - Skull Still Life - Arcimboldo
By Guy Robinson
Located in Atlanta, GA
"Anatomy Lesson" features hues of blue, pink, yellow, orange, green, and white.
Guy Robinson is inspired by the work of Paul Klee, Albrecht Durer and Gi...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Linen, Oil
A Surreal Encaustic on Wood "The Family Garden"
Located in San Diego, CA
This is a one of a kind original encaustic mixed media artwork by Tiffany Bociek. Its dimensions are 16 x 16 x 2 in. A certificate of authenticity will follow delivery.
Created th...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil Pastel, Encaustic, Oil
An Surreal Encaustic on Wood "Shooting Skeets Like Shooting Stars
Located in San Diego, CA
This is a one of a kind original encaustic mixed media artwork by Tiffany Bociek. Its dimensions are 5.3 x 15 x 2 in. A certificate of authenticity will follow delivery.
Created t...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Encaustic
Gerard Tunney, Dancers with Fans, Original surreal painting
Located in Deddington, GB
A group of dancers chat and gossip using the fans to emphasise l their reactions The triangles of the fans are echoed throughout the painting; in the dancers’ feet, the dancers’ arms...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Paint. Miracles of the Marsh
Located in Cuernavaca, Morelos
Acrylic on wood
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Wood Panel
Collective letter
Located in Edinburgh, GB
This picture is included in the series of artworks "Pathos of the Bureaucracy".
100x100cm / oil on canvas/ 2017
The picture is ready to hang (edges of a picture is painted)
Signed on the front and back.
Certificate of authenticity is included.
This is my humorous reaction to the bureaucracy. So often we come across unnecessary laws that say that you need to take permission from someone, and you run from one agency to another, and then notice that part of life has passed..
In the picture, the cancer writes a collective letter to the slug...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Pension Fund
Located in Edinburgh, GB
The picture "Pension Fund" is included in the series of artworks "Pathos of the Bureaucracy".
100x100cm / oil on canvas/ 2019
The picture is ready t...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
ROADS_
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Die Reihe „Spiritualität“ ist abgeschlossen. Die Suche von O. Khrapachov endete jedoch nicht in einer Sackgasse. Seine Theorie der Weltentwicklung zeugt von der Unvollständigkeit des...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
TRANSITION_
Located in Edinburgh, GB
The work is printed in the catalog: "Alexander Khrapachov. Painting, drawing". – K: Sofia-A. – 2015. – 88 p.;
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Fiberboard
"Victorian Soiree, " Mixed Media Tile, 2007
Located in Chicago, IL
Liverpool-based artist Pauline Hughes takes a fluid approach to her ceramic practice, combining aspects of painting, collage, and printmaking into her w...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Ceramic, Paper, Acrylic
"The Myth of Hula" Hawaiian Oil Painting on Canvas signed Dane Hidalgo
Located in Pasadena, CA
This acrylic painting on canvas, titled “The Myth of Hula” by Dane Hidalgo and dated 2003, is a
captivating visual representation of Hawaiian life and myths depicting a woman emerging from
the Ocean and becoming a flower.
The sky is spangled with stars and the dewdrops seems real.
The painting sits in a very deep light walnut frame.
The hibiscus flower has long been associated with beauty and joy in Hawaii; if worn behind the left ear it indicates that a woman is taken or married, but when worn on the right it signals that she is available or single. In this painting we see the face of a woman who appears to be transformed by a pastel pink hibiscus blossom – could it represent Laka, goddess of Hula ? With so many questions surrounding this oil on canvas, there's no definitive answer – only endless possibilities!
Hula has its origins in ancient history as a ritual dance performed for the Volcano deity, Pele. Hula was a way for the ancient Hawaiians...
Category
Early 2000s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Blue Capitel
Located in CAMPO REAL, ES
The work Blue Chapitel, explores the relationship between architecture and color, highlighting an architectural fragment: the column and the capital. The work uses in this case a gre...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Cotton Canvas, Oil, Wood Panel
Paint. The Sounds of Pharoah’s Horses
Located in Cuernavaca, Morelos
Acrylic on wood
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Wood Panel
Prime Cuts
Located in Nottingham, GB
Original Painting, Oil on Board
In 2013 the Horse Meat Scandal came to light. This scandal happened in parts of Europe in which foods advertised as containing beef and Pork were found to contain undeclared or improperly declared horse meat. Xue Wang...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Levitation with fulcrum
Located in CAMPO REAL, ES
This surrealist work is distinguished by the economy of elements in its scene. Specifically, it presents two main components: a levitating figure against a background divided into th...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Linen, 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
With My Eyes on Your Horizon
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
Artist Statement:
This painting is the result of the situation my birth country Venezuela is in at the moment. A couple of months ago I started to feel very anxious about my country,...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Linen, Oil
"Flora #11" - Geometric Surrealist Painting - Nude - Arcimboldo
By Guy Robinson
Located in Atlanta, GA
"Flora #5" is one in a series of surreal paintings of the female figure featuring intricate patterning and hues of bright yellow, lime green, pale pink, light blue and yellow ochre.
...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Linen, Oil
A Surreal Watercolor and Gouache on Arches Aquarelle Paper, "Hindrance"
Located in San Diego, CA
A one of a kind 20" x 14" Surreal Watercolor and Gouache executed on Arches Aquarelle Paper by artist Annalise Neil. A certificate of authenticity will be provided upon its purchase ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Watercolor, Gouache
A Conceptual Surrealist Oil Painting, "Time Piece"
Located in San Diego, CA
A one of a kind 36x19 Conceptual Surrealist Oil Painting executed by artist Annalise Neal. A certificate of authenticity will be provided upon its purchase or delivery.
Annalise Neil...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
MOUNTAINS, Oil on Canvas
Located in Montreux, CH
Karen Shahverdyan „Mountains“ 80 X 100cm, oil on canvas
Category
Early 2000s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
Villosa
Located in Dallas, TX
This work was featured at ComplexCon 2019 - November 2nd and 3rd in Long Beach, CA.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Wood, Oil
Bon Voyage
Located in Greenwich, CT
Bon Voyage is a mixed media painting (acrylic, gold enamel, charcoal, pencil and ink on archival cotton paper), with an image size of 14 x 10.5 inches, signed 'afn' lower right and framed in a contemporary black moulding.
Anne Faith...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Enamel
TORERO, Oil on Canvas
Located in Montreux, CH
Karen Shahverdyan „Torero“ 130 X 180cm, oil on canvas
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Surrealist Landscape, Mountain with Nude Woman - Perls Gallery
Located in Miami, FL
A nude white woman gazes out and over a Giorgio de Chirico like surrealist landscape to an overly dramatic sunset with stylized orange rays. In the center of the composition is a cut-out of a mountain with a moat. In the extreme foreground is a silhouetted orange plane with a spiral of leaves. Along with the empty landscapes of de Chirico, it's possible that Frederick Haucke was influenced by Salvador Dalí " The Persistence of Memory" in 1931, and Dali's painting was shown at the Museum of Modern Art in 1934. In that painting, Dali, paints a vacant landscape doted with symbols from the unconscious. This painting by Frederick Haucke owes a debt to giants of the Surrealist movement but still, Haucke carves out his style. The shape of the nude's hair echoes the shape of the sunset. What the symbolism to the mountain is and the flower in the foreground we will leave to the viewer to speculate. It was shown at the very prestigious Pearls Gallery in New York City. Artists in the famous Perls' stable included Derain, Dufy, Rouault, Matisse, Picasso, Modigliani, Pascin, Soutine, Chagall and Vlaminck. With a 1971 retrospective of Alexander Calder's work. This Haucke from the Perls Gallery...
Category
1940s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Masonite, Oil
Fantasy. 2010. Mixed media, collage on canvas, 100x70 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Fantasy. Mixed media, collage on canvas, 100x70 cm
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Mixed Media
"Urbane Profile, " Mixed-Media Tile, 2007
Located in Chicago, IL
Liverpool-based artist Pauline Hughes takes a fluid approach to her ceramic practice, integrating techniques of painting, collage, and printmaking into ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Ceramic, Paper, Acrylic
Paint. The Natural Science of Speech
Located in Cuernavaca, Morelos
Acrylic on wood
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Wood Panel
Leap Frog
Located in Napa, CA
Largely self-taught, Linda Ridd Herzog’s paintings boast unbelievably detailed animals and objects in fantastical, surreal scenes. Growing up in Utah, Herzog found herself so inspire...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Amazon River
By Jorge Yances
Located in Nashville, TN
"Amazon River" is an oil-on-canvas painting by Colombian artist Jorge Yances. This piece is part of the artist's "Amazon" series. Yances reflects the Lati...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Mr Bomb
Located in Belfast, GB
Mr Bomb, 2019
59 1/8 x 39 3/8 in
150 x 100 cm
"The quirky manner in which Johnston pulls and twists narratives, highlighted by the realistic nature of his work, sheds light on the camouflaged absurdities hiding in plain sight. Johnston invites the viewer to dig through the layers of mundane normality with the shovel of imagination to unearth new perspectives." - Saatchi Art (2023)
Award winning artist Stephen Johnston was born in County Down in 1987, and graduated from the University of Ulster with a first class honours in Fine and Applied Art. Johnston’s work explores the relationship between our humanity, changing culture, and the link between them.
Johnston places realistic figures and ordinary objects in unusual contexts, giving new meanings to familiar things while challenging the observers perceptions of reality. His quirky and thought-provoking work is closely related to surrealism and is inspired by Belgian artists René Magritte and Michaël Borremans...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Blue Heart with Sin
Located in PARIS, FR
Panchat Yodmanee-Ice (1993 - )
Blue Heart with Sin
Acrylique sur toile
97 x 130 cm 38.2 x 51.2 in.
2023
Born in 1993 in Nakornsrithammarat, Thailand, Panchat holds a B.F.A. from th...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
BENGAL TIGER
Located in Aventura, FL
Original painting on canvas. Hand signed on front by Ferjo. Canvas is not stretched.
Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of authenticity included. All reasonable offers...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Colorful Oil Painting, "Tell Your Secrets to The Bees"
Located in San Diego, CA
This is a one of a kind oil on canvas figurative painting by San Diego artist, Charlene Mosley. It is unframed. Its dimensions are 12" x 10.5"x 1.7". It is framed. A certificate of a...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
ARART, Oil on Canvas
Located in Montreux, CH
Karen Shahverdyan „Ararat“ 120 X 140cm, oil on canvas
Category
Early 2000s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Magic Realistic Painting, "Sudden Eclipse"
By Cheryl Tall
Located in San Diego, CA
This is an original mixed media work on wood by Southern California artist, Cheryl Tall. Its dimensions are 45" x 25" x 1.5". It is unframed. A certificate of authenticity will follo...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Mixed Media
WINTER BALANCE, Oil on Canvas
Located in Montreux, CH
Karen Shahverdyan „Winter balance“ 90 X 110cm, oil on canvas
Category
Early 2000s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Beyond Reach" Surrealist Still Life Painting of books with ladders
Located in New York, NY
Hardbound books in black, orange and yellow are stacked with magazines and soft cover books. In a surreal shift of scale bright orange construction ladders are leaned against the b...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Watercolor, Archival Paper
Flores Silvestres, Framed Acrylic Painting by Froylan Ojeda, 1983
By Froylán Ojeda
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Froylan Ojela, Mexican
Title: Flores Silvestres
Year: 1983
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas, signed, dated and titled verso
Size: 28.25 x 25 inches
Frame Size: 36 x 28.5 inches
Category
1980s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Illusión
Located in Natchez, MS
Cuban artist Ernesto Capdevila insists his paintings are rather more like drawings, in technique, than paintings. I'm not sure I completely agree, though I do see his point. In this ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Mixed Media
Quarrel
Located in Atlanta, GA
Georgian artist Merab Gagiladze was born in Tbilisi.
In 1987 he began his formal art education at the Tbilisi College of Art, School of Ceramics.
In 19...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Dolls" Contemporary Yellow Toned Surrealist Portrait Painting of a Young Girl
Located in Houston, TX
Pastel-toned surrealist painting done by contemporary artist Henry David Potwin. This work features a girl figure with yellow-toned skin playing with a smaller nude, doll figure. Signed at bottom left corner. Titled and dated on reverse. Currently hung in a wooden, brown frame.
Dimensions Without Frame: H: 11 in. x W: 10in.
Artist Biography: Born in Dallas, Texas David Potwin is the oldest of three children. He first started to paint at the age of 8 years old. As a young boy, Potwin's family would summer vacation in Taos, New Mexico. During the family vacations in 1965, he met artist Eric Gibberd...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Charles Houghton Howard Surrealist Painting Still Life with Hand and and Egg
Located in Brookville, NY
California artist Charles Houghton Howards Surrealist painting of a hand holding a green egg was painted in 1931.
He was represented by the legendar...
Category
Mid-20th Century Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Top Down Kind of Day
Located in Napa, CA
Largely self-taught, Linda Ridd Herzog’s paintings boast unbelievably detailed animals and objects in fantastical, surreal scenes. Growing up in Utah, Herzog found herself so inspire...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Surrealist Figurative Painting, "Spirit Is An Animal"
Located in San Diego, CA
This is a one of a kind original surrealist oil painting by San Diego artist, Charlene Mosley.
Its dimensions are 10x10. It comes complete with a Certi...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Paint. The Devil's Right Hand
Located in Cuernavaca, Morelos
Acrylic on wood
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Wood Panel
Harmonic. IX Abstract shades of gray painting, Painting, Acrylic on Paper
By Sia Aryai
Located in Yardley, PA
Stunning shades of gray are contrasted and complemented with a twist in this one of a kind abstract minimal painting Painting is 14X18 acrylic on hand-made Asian parchment. Float ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Contemporary Painting "Choose " by Ellen Steinfeld
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original modern surreal oil painting by American artist Ellen Steinfeld titled, "Choose" from the artist 2004 solo exhibition at The Castellani Art Museum.
Category
1980s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
WASHINGTON MONUMENT
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
“Make Believe Heroine” - Young Girl Bow & Arrow red green 2017 DeLoss McGraw
Located in Rancho Santa Fe, CA
Make Believe Heroine depicts a Young Girl with a Bow & Arrow painted in 2017 by DeLoss McGraw.
Signed lower right. Not framed.
PROVENANCE: Private collection San Diego, Ca. Acquired...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Gouache, Rag Paper
Fauna
Located in Atlanta, GA
Georgian artist Merab Gagiladze was born in Tbilisi.
In 1987 he began his formal art education at the Tbilisi College of Art, School of Ceramics.
In 19...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Oil
Carmelo Niño, Gran arlequín, 2019, 200 x 100 cm, 78.7 x 39.3 in.
By Carmelo Niño
Located in Miami, FL
Carmelo Niño
Gran arlequín, 2019
Acrylic on canvas
200 x 100 cm
78.7 x 39.3 in.
The work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by the ar...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Oil painting of Clown
Located in Fredericksburg, VA
This is a painting done by the American artist L.A. McMillen. It is signed lower right and is in excellent condition for the period. This shows a clown scene with the face of a man i...
Category
Early 20th Century Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Untitled by Anton Kushaev - Surrealist painting, oil and acrylic on canvas, 2022
Located in Basel, BS
The Untitled is part of the series "Frame of Sorrows" created by Anton Kushaev for the installation at Voskhod Gallery's showcase in Basel in 2022. This painting was exhibited in the...
Category
2010s Surrealist Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil, 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.