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.
"Hemerocallis II" (2022) by Sybiline, Oil Painting, Pink Day Lily
By Sybiline
Located in Denver, CO
Sybiline's (CAN based) "Hemerocallis I" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a portrait of a pink day lily. About the Artist: Sybiline is a Canadian artist based in Q...
Oil, Panel
Hompage Magritte, Called Woman Seen From Behind, Original Gouache
Located in Stockholm, SE
This gouache painting by Ulf Linde, a multifaceted Swedish figure, presents a unique portrayal of a woman seen from behind, set against a blue and white...
Gouache, Board
"As Seen From Mars" - Surrealist Still-Life, Acrylic and Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
This piece rests at 12 inches by 12 inches, and is wired for hanging. Artist Bio: Shelli Langdale is an American artist living and painting in Chattanooga, TN. She has a Bachelor of...
Oil, Panel, Acrylic
The Dream a Marcos, Figurative Surrealism, Original oil Painting
By Ashot Yan
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Ashot Yan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2018 Style: Portrait, Surrealism, Subject: The Dream a Marcos, Size: 19" x...
Canvas, Oil
'L'Obscurité', Trompe L'oeil, Newport Art Museum, Frye Art Museum, Yale, Zillman
By Richard Whitten
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
'L'Obscurité' by Richard Whitten, 2009. Trompe L'oeil, Newport Art Museum, Frye Museum, Yale ----- Initialed lower left, 'RCW' for Richard Whitten (American, born 1958) and dated, l...
Gold Leaf
$450Sale Price|50% Off
Birds in Flight (Comanche Native American surrealist painting)
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Birds in Flight, ca. 1975-80. Gouache on Arches rag paper, Sheet measures 23 x 30 inches. Image measures 22 x 29 inches. Signed lower left. Excellent condition. Unframed.
Gouache, Rag Paper
Taiwanese Contemporary Art by Lemoi Ning - Moi Knight 1
Located in Paris, IDF
Acrylic on canvas Lemoi Ning is a Taiwanese artist born in 1981 who lives and works in Taipei, Taiwan, She has embarked on a creative journey in 2021 that will bring to life the en...
Canvas, Acrylic
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
"Hemerocallis I" (2022) by Sybiline, Oil Painting, Pink Day Lily
By Sybiline
Located in Denver, CO
Sybiline's (CAN based) "Hemerocallis I" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a portrait of a pink day lily. About the Artist: Sybiline is a Canadian artist based in Q...
Oil, Panel
$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
$12,826
New York - Chrysler building, Original oil painting, Abstract Cityscape-Artwork
Located in London, Chelsea
Gallery service: Complimentary worldwide shipping is offered, with Signet Contemporary Art covering all tariffs, customs duties and import taxes, making international collecting simp...
Canvas, Acrylic
Jewish Mystical Kabbalah Oil Painting Jerusalem Cityscape Hebrew Letters Judaica
By David Rakia
Located in Surfside, FL
"Tzadik" A Surrealist oil painting of old mystical Jerusalem with Hebrew calligraphy Sight 13.25" x 19.5" ; frame: 21" x 27.25" David Rakia (1928-2012) was born in Vienna, Austria...
Paper, Oil
Taiwanese Contemporary Art by Lemoi Ning - MOI Playing Around the River(A)
Located in Paris, IDF
Acrylic on canvas Lemoi Ning is a Taiwanese artist born in 1981 who lives and works in Taipei, Taiwan, She has embarked on a creative journey in 2021 that will bring to life the en...
Canvas, Acrylic
Taiwanese Contemporary Art by Lemoi Ning - Always Together
Located in Paris, IDF
Acrylic on canvas Lemoi Ning is a Taiwanese artist born in 1981 who lives and works in Taipei, Taiwan, She has embarked on a creative journey in 2021 that will bring to life the en...
Canvas, Acrylic
Ornament for a New Species, July 2022, Surreal Art
Located in Oslo, NO
A hybrid figure emerges among oversized leaves and delicate linear ornament. Animal, human and botanical elements overlap, making the creature difficult to define and shifting the im...
Acrylic, Pencil
$80Sale Price|20% Off
Untitled Micro-Gestalt H4
By Airom
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Acrylic and ink on canvas
Canvas, Ink, Acrylic
Taiwanese Contemporary Art by Lemoi Ning - MOI Amusement Park-Kitchen
Located in Paris, IDF
Acrylic on canvas Lemoi Ning is a Taiwanese artist born in 1981 who lives and works in Taipei, Taiwan, She has embarked on a creative journey in 2021 that will bring to life the en...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,271Sale Price|20% Off
Mythological Oil Painting Depicting a Mystical Scene with Figures French 20th C
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Mystical Scene with Figures by Guy Nicod (French 1923 - 2021) signed oil on canvas laid on board, framed Framed: 35.5 x 27 inches Canvas: 32.5 x 24 inches Provenance: private collec...
Oil
Meeting Figurative Surrealism Original oil Painting, Ready to Hang
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Tigran Hovumyan Figurative Surrealist Oil Painter Artwork Title: Meeting Medium: Original Oil on Linen Dimensions: 36" x 47" x 1" (91 x 120 x 3 cm) Year: 2012 Unframed, Stretched o...
Canvas, Oil
Optimist, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Artist Benjamin Xu paints a vibrant architectural scene that explores hope, resilience, and bright horizons. The artwork highlights a balance between structure ...
Oil
Art Brut figurative abstract Philadelphia Artist
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Jesse Soifer (1932-2013). Untitled #03, 1964. Ink on paper, sheet measures 12 x 14 inches. Unsigned. Estate stamp on verso sheet with assignation number. Early Life and Recognit...
Paper, Ink
$6,500
Charles Bunnell 1941 “Birth of Mind” Abstract Surrealist Gouache WPA
Located in Denver, CO
A rare and museum-quality 1941 original by Charles Ragland Bunnell, 'Birth of Mind' represents one of the most intellectually and emotionally charged works from the artist’s pivotal ...
Gouache, Archival Paper
The Hero, Figurative Surrealism, Original oil Painting, Handmade artwork
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: 2018 Style: Figurative Surrealism, ...
Canvas, Oil
$1,100
"Extensive Park in Springtime", Surrealist Landscape, Collage, Acrylic Painting
By John Baker
Located in Franklin, MA
John Baker's "Extensive Park in Springtime" is an acrylic painting on canvas with collage 20 x 16 inches in saturated light and mid-range greens and tans with pale pink accents. The ...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Eternal Love, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A pair of cardinals perches on a slender branch beside a nest holding three pale blue eggs. The branch rises from a pedestal, while golden leaves cling to it an...
Oil
DOCTRINA LUX EST
Located in Zofingen, AG
DOCTRINA LUX EST (Knowledge is Light) This work is about love that opens the eyes. About the moment when the fog lifts — and illusion gives way to clear vision. The eye in the sky sy...
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
"Electrogenesis" (2024) By Stacy D'Aguiar, Original Acrylic Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Stacy D'Aguiar's (US based) "Electrogenesis" is an acrylic painting that depicts a colorful and surreal scene of a fish. Artist Statement: My paintings are channeled, Visual Dreamsc...
Metal
$636Sale Price|42% Off
Phaeton Original Etching, Surrealist Style, Signed, Mid-20th Century
Located in Belgrade, MT
This piece is from my private collection of lithographs, etchings and engravings from great artists of the 20th Century. It is a limited edit...
Engraving, Etching, Lithograph, Watercolor
$345
Lost in the Greenery - Vibrant Colorful Whimsical Figurative Artwork on Paper
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Italian painter Silvia Pavarini is known for her distinctly feminine artworks that resonate with the quiet whispers of nature. Each piece she creates embodies an ongoing dialogue wit...
Paper, Acrylic, Pencil
Italian Surrealist Colorful Metal Enamel Plaque Painting Wall Hanging Art Luigi
Located in Surfside, FL
Biomorphic Surrealism. Signed Luigi, Enamel on metal (probably copper). Mounted to a plexi or acrylic purple mounting. I am assuming it is Italian as it is signed Luigi but it might ...
Enamel
"Resilience"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
**Resilience III** The final painting in my *Resilience* series continues my reflection on Ukrainian brands that create beauty despite the realities of war. This work was inspired ...
Canvas, Oil
$2,000Sale Price|20% Off
Surrealist Garden - Vertical Psychedelic Still Life in Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Soquel, CA
Surrealist Garden - Vertical Psychedelic Still Life in Acrylic on Canvas Vibrant, playful composition by Marilyn Collins (American, 20h Century). Several striped, spherical objects ...
Canvas, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars
$60,000
Children in a swirling dance, Haitian Surrealism Signed and Dated Oil on Masoite
Located in Miami, FL
This early work, "Ronde d'efant" by Haitian artist Wilson Bigaud, could easily be mistaken for a painting by a major European surrealist. The characteristic late-light, long shadows...
Masonite, Oil
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
$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
$1,958Sale Price|20% Off
At the destination - Contemporary Acrylic Painting, Vibrant colors, Landscape
Located in Warsaw, PL
*Painting will be available after 6.06.2021* Marta Rynkiewicz is a young Polish artist born in 1983. She studied painting with Professor Henryk Czenik and graphic arts with Profes...
Canvas, Acrylic
Surrealist Large Painting Royal College of Art LGBTQ+ Female Crocodile
By Isabel Rock
Located in Norfolk, GB
Isabel Rock is a creator of contemporary fairy tales. A graduate of the Royal College of Art in London, her work is an explosion of strange occurrences while a surreal narrative take...
Paint, Acrylic, Archival Paper, Pen
$3,500
"Entertainment" - Oil on Canvas Surrealist Circus Scene by Vachagan Narazyan
By Vachagan Narazyan
Located in Denver, CO
Vachagan Narazyan’s Entertainment (2023) is an original oil on canvas painting that evokes the theatrical and surreal worlds that define his mature style. Rendered in soft yet moody tones, the composition features two enigmatic figures—a puppet-like performer and a costumed character—posed atop a vibrantly rimmed circus drum...
Canvas, Oil
Beyond Reach
Located in Zofingen, AG
Beyond Reach From the series «1000 and 1 Night» In this work, love unfolds as a form of invisible closeness — a presence without touch. The space between two people is not empty; ...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,120Sale Price|20% Off
White Stone Surrealist Painting, Late 20th Century, Cleveland Female Artist
Located in Beachwood, OH
Sally Lachina (American, 20th Century) White Stone, 1994 Acrylic on canvas Signed and dated lower right, signed, dated and titled verso 42 x 42 inches Sally Lachina is an American a...
Acrylic
$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
$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
"Fungo Atomico" (Atomic Mushroom) Surrealist Landscape
By Luigi Pretin
Located in Houston, TX
Surrealist painting of a white structure in a barren desert titled "Fungo Atomico" by Italian surrealist painter Luigi Pretin, circa 1976. Signed and dated in lower right corner as w...
Acrylic
"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
Let's Move In Together - Abstract Color Drenched Architecture Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C Bernhardsson's original artworks are influenced by the architecture and geometry of houses. Born in Sweden, Bernhardsson travels the world photographing and sketching houses ...
Canvas, Mixed Media
$1,180Sale Price|20% Off
Vintage American Modernist Trompe L'Oeil Surreal Still Life Exhibited Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Amazing American modernist still life oil painting by Adrian Martinez (Born 1949) . Oil on canvas. Exhibited.
Canvas, Oil
$960Sale Price|20% Off
Hungry (pet dog, pug snout, cooking lady, animal art, surrealist oil painting)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
"Hungry" is a captivating painting by Rudolf Kosow that beautifully illustrates a moment of connection between a gargantuan, doleful-eyed bulldog and a diminutive woman. The dog’s fa...
Canvas, Oil
Antique American Precisionist Coastal Beach Town Framed Seascape Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American modernist beach town oil painting. Oil on board. Framed. Measuring: 22 by 26 inches overall, and 20 by 24 painting alone. Excellent condition, ready to hang and e...
Oil
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
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
Petals in Reverie II - Framed Botanical Flowers Still Life Acrylic Painting
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
$360Sale Price|20% Off
Flower Pot 6 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Abstract, Still Life, Nature, Floral
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. About Artist Aka...
Canvas, Acrylic
The Côte d'Azur. Sun, Sea and Sand. Mid-Century Oil on Canvas.
Located in Cotignac, FR
Mid-century oil on canvas of a summer scene on the Côte d'Azur. The work is signed but the artist unknown. This artwork is a vibrant and eclectic composition that captures the essen...
Canvas, Oil
"Tiny Cow"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
"Tiny Cow" is a captivating journey into the realm of Magic Realism. The composition centers on a majestic blue cow, rendered in deep indigo and azure tones, gazing at a mysterious, ...
Canvas, Acrylic
The Pink Party - Cute Feminine Still Life Collage Mixed Media Artwork on Paper
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C. Bernhardsson is a Swedish artist whose textured watercolor and collage artworks bring together bold color, geometric structure, and layered visual textures. Florals, foliage...
Paper, Mixed Media
$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
$928
Italy : View on Rome at the Sunset - Original Oil on Canvas, Handsigned
Located in Paris, IDF
Pierre Yves LELARGE (1935-2016) View on Rome at the Sunset, c. 1995 Original Oil on canvas Handsigned on the lower right corner Signed and titled on the back On canvas 50 x 65 cm (...
Oil
$640Sale Price|20% Off
Afro Lady -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Modern Women, Floral
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 About Artist Oluw...
Canvas, Acrylic
Don't Hurt Me
By Valton Tyler
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...
Oil, Linen