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Surrealist Abstract Photography

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
A Surreal Watercolor on Cyanotype, "Recalibration"
Located in San Diego, CA
A one of a kind 18" x 24" Surreal Watercolor on Cyanotype executed by artist Annalise Neil. A certificate of authenticity will be provided upon its...
Category

2010s Surrealist Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

A Surreal Watercolor on Cyanotype, "Recalibration"
A Surreal Watercolor on Cyanotype, "Recalibration"

Annalise Neil
A Surreal Watercolor on Cyanotype, "Recalibration", 2022

A Toned, Bleached and Traditional Watercolor Cyanotype, "Indexical"
Located in San Diego, CA
A 13" x 17" Toned, Bleached and Traditional Watercolor Cyanotype with Pine Needles and Cotton Thread on Canson Montval 300g Paper Mounted on Wood Panel by artist Annalise Neil. A cer...
Category

2010s Surrealist Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

A Toned, Bleached and Traditional Watercolor Cyanotype, "Indexical"
A Toned, Bleached and Traditional Watercolor Cyanotype, "Indexical"

Annalise Neil
A Toned, Bleached and Traditional Watercolor Cyanotype, "Indexical", 2023

Untitled, from the New Mexico Portfolio
By Van Deren Coke
Located in Denton, TX
Edition of 125 Signed and dated in ink on print margin. Photograph is from The New Mexico Portfolio published in 1976 by the Center of the E...
Category

Late 20th Century Surrealist Abstract Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Untitled, from the New Mexico Portfolio

Van Deren Coke
Untitled, from the New Mexico Portfolio, 1974

New York City Fog - Play of Light on the Upper East Side Skyline
By Mitchell Funk
Located in Miami, FL
A play of light envelopes the Upper East Side skyline of New York City and projects a feeling of fogginess. Photographer Mitchell Funk captures a moment when the atmosphere transmits...
Category

2010s Surrealist Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

New York City Fog - Play of Light on the Upper East Side Skyline
New York City Fog - Play of Light on the Upper East Side Skyline

Mitchell Funk
New York City Fog - Play of Light on the Upper East Side Skyline, 2023

Flatiron Building with Dramatic Light - Abstract Photography
By Mitchell Funk
Located in Miami, FL
The ephemeral nature of weather is on display in this hyper-dramatic photograph of Manhattan's Flatiron Building. Dark storm clouds crack open for a brief moment and spotlight the w...
Category

2010s Surrealist Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Flatiron Building with Dramatic Light - Abstract Photography
Flatiron Building with Dramatic Light - Abstract Photography

Mitchell Funk
Flatiron Building with Dramatic Light - Abstract Photography, 2017

Flock of Birds on Wire Against Dramatic Sky Dramatic Clouds
By Mitchell Funk
Located in Miami, FL
After a 55-year career creating originally powerful images, Photographer Mitchell Funk outdoes himself. Flock of Birds on Wire was shot in the Windwood section of Miami. End-of-the-d...
Category

2010s Surrealist Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Flock of Birds on Wire Against Dramatic Sky Dramatic Clouds
Flock of Birds on Wire Against Dramatic Sky Dramatic Clouds

Mitchell Funk
Flock of Birds on Wire Against Dramatic Sky Dramatic Clouds, 2024

Surreal Brooklyn Bridge with Blue Sky Golden Windows and Red Kite
By Mitchell Funk
Located in Miami, FL
Why is this view of the Brooklyn Bridge, a blue sky, and golden windows no longer visible? The image is a creation from Mitchell Funk's mind. It comprises three photographs with colo...
Category

1970s Surrealist Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Surreal Brooklyn Bridge with Blue Sky Golden Windows and Red Kite
Surreal Brooklyn Bridge with Blue Sky Golden Windows and Red Kite

Mitchell Funk
Surreal Brooklyn Bridge with Blue Sky Golden Windows and Red Kite, 1970

Curvy Nude in Surreal Landscape of Red and Blue - Album Cover
By Mitchell Funk
Located in Miami, FL
Surreal Fantasy Album Cover Beck & Sanborn for CTI records. This image is signed, dated and numbered 3/15 lower right recto. Other sizes are available. The work is unframed and print...
Category

1970s Surrealist Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Curvy Nude in Surreal Landscape of Red and Blue - Album Cover
Curvy Nude in Surreal Landscape of Red and Blue - Album Cover

Mitchell Funk
Curvy Nude in Surreal Landscape of Red and Blue - Album Cover, 1975

Dream Landscape - Woman Strolls in Fantasy Forest of Blue Green
By Mitchell Funk
Located in Miami, FL
Questions about the nature and boundaries of reality are contextualized in this dreamy image of a woman strolling in a fantasy forest that breathes high-pitched color. Pioneering pho...
Category

1970s Surrealist Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Dream Landscape - Woman Strolls in Fantasy Forest of Blue Green
Dream Landscape - Woman Strolls in Fantasy Forest of Blue Green

Mitchell Funk
Dream Landscape - Woman Strolls in Fantasy Forest of Blue Green, 1971

Airplane in Surreal Sky
By Mitchell Funk
Located in Miami, FL
Surreal Photography in the Sky - Mitchell Funk brings the compositional precision of studio photography to street photography. Unlike most street p...
Category

2010s Surrealist Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Airplane in Surreal Sky
Airplane in Surreal Sky

Mitchell Funk
Airplane in Surreal Sky, 2022

Golden Gate Bridge with Sailboats and Clouds, Blue Sky, Fine Art Photography
By Mitchell Funk
Located in Miami, FL
Signed dated and numbered 2/15 lower right recto, other sizes available, unframed and printed later. This work is printed on fine art Hahnemuhle paper. Mitchell Funk is a pioneer ...
Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Paper, Inkjet, Archival Pigment

Golden Gate Bridge with Sailboats and Clouds, Blue Sky, Fine Art Photography
Golden Gate Bridge with Sailboats and Clouds, Blue Sky, Fine Art Photography

Mitchell Funk
Golden Gate Bridge with Sailboats and Clouds, Blue Sky, Fine Art Photography, 2004

Stonehenge and Eclipse with Pink Sci-Fi Glow
By Mitchell Funk
Located in Miami, FL
Shipping should be around $100 - Signed, dated, numbered 3/15, lower right, unframed, other sizes available, printed later Mitchell Funk is a pioneer of Sci-fi and did a lot of wor...
Category

1980s Surrealist Abstract Photography

Materials

Inkjet

Stonehenge and Eclipse with Pink Sci-Fi Glow
Stonehenge and Eclipse with Pink Sci-Fi Glow

Mitchell Funk
Stonehenge and Eclipse with Pink Sci-Fi Glow, 1981

Red Sun. Green Skyline New York, Nikon Advertising Campaign
By Mitchell Funk
Located in Miami, FL
Red Sun. Green Skyline, Nikon Advertising Campaign Inkjet Archival Print Signature: Signed dated ,numbered lower right recto. Printed Later, Unframed 2/15, other sizes available Nati...
Category

1970s Surrealist Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Red Sun. Green Skyline New York, Nikon Advertising Campaign
Red Sun. Green Skyline New York, Nikon Advertising Campaign

Mitchell Funk
Red Sun. Green Skyline New York, Nikon Advertising Campaign, 1972

Surreal Blue Landscape - Early Sci-fi Photography
By Mitchell Funk
Located in Miami, FL
This image from the imagination of Mitchell Funk was the cover photograph for Popular Photography Magazine, May 1978, It is signed and numbered on lower right, as well as titled ...
Category

1970s Surrealist Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment

Surreal Blue Landscape - Early Sci-fi Photography
Surreal Blue Landscape - Early Sci-fi Photography

Mitchell Funk
Surreal Blue Landscape - Early Sci-fi Photography, 1978

Camel Caravan
By Mitchell Funk
Located in Miami, FL
Shipping should be around $100 Signed, dated and numbered lower right recto, 3/15 Unframed, printed later, other sizes available. Mithcell Funk is a pioneer of Sci-Fi Photography a...
Category

1980s Surrealist Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Camel Caravan

Mitchell Funk
Camel Caravan, 1981

Stonehenge and Eclipse with Pink Sci-Fi Glow
By Mitchell Funk
Located in Miami, FL
Shipping should be around $100 - Signed, dated, numbered 3/15, lower right, unframed, other sizes available, printed later Mitchell Funk is a pioneer of Sci-fi and did a lot of wor...
Category

1980s Surrealist Abstract Photography

Materials

Inkjet

Stonehenge and Eclipse with Pink Sci-Fi Glow
Stonehenge and Eclipse with Pink Sci-Fi Glow

Mitchell Funk
Stonehenge and Eclipse with Pink Sci-Fi Glow, 1981

Paia, Contemporary Surrealist Natural Photo Collage, 2022, Original
By Topher Straus
Located in Golden, CO
Immerse yourself in the captivating world of Topher Straus, where a lone figure basks in a mesmerizing dreamscape. "Paia" is a testament to Straus' innovative spirit and his ability ...
Category

2010s Surrealist Abstract Photography

Materials

Metal

Paia, Contemporary Surrealist Natural Photo Collage, 2022, Original
Paia, Contemporary Surrealist Natural Photo Collage, 2022, Original

Topher Straus
Paia, Contemporary Surrealist Natural Photo Collage, 2022, Original, 2022

Three Oval Glows
By Mitchell Funk
Located in Miami, FL
The history of Sci-fi art and illustration has had a rich and storied past. Generation of illustrators and painters have rendered their fantastic ideas on paper and canvas. The decades of the 1920’s - 1940’s saw the imaginative but crudely drawn pulp magazine gouaches of Frank R Paul...
Category

1970s Surrealist Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment

Three Oval Glows

Mitchell Funk
Three Oval Glows, 1975

Dreamy Blue Flowers with Pulsating Pink Patches
By Robert Funk
Located in Miami, FL
Signed, dated, numbered lower right, recto 2/15, unframed, other sizes available. Printed on Hahnemühle Fine Art paper Robert Funk was widely published in the 1970's and 1980's. H...
Category

2010s Surrealist Abstract Photography

Materials

Inkjet

Dreamy Blue Flowers with Pulsating Pink Patches
Dreamy Blue Flowers with Pulsating Pink Patches

Robert Funk
Dreamy Blue Flowers with Pulsating Pink Patches, 2020

Surreal Blue Landscape
By Mitchell Funk
Located in Miami, FL
Cover Popular Photography, May 1978, Signed and dated on lower right, numbered on verso, 2/15 Printed later, other size available, unframed
Category

1970s Surrealist Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Surreal Blue Landscape

Mitchell Funk
Surreal Blue Landscape, 1978

Manhattan Skyscraper with Silver Shimming Light and East River Boats
By Mitchell Funk
Located in Miami, FL
Silver light reflects off an Upper East Side skyscraper as two industrial boats pass in aligned formation. But this is not a picture of a building and boat. The extreme lighting and...
Category

2010s Surrealist Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Manhattan Skyscraper with Silver Shimming Light and East River Boats
Manhattan Skyscraper with Silver Shimming Light and East River Boats

Mitchell Funk
Manhattan Skyscraper with Silver Shimming Light and East River Boats, 2024

Mystical Transcendent Orange Sunset Big Sky
By Mitchell Funk
Located in Miami, FL
A spectacular vast orange sunset dominates the sky as tiny onlookers gaze up and out with amazement. The image has a surreal quality to it and the relationship to the sky and people...
Category

2010s Surrealist Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Mystical Transcendent Orange Sunset Big Sky
Mystical Transcendent Orange Sunset Big Sky

Mitchell Funk
Mystical Transcendent Orange Sunset Big Sky, 2015

Running Dog in First Light with Long Shadows
By Mitchell Funk
Located in Miami, FL
First light skims across the schoolyard pavement creating long and dramatic shadows. A golden dog is captured running through the scene and blends in creating a de Chirico like a su...
Category

2010s Surrealist Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Running Dog in First Light with Long Shadows
Running Dog in First Light with Long Shadows

Mitchell Funk
Running Dog in First Light with Long Shadows, 2020

Surreal Blue Landscape
By Mitchell Funk
Located in Miami, FL
This image from the imagination of Mitchell Funk was the cover photograph for Popular Photography Magazine, May 1978, It is signed and dated on lower right, numbered on verso, 2/1...
Category

1970s Surrealist Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Surreal Blue Landscape
Surreal Blue Landscape

Mitchell Funk
Surreal Blue Landscape, 1978

Modern Photography Cover, Surreal Landscape
By Mitchell Funk
Located in Miami, FL
Historically , newsstand magazines have used a standard set of practices when it came to choosing their cover image. Their goal was to use a image that people could instantly relate to. The idea being, if an image pops off the page it will attract more attention and then generate more newsstand sales. For editors, choosing a cover was first a marketing decision and then an aesthetic one. That is why most magazine covers and (that includes art magazines) pretty much looked the same. They used familiar images, mostly of celebrities, beauty people or news items of that would beckon and aggressively reach out to the prospect. In this Modern Photography Cover of August 1983, they chose a radical departure. Their cover image that was the opposite of the norm. Mitchell Funk’s Graphic Surreal Landscape...
Category

1980s Surrealist Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Modern Photography Cover, Surreal Landscape
Modern Photography Cover, Surreal Landscape

Mitchell Funk
Modern Photography Cover, Surreal Landscape, 1982

Red Sun. Green Skyline New York, Nikon Advertising Campaign
By Mitchell Funk
Located in Miami, FL
Shipping should be around $100. Red Sun. Green Skyline, Nikon Advertising Campaign Inkjet Archival Print Signature: Signed dated ,numbered lower right recto. Printed Later, Unframed...
Category

1970s Surrealist Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Red Sun. Green Skyline New York, Nikon Advertising Campaign
Red Sun. Green Skyline New York, Nikon Advertising Campaign

Mitchell Funk
Red Sun. Green Skyline New York, Nikon Advertising Campaign, 1972

Golden Reflections off Manhattan Skyscrapers
By Mitchell Funk
Located in Miami, FL
Signed, dated, numbered lower right, recto 3/15, Unframed, other sizes available, printed later, Printed on Hahnemühle Fine Art paper Mitchell Funk is a "Color Photographer Pioneer...
Category

2010s Surrealist Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Inkjet

Golden Reflections off Manhattan Skyscrapers

Mitchell Funk
Golden Reflections off Manhattan Skyscrapers, 2019

Jewels Hat Spaceship
By Mitchell Funk
Located in Miami, FL
Shipping should be around $100. Signed, dated, numbered lower right, recto 3/15, unframed, other sizes available. Mitchell Funk is a "Color Photographer Pioneer". He was color when c...
Category

2010s Surrealist Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Inkjet

Jewels Hat Spaceship

Mitchell Funk
Jewels Hat Spaceship, 2019

End of the World. Begining of the World
By Mitchell Funk
Located in Miami, FL
Mitchell Funk is a pioneer of Sci-Fi photography. In the 1980's He did work for the groundbreaking Bob Guccioni magazine Omni. Signed, dated and number LL recto, 3/15 other size ava...
Category

1980s Surrealist Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

End of the World. Begining of the World

Mitchell Funk
End of the World. Begining of the World

Red Sun. Green Skyline, Nikon Advertising Campaign
By Mitchell Funk
Located in Miami, FL
Red Sun. Green Skyline, Nikon Advertising Campaign Inkjet Archival Print Signature: Signed dated ,numbered lower right recto. Printed Later, Unframed 2/15, other sizes available - Pr...
Category

1970s Surrealist Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Red Sun. Green Skyline, Nikon Advertising Campaign
Red Sun. Green Skyline, Nikon Advertising Campaign

Mitchell Funk
Red Sun. Green Skyline, Nikon Advertising Campaign, 1972

Surrealist abstract photography for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Surrealist abstract photography 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 abstract photography created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, green, red, pink and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Mitchell Funk, Michael DeCamp, Robert Funk, and Paul Dempsey. Frequently made by artists working with Paper, and Photographic Paper 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 abstract photography, so small editions measuring 5 inches across are also available. Prices for abstract photography 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 $210 and tops out at $8,000, while the average work sells for $1,750.

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