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Surrealist Black and White 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
Recognized Seller Listings
Man Playing his Favorite Instrument
Located in Dallas, TX
Signed and dated.
Category

1950s Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Libro / Espejo, Madrid (Book/Mirror) by Chema Madoz, 1992, Silver Gelatin Print
Located in Dallas, TX
Libro / Espejo (Book/Mirror) by Chema Madoz depicts a open book lying on a wooden table. The pages are spread open, as if someone is flipping through them. A mirror is placed in the ...
Category

1990s Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Untitled (Grand Piano/Bat)
Located in Dallas, TX
Edition of 5 Toned gelatin silver print 54 3/4 x 46 3/4 in. Frame Included. Chema Madoz is one of the most important contemporary Spanish photographers, who is greatly known for his...
Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Untitled (Needle & Water Droplets)
Located in Dallas, TX
Edition 5/5 Toned gelatin silver print 43 x 43 in. Signed, dated and numbered in pencil on verso. Frame Included. Chema Madoz is one of the most important contemporary Spanish photo...
Category

1990s Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Bog Dog by Keith Carter, 2014, Archival Pigment Print
Located in Dallas, TX
Bog Dog by Keith Carter presents a portrait of a dog looking off into the distance. This photograph is listed as a 20 x 16 inch archival pigment print, with the paper size measuring 22 x 17 inches. This print is available in an edition of 25. It is signed, titled, dated and numbered in pencil on print verso by Keith Carter. Bog Dog is from Carter's series, Ghostland. Keith Carter is an American photographer who is known for his dreamlike black and white photographs of the figure, animals, and meaningful objects. He began photographing new and unknown realities using East Texas...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Untitled (Hand with Thimble Ring)
Located in Dallas, TX
Untitled (Black Hand with Thimble Ring), 2003 by Chema Madoz Toned gelatin silver print, 13 1/4 x 9 7/8 in. Signed, dated and inscribed by Chema Madoz Ch...
Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Hugh Laing Portrait
Located in Dallas, TX
Gelatin silver print, 8 1/4 x 6 1/4 in. Signed in pencil on mount margin. Titled in pencil and artist stamp on mount verso.
Category

1930s Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Untitled - Triptych (Bent Spoons)
Located in Dallas, TX
Edition of 25 Signed, dated and numbered in pencil on print verso. Chema Madoz is one of the most important contemporary Spanish photographers, who is greatly known for his monochro...
Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Cactus, Madrid
Located in Dallas, TX
Edition of 15 Signed, titled and dated. Toned gelatin silver print Chema Madoz is one of the most important contemporary Spanish photographers, who is greatly known for his monochro...
Category

1990s Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Untitled (Picture of Mountain on String)
Located in Dallas, TX
Edition of 15 Signed, dated and numbered in pencil on print verso. Paper size: 24 x 19 3/4 in., Image size: 19 1/4 x 19in. Chema Madoz is one of the most important contemporary Span...
Category

1990s Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Untitled - (High heel shoe with Eiffel Tower)
Located in Dallas, TX
Edition of 15 Signed, dated and numbered in pencil on print verso by Chema Madoz Paper size: 24 x 19 3/4 in., Image size: 22 3/4 x 18 in. Chema Madoz is one of the most important co...
Category

1990s Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Arco de Libros, Madrid (books)
Located in Dallas, TX
Edition of 15 Signed, dated and numbered in pencil on print verso. Paper size: 20 x 16 in., Image size: 15 1/2 x 15 in. Chema Madoz is one of the most important contemporary Spanish...
Category

1990s Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Untitled (Paper Globe)
Located in Dallas, TX
Edition of 25 Gelatin silver print Signed, dated and numbered in pencil on print verso. Paper size: 16 x 12 in., Image size: 8 1/2 x 7 1/4 in. Printed 2011 Chema Madoz is one of the...
Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Can O' Nudes
Located in Dallas, TX
Signed and dated in black ink on print margin by Alfred Gescheidt Gelatin silver print, 11 x 9 in.
Category

20th Century Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Cuchillo, Madrid (knife-ruler)
Located in Dallas, TX
Edition of 15 Signed, dated and numbered. Chema Madoz is one of the most important contemporary Spanish photographers, who is greatly known for his monochromatic, surreal still-life...
Category

1990s Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Untitled, from the New Mexico Portfolio
By Van Deren Coke
Located in Dallas, 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 Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Memorial to Anais Nin
By Val Telberg
Located in New York, NY
Val Telberg was a Surrealist-influenced photomontagist who famously collaborated with Anais Nin. Mr. Telberg was born of Finnish-Russian parents in Moscow...
Category

1970s Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Statue of Liberty Mooning
Located in Dallas, TX
Signed and dated.
Category

20th Century Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Cypress Swamp
Located in Dallas, TX
Edition of 25 Signed, titled, dated and numbered in pencil on print verso. Paper size: 17 x 22 in., Image size: 16 x 20 in. Series: Ghostland Keith Carter is an American photographe...
Category

1990s Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Untitled (Moon in Gong)
Located in Dallas, TX
Edition 2/7 Signed on print margin. Printed 2011 Frame included. Chema Madoz is one of the most important contemporary Spanish photographers, who is greatly known for his monochroma...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Metro, Madrid
Located in Dallas, TX
Edition of 15 Signed and dated. Toned gelatin silver print Chema Madoz is one of the most important contemporary Spanish photographers, who is greatly known for his monochromatic, s...
Category

20th Century Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Untitled, Madrid (Sandals w/ Grass)
Located in Dallas, TX
Edition of 15 Signed, dated and numbered. Chema Madoz is one of the most important contemporary Spanish photographers, who is greatly known for his monochromatic, surreal still-life...
Category

1980s Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Untitled, Madrid
Located in Dallas, TX
Edition of 15 Signed, dated and numbered. Chema Madoz is one of the most important contemporary Spanish photographers, who is greatly known for his monochromatic, surreal still-life...
Category

1990s Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Peine/Disco, Madrid
Located in Dallas, TX
Edition of 15 Signed. Toned gelatin silver print. Chema Madoz is one of the most important contemporary Spanish photographers, who is greatly known for his monochromatic, surreal st...
Category

1990s Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Untitled (Philosopher's Desk)
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Signed on the front. Contact gallery for prices and available sizes as they are subject to change - available as a 11 x 14 or 16 x 20 inch gelatin silver prints. All works are open e...
Category

20th Century Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

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Early 2000s Surrealist Black and White Photography

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Freesia and Daffodil
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1970s Surrealist Black and White Photography

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Bote Pintura, Madrid, 1996
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1990s Surrealist Black and White Photography

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Cheekey Pear
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Surrealist black and white photography for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Surrealist black and white 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. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Rosemary Ellis, Chema Madoz, Brian Ziff, and Alfred Gescheidt. Frequently made by artists working with Silver Gelatin Print, and 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 black and white photography, so small editions measuring 4.5 inches across are also available. Prices for black and white 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 $110 and tops out at $26,500, while the average work sells for $1,350.

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