Surrealist Portrait 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
Resting Mask
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Acrylic mounted photograph
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Portrait Photography
Materials
Color
$2,400 Sale Price
20% Off
Kori Bustard And Zebras - Color Photograph, Woman Artist, Bird, Landscape
By Cheryl Medow
Located in Denton, TX
Edition of 10
Signed and numbered in pencil, and blind stamp on print margin by Cheryl Medow
Signed, titled, dated, and print type in pencil on print verso by Cheryl Medow
Paper size...
Category
2010s Surrealist Portrait Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
"Cream” Photography 36" x 28" inch Edition of 24 by Brian Ziff
By Brian Ziff
Located in Culver City, CA
“Cream” Photography 36" x 28" inch Edition of 24 by Brian Ziff
Giclee (Archival Ink) Print on Canson Platine Fibre Rag
From "Rite of Spring" series
In this melancholy series, we ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Portrait Photography
Materials
Archival Ink, Rag Paper, Giclée
“Red Bull” Black & White Photography 24" x 24" inch Edition of 24 by Brian Ziff
By Brian Ziff
Located in Culver City, CA
“Red Bull” Black & White Photography 24" x 24" inch Edition of 24 by Brian Ziff
Giclee (Archival Ink) Print on Canson Platine Fibre Rag
Not framed. Ships in tube.
From "Unbearable Lightness...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Portrait Photography
Materials
Archival Ink, Rag Paper, Giclée
Dreamy Bronze Statue in Central with onlookers
Located in Miami, FL
Signed, dated, numbered lower right, recto 4/15, unframed, other sizes available, printed later, Printed on Hahnemühle Fine Art paper
It's an in-camera multiple exposures of two figures on a Central Park bench...
Category
1970s Surrealist Portrait Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper, Inkjet
“Bad Bunny” (FRAMED) Photography 30" x 24" inch Edition 1/12 by Brian Ziff
By Brian Ziff
Located in Culver City, CA
“Bad Bunny” (FRAMED) Photography 30" x 24" inch Edition 1/12 by Brian Ziff
Giclee (Archival Ink) Print on Canson Platine Fibre Rag
American Dreams - From "Playboy" series.
The n...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Portrait Photography
Materials
Archival Ink, Rag Paper, Giclée
Bog Dog by Keith Carter, 2014, Archival Pigment Print
Located in Denton, 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 Portrait Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
“Mano a Mano” (FRAMED) Photography 30" x 24" inch Edition 1/12 by Brian Ziff
By Brian Ziff
Located in Culver City, CA
“Mano a Mano” (FRAMED) Photography 30" x 24" inch Edition 1/12 by Brian Ziff
Giclee (Archival Ink) Print on Canson Platine Fibre Rag
American Dreams - From "Playboy" series.
The...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Portrait Photography
Materials
Archival Ink, Rag Paper, Giclée
"The Obscenely Wealthy" Photography 36" x 24" inch Edition of 5 by Alina Karo
By Alina Karo
Located in Culver City, CA
"The Obscenely Wealthy" Photography 36" x 24" inch Edition of 5 by Alina Karo
"The Obscenely Wealthy"
From 7 Deadly Sins series by Alina Karo
Aluminum...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Portrait Photography
Materials
Metal
“Morning Dew” Portrait Photography 24" x 24" inch Edition of 24 by Brian Ziff
By Brian Ziff
Located in Culver City, CA
“Morning Dew” Portrait Photography 24" x 24" inch Edition of 24 by Brian Ziff
Giclee (Archival Ink) Print on Canson Platine Fibre Rag
From "Rite of Spring" series
In this melancho...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Portrait Photography
Materials
Archival Ink, Rag Paper, Giclée
“Of Crimson Joy” (FRAMED) Photography 20" x 30" in Edition of 1/5 by Brian Ziff
By Brian Ziff
Located in Culver City, CA
“Of Crimson Joy” (FRAMED) Photography 20" x 30" in Edition of 1/5 by Brian Ziff
Giclee (Archival Ink) Print on Canson Platine Fibre Rag
Brian Ziff's "High Risk" series is part of ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Portrait Photography
Materials
Archival Ink, Rag Paper, Giclée
“Smoke and Mirrors” (FRAMED) Photography 30" x 24" in Edition 1/12 by Brian Ziff
By Brian Ziff
Located in Culver City, CA
“Smoke and Mirrors” (FRAMED) Photography 30" x 24" in Edition 1/12 by Brian Ziff
Giclee (Archival Ink) Print on Canson Platine Fibre Rag
American Dreams - From "Playboy" series.
...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Portrait Photography
Materials
Archival Ink, Rag Paper, Giclée
Black Cat. Green Eyes
By Robert Funk
Located in Miami, FL
Besides being mysterious, cats are equally beautiful and unmatched in that regard with anyone else in the animal kingdom. Black Cat. Green Eyes was photogr...
Category
2010s Surrealist Portrait Photography
Materials
Archival Paper, Inkjet, Archival Pigment
“Wasted Youth” Portrait Photography 24" x 24" inch Edition of 24 by Brian Ziff
By Brian Ziff
Located in Culver City, CA
“Wasted Youth” Portrait Photography 24" x 24" inch Edition of 24 by Brian Ziff
Giclee (Archival Ink) Print on Canson Platine Fibre Rag
From "Rite of Spring" series
In this melanch...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Portrait Photography
Materials
Archival Ink, Rag Paper, Giclée
“Inner Space” Portrait Photography 24" x 24" inch Edition of 24 by Brian Ziff
By Brian Ziff
Located in Culver City, CA
“Inner Space” Portrait Photography 24" x 24" inch Edition of 24 by Brian Ziff
Giclee (Archival Ink) Print on Canson Platine Fibre Rag
Not framed. Ships in tube.
From "Unbearable Lightness...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Portrait Photography
Materials
Archival Ink, Rag Paper, Giclée
Hugh Laing Portrait
By Angus McBean
Located in Denton, 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 Portrait Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Alina Karo "Secret 3" Photography 47" x 40" inch Edition 1/3 by Alia Karo
By Alina Karo
Located in Culver City, CA
Alina Karo "Secret 3" Photography 47" x 40" inch Edition 1/3 by Alia Karo
Secret 3
Aluminum
47” x 40”
Edition 1/3
Comes with COA
VOLLIPSIS series by Alina Karo
The title of th...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Portrait Photography
Materials
Metal
Shot spring
Located in Edinburgh, GB
I did a photo session of a neighbour in my bombed-out office in a studio in Kharkiv. A Russian fighter jet dropped a bomb on March 2 on the roof of this 5-storey building and a neigh...
Category
2010s Surrealist Portrait Photography
Materials
C Print
Hippies in Central Park with Oversized Psychedelic Moon
Located in Miami, FL
Two flower children converse among a gathering of hippies in Central Park. They are adorned with yellow flowers in their hair, which symbolize freedom and ideals of universal belong...
Category
1970s Surrealist Portrait Photography
Materials
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
"Matrix" Black & White Photography 24" x 24" in Ed. 1/15 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Matrix" Black & White Photography 24" x 24" in Ed. 1/15 by Olha Stepanian
Printed on Epson Professional Paper
Signed and numbered by the artist
Not framed. Ships in a tube.
Ava...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Portrait Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper
1950s Girly Pin-Up Hangs out on Miami Beach in the 1970s
By Robert Funk
Located in Miami, FL
Besides being a pioneering staged photograph, the composition is unique as well. A five-inch cutout appears to be monumental. The subject fills the pictorial space from the bottom to the top. It dominates the vast beachscape and dwarfs the life-size figures to the lower right. By photographing a reproduction of a person on paper, Funk pushes the boundaries of portraiture in 1977. Robert Funk is a pioneer of Staged Photography. The work is signed, numbered 3/15, dated, and titled lr. printed later, unframed, Printed on Hahnemühle Fine Art paper
Robert Funk is a pioneer of toy, doll, miniature, plastic thingies and staged photography. He also photographs his own paintings. Most of his work is done on location. He does not use photoshop to strip in images. He doesn’t take photographs he creates photographs and has works dating from 1973. He was widely published in the 1970's and early 1980's. As an undergrad in painting, he studied with first-generation abstract expressionist Robert Richenburg...
Category
1970s Surrealist Portrait Photography
Materials
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
Manhattan Street Scene With Glamours Billboard ( Street Photography )
Located in Miami, FL
Street Photographer Mitchell Funk captures a Manhattan moment of contrast. The top three-quarters of the composition is a wrap-around billboard seen behind street lights. It dep...
Category
Early 2000s Surrealist Portrait Photography
Materials
Archival Paper, Archival Ink, Archival Pigment
"Secret 2" Figurative Photography 47" x 40" inch Edition 1/3 by Alina Karo
By Alina Karo
Located in Culver City, CA
"Secret 2" Figurative Photography 47" x 40" inch Edition 1/3 by Alina Karo
Secret 2
Aluminum
47” x 40”
Edition 1/3
Comes with COA
VOLLIPSIS series by Alina Karo
The title of t...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Portrait Photography
Materials
Metal
On Vacation (Couchsurfing Series)
Located in London, GB
Cristina Schek
On Vacation, June 2020 - Couchsurfing Series, 2020
Signed certificate of authenticity included
Framed Archival Pigment Print
Anti-Reflective Museum Glass
76.2 x 107.7 ...
Category
2010s Surrealist Portrait Photography
Materials
Digital, Giclée
Fifth Avenue at Rush Hour with Extreme Intense Light, Neutral Palette
Located in Miami, FL
Occupying the lower third of the picture plane, a herd of humans stride down Fifth Avenue. They form an overall pattern. The top of the picture is also comprised of a simple pat...
Category
2010s Surrealist Portrait Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment, Archival Ink, Archival Paper
Hypnotic Dream-like Scene of Women - Surreal Street Photography
Located in Miami, FL
With a nod to the surrealist painter Paul Delvaux, Street Photographer Mithcell Funk captures two differently dressed women in a dreamlike state. The lighting and architectural sett...
Category
2010s Surrealist Portrait Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
Pretty Fly For A Fungi In The Forrest
Located in London, GB
CRISTINA SCHEK
Pretty Fly For A Fungi In The Forrest, 2020
Signed certificate of authenticity included.
Giclée Print on Hahnemühle
Anti-Reflective Museum Glass
60 x 60 cm
23 5/8 x 23...
Category
2010s Surrealist Portrait Photography
Materials
Digital, Giclée
Running Dog in First Light with Long Shadows
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 Portrait Photography
Materials
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
Field of Sorrow
By Drew Tal
Located in New York, NY
With his works included in the permanent collection at the Norton and the New Britain Museum, Drew Tal’s successful career has been nothing but a soaring ascension into the global ar...
Category
Early 2000s Surrealist Portrait Photography
Materials
Plexiglass, Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Photogram
Price Upon Request
Fading Beauty
By Drew Tal
Located in New York, NY
With his works included in the permanent collection at the Norton and the New Britain Museum, Drew Tal’s successful career has been nothing but a soaring ascension into the global ar...
Category
Early 2000s Surrealist Portrait Photography
Materials
Plexiglass, Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Photogram
Price Upon Request
Portraits of Dignity
By Drew Tal
Located in New York, NY
With his works included in the permanent collection at the Norton and the New Britain Museum, Drew Tal’s successful career has been nothing but a soaring ascension into the global ar...
Category
2010s Surrealist Portrait Photography
Materials
Plexiglass, Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Photogram
Price Upon Request
Within
By Drew Tal
Located in New York, NY
With his works included in the permanent collection at the Norton and the New Britain Museum, Drew Tal’s successful career has been nothing but a soaring ascension into the global ar...
Category
Early 2000s Surrealist Portrait Photography
Materials
Plexiglass, Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Photogram
Price Upon Request
Porcelain Dynasty
By Drew Tal
Located in New York, NY
With his works included in the permanent collection at the Norton and the New Britain Museum, Drew Tal’s successful career has been nothing but a soaring ascension into the global ar...
Category
2010s Surrealist Portrait Photography
Materials
Plexiglass, Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Photogram
Price Upon Request
Portrait of Roger Parry
By Maurice Tabard
Located in New York, NY
Stamped, verso
Vintage silver print
9 x 7 inches
18 x 15.5 inches, framed
Roger Parry learned photography from Maurice Tabard by working as his studio assistant in 1928. In 1929 the...
Category
1930s Surrealist Portrait Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
Cat Woman
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Digital photographic collage.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Portrait Photography
Materials
Wood, Birch, Digital
Price Upon Request
Surrealist portrait photography for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Surrealist portrait 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 portrait 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, red, purple and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Maggie Taylor, Mitchell Funk, Brian Ziff, and Drew Tal. Frequently made by artists working with Pigment Print, and Archival Pigment Print 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 portrait photography, so small editions measuring 6.25 inches across are also available. Prices for portrait 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 $400 and tops out at $28,800, while the average work sells for $3,000.
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