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Surrealist 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
Army Of Caine Large Oversize Pop Art Print Signed Limited Edition
Located in London, GB
Army Of Caine by B A T I K Pop art work featuring multiples of Michael Caine in Get Carter mode - possibly his most iconic movie role. Archival pigment pop art print signed & limi...
Category

2010s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

"About Love" Black & White Photography 31" x 31" in Ed. of 7 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"About Love" Black & White Photography 31" x 31" in Ed. of 7 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Not framed. Ships in a tub...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

"Gods at the Beach 2" Photography 24" x 24" in Edition 1/15 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Gods at the Beach 2" Photography 24" x 24" in Edition 1/15 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA issues by the art...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

"Three of Us" Nude Photography 31" x 31" in Edition 1/7 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Three of Us" Nude Photography 31" x 31" in Edition 1/7 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA issued by the artist ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Man Ray, Échiquier Surréaliste: 1934/1991, Silver Gelatin Print, Dada
Located in Hamburg, DE
Man Ray (1890-1976) Échiquier Surréaliste (Surrealist Checkerboard), 1934/1991 Medium: Silver Gelatin Print (later print) Dimensions: 30.5 x 23.7 cm Stamped: "Copie d'une épreuve...
Category

20th Century Surrealist Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Wonder Room, limited edition color print, signed and numbered
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Wonder Room, limited edition color print, signed and numbered Maggie Taylor's digital creations are emblematic, afterimages that invite, transport, and are unforgettable. Taylor's ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

"Honey” Photography 36" x 28" inch Edition of 24 by Brian Ziff
Located in Culver City, CA
“Honey” Photography 36" x 28" inch Edition of 24 by Brian Ziff Giclee (Archival Ink) Print on Canson Platine Fibre Rag Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA signed by th...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Rag Paper, Giclée

“Working an Angle” Photography 36" x 24" inch Edition of 1/7 by Brian Ziff
Located in Culver City, CA
“Working an Angle” Photography 36" x 24" inch Edition of 1/7 by Brian Ziff Giclee (Archival Ink) Print on Canson Platine Fibre Rag Not framed. Signed and numbered by the artist Com...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Rag Paper, Giclée

“Inner Space” Portrait Photography 24" x 24" inch Edition of 24 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 Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA signed by the artist Not framed. Ships in tube. From "Unbearable Lightness...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Rag Paper, Giclée

Victorious Nude Man on Naked Road in New Mexico - Gay Interest Surrealism
Located in Miami, FL
Man conquers nature and expresses a victorious gesture to an endless landscape with billowing clouds. A quest for meaning for the individual could be another theme this image. The ...
Category

1970s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

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

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Yann Le Gac
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Jack Mitchell (September 13, 1925 – November 7, 2013) was an American photographer. He photographed American artists, dancers, film and theatre performers, musicians and writers.[1] His portraiture, lighting skill, and ability to capture dancers in what he termed "moving stills" made him one of the most important dance photographers of the 20th century. He photographed the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for three decades, producing a body of work that includes over ten thousand images. He was the official photographer of the American Ballet Theatre for a decade and also photographed dancers for other top ballet companies in the US and Canada. His work appeared in major newspapers and on the cover of major magazines, including over 160 covers of Dance Magazine. Arts Magazine called him the first photographer to treat creative individuals as characters outside of their works. Smithsonian called him the benchmark by which other dance photographers assessed their own work. Early life Mitchell was born in Key West in 1925, and he was raised there and in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, where his family moved in 1931.[2][3] His father worked for the railroad.[2] He became interested in photography, and when he was twelve his parents bought him a Kodak Baby Brownie for $54.[2][3][4] Career By age 15 he had met Florida's licensing standards to obtain a press pass, by age 16 he was working as a commercial photographer,[1][5] and his first published photograph was of Veronica Lake, who was visiting Florida while on a war bonds tour.[2] Mitchell was an Army photographer during World War II, working in Italy.[2] In 1946, after returning home from the army, he set up his first studio in New Smyrna Beach.[1] In 1949, when he was 24, at the invitation of Ted Shawn, he visited Jacob's Pillow Dance and became interested in dance photography, which became a specialty.[2][5] He moved his studio to New York City in 1950.[6] He was the American Ballet Theatre's official photographer.[2] Starting in the 1961 he spent decades photographing the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, producing over 10,000 images of the company;[2][5] Ailey's biographer Jennifer Dunning credited Mitchell's work for "help[ing] to sell the company early on".[5] Mitchell also photographed dancers of the Boston Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Pennsylvania Ballet, Houston Ballet, and San Francisco Ballet.[6] Mitchell shot over 160 covers for Dance Magazine;[2] his 168th cover was published in July 2003.[4] His term for what he was attempting to capture with dance photography was "moving stills."[5] He was known as a lighting expert.[2][5] Mitchell also photographed other artists, entertainers, musicians, and writers, including John Lennon and Yoko Ono just a month before Lennon was murdered.[2] Other subjects included Leonard Bernstein, David Byrne, Truman Capote, Anthony Quinn, Jack Nicholson, Patti LuPone, Keith Haring, Neil Simon, Angela Lansbury, Twyla Tharp, Ned Rorem, Leontyne Price, Alfred Hitchcock, Spalding Gray, Ann Reinking, Andy Warhol, and Natalie Wood.[2] He spent a decade photographing Gloria Swanson.[5] His work appeared in The New York Times, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, Life, Newsweek, People, Rolling Stone, Time, Vanity Fair and Vogue, among others.[2][4][6] Mitchell was the subject of a 2006 documentary, My Life is Black and White, directed by Craig Highberger.[2] His books include Icons & Idols (1998), for which Edward Albee wrote the foreword,[2][4] and a book of his Alvin Ailey photography...
Category

1970s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

TIE Fighter Beatles Large Oversize Pop Art Print Signed Limited Edition
Located in London, GB
TIE Fighter Beatles by B A T I K Pop art work featuring the Fab Four Paul McCartney , George Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon running away from Star Wars TIE fighters chasing...
Category

2010s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

Formation - In Celebration of Pride Month
Located in New Orleans, LA
Stone and Press Gallery is excited to offer several works in celebration of the LGBTQ community. Formation is from a limited edition of 12. It is signed in pencil on back, Nude males are the falling leaves in this autumnal wonderland. A new book on the artist will be published in Spring. London-based Photographer and Graphic designer Omer Ga...
Category

2010s Surrealist Photography

Materials

C Print

Transport of Delight
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Maggie Taylor's digital creations are emblematic, afterimages that invite, transport, and are unforgettable. Taylor's images are built, layer by layer and object by object, through a...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Dali, Power of Imagination - Original Silver Print Photograph, Signed & numbered
Located in Paris, IDF
Marc LACROIX (1927-2007) Dali, Power of Imagination, 1971 Original silver print photograph Signed in ink Numbered on 99 copies On silver print paper 57 x 47 cm (c. 22.4 x 18.5 inch)...
Category

1970s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Invitation to a dream
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Maggie Taylor's digital creations are emblematic, afterimages that invite, transport and are unforgettable. Taylor's images are built, layer by layer and object by object, through a ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Army Of Caine Large Oversize Pop Art Print Signed Limited Edition
Located in London, GB
Army Of Caine by B A T I K Pop art work featuring multiples of Michael Caine in Get Carter mode - possibly his most iconic movie role. Archival pigment pop art print signed & limi...
Category

2010s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

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 Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Psychedelic and Surrealist Dali - Original Gelatin Silver Photography, SIGNED
Located in Paris, IDF
Marc LACROIX (1927-2007) Psychedelic Dalí, 1971 Original silver gelatin photography Signed in ink Numbered on 15 copies On silver print paper 50.5 x 61 cm (c. 19.7 x 24 inch) INFO...
Category

1970s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Dalí with the Cubist Tricorne - Original Gelatin Silver Photography
Located in Paris, IDF
Marc LACROIX (1927-2007) Dalí with the Cubist Tricorne, 1971 Original gelatin silver photograph Signed in ink Numbered on 99 copies On silver print paper 57 x 47 cm (c. 22.4 x 18.5 ...
Category

1970s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Golden Sea and Golden Sky, Child Looking Out, Landscape Photography, Seascape
Located in Miami, FL
A dramatic seascape with golden seas complemented by an equally golden sky is depicted with a child seen from the back gazing out into infinity. The viewer can read into it what he/...
Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

No.119 - black and white surreal double exp. photography, limited edition of 15
Located in London, GB
No.119 captures a phantom ascent in the desert, blending surrealism with the raw textures of nature. Created using double exposure on 4x5 large format film, this haunting black-and-w...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Film, Giclée

TIE Fighter Beatles Large Oversize Pop Art Print Signed Limited Edition
Located in London, GB
TIE Fighter Beatles by B A T I K Pop art work featuring the Fab Four Paul McCartney , George Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon running away from Star Wars TIE fighters chasing...
Category

2010s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

TIE Fighter Beatles Oversize Pop Art Print Signed Limited Edition
Located in London, GB
TIE Fighter Beatles by B A T I K Pop art work featuring the Fab Four Paul McCartney , George Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon running away from Star Wars TIE fighters chasing...
Category

2010s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

"Pygmalion and Galatea 3" Photography 24" x 24" in Ed. of 15 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Pygmalion and Galatea 3" Photography 24" x 24" in Ed. of 15 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA issued by the ar...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

"Speed" Black & White Photography 39" x 49" in Edition 1/3 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Speed" Black & White Photography 39" x 49" in Edition 1/3 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA issued by the arti...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Reaching for the stars - Black and white surrealist photography, Edition of 20
Located in London, GB
A quiet interplay of light, shadow, and form, 'Reaching for the stars' captures a fleeting, dreamlike moment in surrealist composition. The softly illuminated hand reaches toward blu...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Giclée

The Listening Room
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Maggie Taylor's digital creations are emblematic, afterimages that invite, transport, and are unforgettable. Taylor's images are built, layer by layer and object by object, through a...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

TIE Fighter Beatles Large Oversize Pop Art Print Signed Limited Edition
Located in London, GB
TIE Fighter Beatles by B A T I K Pop art work featuring the Fab Four Paul McCartney , George Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon running away from Star Wars TIE fighters chasing...
Category

2010s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

TIE Fighter Beatles Large Oversize Pop Art Print Signed Limited Edition
Located in London, GB
TIE Fighter Beatles by B A T I K Pop art work featuring the Fab Four Paul McCartney , George Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon running away from Star Wars TIE fighters chasing...
Category

2010s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

Army Of Caine Large Oversize Pop Art Print Signed Limited Edition
Located in London, GB
Army Of Caine by B A T I K Pop art work featuring multiples of Michael Caine in Get Carter mode - possibly his most iconic movie role. Archival pigment pop art print signed & limi...
Category

2010s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

Israeli Mixed Media Painting, Tumarkin Abstract Surrealist Photo Collage
Located in Surfside, FL
Abstract Surrealist Photo collage with painting. Mixed Media with or about Amos Keinan the Israeli Playwright and journalist. Yigal Tumarkin (also Igael Tumarkin) (born 1933) is an ...
Category

1960s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Mixed Media, Silver Gelatin

The Gatekeeper
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Maggie Taylor's digital creations are emblematic, afterimages that invite, transport and are unforgettable. Taylor's images are built, layer by layer and object by object, through a ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Man Ray, Solarized Portrait of Georges Braque, Electa Editrice, 1980 (after)
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite heliogravure after Man Ray (1890–1976), titled Solarized Portrait of Georges Braque, originates from the 1980 folio Man Ray, Electa Editrice Portfolios. Published by G...
Category

1980s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Lithograph

Man Ray, Cover Project for the Album, Photographs 1920–1934, 1980 (after)
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite heliogravure after Man Ray (1890–1976), titled Cover Project for the Album, Photographs 1920–1934, originates from the 1980 folio Man Ray, Electa Editrice Portfolios. ...
Category

1980s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Lithograph

"Lawless" Black & White Photography 29.5" x 24" in Ed. 1/15 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Lawless" Black & White Photography 29.5" 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. ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

"Six" Black & White Photography 31" x 31" inch Edition 1/7 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Six" Black & White Photography 31" x 31" inch Edition 1/7 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA issued by the arti...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

"Born" Black & White Photography 24" x 29.5" in Edition 1/15 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Born" Black & White Photography 24" x 29.5" in Edition 1/15 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Not framed. Ships in a tub...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Welcome to the water planet.
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
In 1981 Maggie Taylor (b. 1961) began to photograph while she was a student at Yale University majoring in philosophy. She primarily took photographs of suburban landscapes and stran...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Digital Pigment

TIE Fighter Beatles Large Oversize Pop Art Print Signed Limited Edition
Located in London, GB
TIE Fighter Beatles by B A T I K Pop art work featuring the Fab Four Paul McCartney , George Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon running away from Star Wars TIE fighters chasing...
Category

2010s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

Marsh Flight, Steady My Steed, limited edition photograph, archival, signed
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Marsh Flight, Steady My Steed, limited edition photograph, archival, signed and numbered I present unspoken stories that illustrate fleeting moments in time and which are intended t...
Category

2010s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Suzanne Camp Crosby "Enchanted Forest" 1989 Original Photograph
Located in New York, NY
Suzanne Camp Crosby (American, 1948-2020) Enchanted Forest, 1989 Cibachrome Sight: 14 3/4 x 14 3/4 in. Framed: 23 x 22 x 7/8 in. Signed and inscrib...
Category

1980s Surrealist Photography

Materials

C Print

Army Of Caine Large Oversize Pop Art Print Signed Limited Edition
Located in London, GB
Army Of Caine by B A T I K Pop art work featuring multiples of Michael Caine in Get Carter mode - possibly his most iconic movie role. Archival pigment pop art print signed & limi...
Category

2010s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

Exterior of Dalí's Figueras Castle - Original Gelatin Silver Photography
Located in Paris, IDF
Marc LACROIX (1927-2007) Exterior of Dalí's Figueras Castle, 1971 Original silver gelatin photograph Signed in ink Numbered on 10 copies On silver print paper 50.5 x 61 cm (c. 19.7 ...
Category

1970s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Dalí in Pool - Original Gelatin Dilver Photography
Located in Paris, IDF
Marc LACROIX (1927-2007) Dalí in Pool, 1971 Original Gelatin Dilver photograph Signed in ink Numbered on 50 copies On Gelatin Dilver paper 56.5 x 48.5 cm (c. 22 x 18.9 inch) INFOR...
Category

1970s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Our House, limited edition color print, signed and numbered
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Our House, limited edition color print, signed and numbered Maggie Taylor's digital creations are emblematic, afterimages that invite, transport, and are unforgettable. Taylor's im...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Dalí with White Flowers - Original Gelatin Silver Photography, SIGNED
Located in Paris, IDF
Marc LACROIX (1927-2007) Dalí with White Flowers, 1971 Original gelatin silver photography Signed in ink Numbered on 99 copies On silver print paper 57 x 47 cm (c. 22.4 x 18.5 inch)...
Category

1970s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

The next big adventure.
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
In 1981 Maggie Taylor (b. 1961) began to photograph while she was a student at Yale University majoring in philosophy. She primarily took photographs of suburban landscapes and stran...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Digital Pigment

Vanilla
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Maggie Taylor's digital creations are emblematic, afterimages that invite, transport, and are unforgettable. Taylor's images are built, layer by layer and object by object, through a...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

“Al Andalus” Nude Photography 30" x 24" inch Edition 2/12 by Brian Ziff
Located in Culver City, CA
Al Andalus” Nude Photography 30" x 24" inch Edition 2/12 by Brian Ziff Giclee (Archival Ink) Print on Canson Platine Fibre Rag Not framed. Ships in tube ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Rag Paper, Giclée

The Night Feast
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Maggie Taylor's digital creations are emblematic, afterimages that invite, transport, and are unforgettable. Taylor's images are built, layer by layer and object by object, through a...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

"Age, Sex, Beauty" Photography 30" x 45" in Ed. of 7 by Masha Ko & Kolten Horner
Located in Culver City, CA
"Age, Sex, Beauty" Photography 30" x 45" in Ed. of 7 by Masha Ko & Kolten Horner Available sizes: Edition of 15: 24" 36" Edition of 7: 30" 45" Edition of 3: 40" 60" Masha Ko ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Paper, Digital

The bird watchers.
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
In 1981 Maggie Taylor (b. 1961) began to photograph while she was a student at Yale University majoring in philosophy. She primarily took photographs of suburban landscapes and stran...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Digital Pigment

Man Ray, Rayograph to the Skein of Wool, from Electa Editrice, 1980 (after)
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite heliogravure after Man Ray (1890–1976), titled Rayograph to the Skein of Wool, originates from the 1980 folio Man Ray, Electa Editrice Portfolios. Published by Gruppo Editoriale Electra, Milano, and printed by Gruppo Editoriale Electra, Milano, 1980. This work exemplifies Man Ray’s invention of the “rayograph,” a cameraless photographic technique in which objects are placed directly on light-sensitive paper and exposed to light. The resulting image, both abstract and tangible, transforms a simple skein of wool into a mysterious interplay of light, form, and shadow. The composition captures the poetic essence of Man Ray’s Surrealist experimentation—an alchemy of chance and precision that fuses everyday materials with pure visual abstraction. Executed as a heliogravure on velin paper, this work measures 15.75 x 11.75 inches. Unsigned and unnumbered as issued. The edition exemplifies the refined craftsmanship of Gruppo Editoriale Electra, Milano. Artwork Details: Artist: After Man Ray (1890–1976) Title: Rayograph to the Skein of Wool Medium: Heliogravure on velin paper Dimensions: 15.75 x 11.75 inches (40.01 x 29.84 cm) Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered as issued Date: 1980 Publisher: Gruppo Editoriale Electra, Milano Printer: Gruppo Editoriale Electra, Milano Condition: Well preserved, consistent with age and medium Provenance: From the folio Man Ray, Electa Editrice Portfolios, published and printed by Gruppo Editoriale Electra, Milano, 1980 Notes: Excerpted from the folio (translated from Italian), Limited edition of M examples, drawn in heliogravure on special paper, designed specifically for the Portfolios Electa. Gruppo Editoriale Electra/Milan. Printed in Italy. About the Publication: The Man Ray, Electa Editrice Portfolio (1980) was published by Gruppo Editoriale Electra in Milan as part of the distinguished Electa Portfolios series, which celebrated the masters of 20th-century photography through the artisanal process of heliogravure printing. This edition was dedicated to Man Ray’s seminal body of photographic work from 1920 to 1934—an era in which he redefined modern image-making through technical invention, surrealist experimentation, and intellectual daring. Produced in collaboration with leading photographic historians and Italian master printers, the portfolio was printed on specially manufactured velin paper designed exclusively for the Electa Portfolios, ensuring tonal precision and textural depth true to the artist’s originals. The publication represents one of the most refined posthumous tributes to Man Ray’s legacy, combining Italian craftsmanship with avant-garde vision to preserve the luminous complexity of his photographs. Created with the same devotion to innovation and elegance that characterized Man Ray’s own practice, this edition remains an important intersection of fine art publishing and modernist history. About the Artist: Man Ray (1890–1976) was an American-born painter, sculptor, photographer, filmmaker, and conceptual visionary whose radical imagination and technical innovation transformed modern art and established him as one of the leading figures of the 20th century. Born Emmanuel Radnitzky in Philadelphia, he became a central force in both the Dada and Surrealist movements, defying artistic boundaries and redefining the relationship between art, technology, and the unconscious. After early involvement in New York’s avant-garde with Francis Picabia and Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray moved to Paris in 1921, where he joined a revolutionary circle of artists including Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Wassily Kandinsky, and Marcel Duchamp. There, he pioneered the “rayograph,” or photogram—a cameraless photographic technique that used light and shadow to create ethereal abstract compositions—and produced some of the most iconic images in art history, including Le Violon d’Ingres (1924) and Noire et Blanche (1926). His photography, distinguished by its fusion of elegance, surrealism, and psychological depth, captured the essence of modernist Paris and immortalized creative icons such as Kiki de Montparnasse, Gertrude Stein, and James Joyce. At the same time, Man Ray’s experimental films, including Le Retour a la Raison (1923) and L’Etoile de mer (1928), and his sculptural works like The Gift (1921) and Object to Be Destroyed (1923), expanded the possibilities of art itself, transforming ordinary objects into symbols of mystery and desire. His conceptual approach—viewing art as an idea rather than an object—anticipated later movements such as Pop Art, Minimalism, and Conceptual Art, profoundly influencing artists like Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, and Joseph Beuys, as well as photographers Helmut Newton, Guy Bourdin, Cindy Sherman, and Richard Avedon. Even in exile during World War II, while working in Los Angeles, he continued to innovate, blending Surrealist fantasy with the luminosity of the California landscape before returning to Paris, where he spent his final decades refining his poetic, intellectual, and sensuous vision. Exhibited in major institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art, the Tate Modern, and the Centre Pompidou, Man Ray’s work remains foundational to modern art history—bridging painting, photography, film, and sculpture in a body of work that continues to shape the language of visual culture. Standing alongside Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Wassily Kandinsky, and Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray endures as one of the most original and influential artists of the modern era. His highest auction record was achieved by Noire et Blanche (1926), which sold for 3.13 million USD at Christie’s, Paris, on November 9, 2017, confirming his status as a timeless innovator whose genius continues to inspire artists, collectors, and dreamers worldwide. Man Ray Rayograph...
Category

1980s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Lithograph

Lucky, Color Photograph, Archival Pigment Ink Print, signed and numbered
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Lucky, 2023 is a recent archival pigment ink print by Maggie Taylor. All prints are signed and numbered by Maggie Taylor. Maggie Taylor's digital creations are emblematic, afterima...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

The patient traveler.
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
In 1981 Maggie Taylor (b. 1961) began to photograph while she was a student at Yale University majoring in philosophy. She primarily took photographs of suburban landscapes and stran...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Digital Pigment

New moon.
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
In 1981 Maggie Taylor (b. 1961) began to photograph while she was a student at Yale University majoring in philosophy. She primarily took photographs of suburban landscapes and stran...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Digital Pigment

Like No One is Watching, limited edition color print, signed and numbered
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Like No One is Watching, limited edition color print, signed and numbered Maggie Taylor's digital creations are emblematic, afterimages that invite, transport, and are unforgettabl...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

The Next Big Adventure
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Maggie Taylor's digital creations are emblematic, afterimages that invite, transport and are unforgettable. Taylor's images are built, layer by layer and object by object, through a ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Surrealist photography for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Surrealist 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 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, orange, purple and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Mitchell Funk, Rosemary Ellis, Brian Ziff, and FPA Francis Pavy Artist. 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 photography, so small editions measuring 4.5 inches across are also available. Prices for 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 $28,800, while the average work sells for $1,750.

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