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Surrealist Abstract Prints

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
Dubuffet, Composition Barbe (Webel 775-779), La Fleur de Barbe (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Phototype on vélin d’Arches paper. Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the volume, La Fleur de Barbe, 1960. Published by Jean Dubu...
Category

1960s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Photogravure

Dubuffet, Composition Barbe (Webel 775-779), La Fleur de Barbe (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Phototype on vélin d’Arches paper. Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the volume, La Fleur de Barbe, 1960. Published by Jean Dubu...
Category

1960s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Photogravure

Dubuffet, Composition Barbe (Webel 775-779), La Fleur de Barbe (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Phototype on vélin d’Arches paper. Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the volume, La Fleur de Barbe, 1960. Published by Jean Dubu...
Category

1960s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Photogravure

Dubuffet, Composition (Webel 775-779), La Fleur de Barbe (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Phototype on vélin d’Arches paper. Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the volume, La Fleur de Barbe, 1960. Published by Jean Dubu...
Category

1960s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Photogravure

Dubuffet, Composition Barbe (Webel 775-779), La Fleur de Barbe (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Phototype on vélin d’Arches paper. Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the volume, La Fleur de Barbe, 1960. Published by Jean Dubu...
Category

1960s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Photogravure

Bill, Composition, XXe Siècle (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Linocut on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the volume, XXe Siècle, vol. no. 4, 1938. Published by Editions XXe Siècle, Paris; Printed by Mourlot, Paris, 1938. MAX BILL (1908-1994) was a Swiss architect, artist, painter, typeface designer, industrial designer and graphic designer. Bill is widely considered the single most decisive influence on Swiss graphic design beginning in the 1950s with his theoretical writing and progressive work. His connection to the days of the Modern Movement gave him special authority. As an industrial designer, his work is characterized by a clarity of design and precise proportions. Examples are the elegant clocks and watches designed for Junghans, a long-term client. Among Bill's most notable product designs is the "Ulmer Hocker...
Category

1930s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Linocut

Magnelli, Papier collé, XXe Siècle (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the volume, XXe Siècle, vol. no. 6, 1956. Published by ...
Category

1950s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Dubuffet, Personnages II, XXe Siècle (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Original Edition Lithograph on wove paper. Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Excellent Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the volume, XXe Siècle, vol. no. 6, 1956. Publ...
Category

1950s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Dubuffet, Personnages I, XXe Siècle (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Original Edition Lithograph on wove paper. Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Excellent Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the volume, XXe Siècle, vol. no. 6, 1956. Publ...
Category

1950s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Dubuffet, Barbe des perplexites, XXe Siècle (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Original Edition Lithograph on wove paper. Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Excellent Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the volume, XXe Siècle, vol. no. 14, 1960. Pub...
Category

1960s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Ernst, Composition, Cahiers d'Art (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Excellent Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the volume, Cahiers d'Art, vol. 24, no. 2, 1949. P...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Ernst, Composition for Werner Spies (Spies/Leppien 251) (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: Published by M. DuMont Schauberg, Cologne; printed by Pierre...
Category

1970s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Ernst, Deux Oiseaux (Spies/Leppien 438) (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: Published and printed by Poligrafa, Barcelona, 1970. MAX ER...
Category

1970s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Death is something like Cousin Cynthia (Spies/Leppien 13 IV), Max Ernst
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Photogram from a frottage in black in white on photosensitive paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: A photogram was a...
Category

1930s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Photogram

Ernst, Elektra, XXe Siècle (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the volume, XXe Siècle, vol. no. 5-6, 1939. Published b...
Category

1930s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Miro, Composition, The Prints of Joan Miro (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Etching on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued; publisher’s imprint, verso, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, The Prin...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

Miro, Composition, The Prints of Joan Miro (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Etching on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued; publisher’s imprint, verso, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, The Prin...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

Miro, Composition, The Prints of Joan Miro (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Etching on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued; publisher’s imprint, verso, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, The Prin...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

Miro, Composition, The Prints of Joan Miro (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Etching on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued; publisher’s imprint, verso, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, The Prin...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

Miro, Composition, The Prints of Joan Miro (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Etching on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued; publisher’s imprint, verso, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, The Prin...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

Miro, Composition, The Prints of Joan Miro (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Etching on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued; publisher’s imprint, verso, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, The Prin...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

Miro, Composition, The Prints of Joan Miro (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Etching on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued; publisher’s imprint, verso, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, The Prin...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

Miro, Composition, The Prints of Joan Miro (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Etching on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued; publisher’s imprint, verso, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, The Prin...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

Miro, Composition, The Prints of Joan Miro (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Etching on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued; publisher’s imprint, verso, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, The Prin...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

Miro, Composition, The Prints of Joan Miro (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Etching on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued; publisher’s imprint, verso, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, The Prin...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

Miro, Composition, The Prints of Joan Miro (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Etching on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued; publisher’s imprint, verso, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, The Prin...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

Miro, Composition, The Prints of Joan Miro (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Etching on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued; publisher’s imprint, verso, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, The Prin...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

Miro, Composition, The Prints of Joan Miro (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Etching on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued; publisher’s imprint, verso, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, The Prin...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

Miro, Composition, The Prints of Joan Miro (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Etching on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued; publisher’s imprint, verso, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, The Prin...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

Miro, Composition, The Prints of Joan Miro (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Etching on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued; publisher’s imprint, verso, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, The Prin...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

Miro, Composition, The Prints of Joan Miro (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Etching on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued; publisher’s imprint, verso, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, The Prin...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

Miro, Composition, The Prints of Joan Miro (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Etching on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued; publisher’s imprint, verso, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, The Prin...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

Miro, Composition, The Prints of Joan Miro (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Etching on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued; publisher’s imprint, verso, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, The Prin...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

Miro, Composition, The Prints of Joan Miro (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Etching on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued; publisher’s imprint, verso, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, The Prin...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

Miro, Composition, The Prints of Joan Miro (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Etching on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued; publisher’s imprint, verso, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, The Prin...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

Miro, Composition, The Prints of Joan Miro (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Etching on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued; publisher’s imprint, verso, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, The Prin...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

Miro, Composition, The Prints of Joan Miro (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Etching on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued; publisher’s imprint, verso, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, The Prin...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

Miro, Composition, The Prints of Joan Miro (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Etching on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued; publisher’s imprint, verso, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, The Prin...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

Miro, Composition, The Prints of Joan Miro (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Etching on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued; publisher’s imprint, verso, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, The Prin...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

Miro, Composition, The Prints of Joan Miro (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Etching on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued; publisher’s imprint, verso, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, The Prin...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

Miro, Composition, The Prints of Joan Miro (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Etching on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued; publisher’s imprint, verso, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, The Prin...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

Miro, Composition, The Prints of Joan Miro (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Etching on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued; publisher’s imprint, verso, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, The Prin...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

Miro, Composition, The Prints of Joan Miro (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Etching on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued; publisher’s imprint, verso, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, The Prin...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

Miro, Composition, The Prints of Joan Miro (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Etching on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued; publisher’s imprint, verso, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, The Prin...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

Miro, Composition, The Prints of Joan Miro (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Etching on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued; publisher’s imprint, verso, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, The Prin...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

Miro, Composition, The Prints of Joan Miro (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Etching on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued; publisher’s imprint, verso, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, The Prin...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

Miro, Composition, The Prints of Joan Miro (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Etching on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued; publisher’s imprint, verso, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, The Prin...
Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

Miro, Composition (Mourlot 244), XXe Siècle (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition. Notes: From the volume, XXe Siècle, n°8, January 1957. Published and printed under the dire...
Category

1950s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Miro, Composition (Mourlot 265; Cramer 62) (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on Vellum Paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good Condition with centerfold, as issued; never framed or matted. Notes: From volume, Derrière le miroir...
Category

1960s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Miro, Composition (Mourlot 234; Cramer 39) (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good Condition, with centerfold, as issued; never framed or matted. Notes: From volume, Joan Miro by Jacque...
Category

1950s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Miro, Composition (Mourlot 233; Cramer 39) (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good Condition, with centerfold, as issued; never framed or matted. Notes: From volume, Joan Miro by Jacque...
Category

1950s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Miro, Composition (Mourlot 235; Cramer 39) (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From volume, Joan Miro by Jacques Prévert and Georges Ribemo...
Category

1950s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Miro, Woman at the Mirror (Mourlot 242; Cramer 36) (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on Vellum Paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good Condition with centerfold, as issued; never framed or matted. Notes: From volume, Derrière le miroir...
Category

1950s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Miro, Prévert, Ribemont-Dessaignes, Composition (Mourlot 236; Cramer 39) (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good Condition, with centerfold, as issued; never framed or matted. Notes: From volume, Joan Miro by Jacque...
Category

1950s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Miro, Composition (Mourlot 230; Cramer 39) (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From volume, Joan Miro by Jacques Prévert and Georges Ribemo...
Category

1950s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Miro, Composition (Mourlot 237; Cramer 39) (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From volume, Joan Miro by Jacques Prévert and Georges Ribemo...
Category

1950s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Miro, Composition (Mourlot 238; Cramer 39) (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good Condition, with centerfold, as issued; never framed or matted. Notes: From volume, Joan Miro by Jacque...
Category

1950s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Miro, Composition (Mourlot 232; Cramer 39) (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From volume, Joan Miro by Jacques Prévert and Georges Ribemo...
Category

1950s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Surrealist abstract prints for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Surrealist abstract prints available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 20th Century, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add abstract prints created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, purple, orange, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including (after) Joan Miró, Holger Bäckström, Joan Miró, and John Hultberg. Frequently made by artists working with Lithograph, and Mixed Media 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 prints, so small editions measuring 2.5 inches across are also available. Prices for abstract prints 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 $88 and tops out at $1,450,000, while the average work sells for $947.

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