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Surrealist Figurative Sculptures

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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Item Ships From: USA
Style: Surrealist
Surrealist Mosaic Surfboard, "Kailini"
Located in San Diego, CA
This is an original one of a kind surrealist figurative mosaic on a surfboard by San Diego artist, Cheryl Tall. It is wired and ready to hang on a wall if desired. Its dimensions are 24x70x1. A certificate of authenticity signed by the artist will follow delivery of this piece. This is a very detailed elegant work of art where the artist has used tiles...
Category

2010s Surrealist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Mosaic

Surreal Sculpture: 'Sir Oswald'
Located in New York, NY
Combining found elements with those fashioned by my own hand, my work encompasses two- and three-dimensional collage as well as sculptural objects. Infused with a rich sense of histo...
Category

2010s Surrealist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Mixed Media

Surreal Sculpture: 'Saint Michel'
Located in New York, NY
Combining found elements with those fashioned by my own hand, my work encompasses two- and three-dimensional collage as well as sculptural objects. Infused with a rich sense of histo...
Category

2010s Surrealist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Mixed Media

Surreal Sculpture: 'White Rose'
Located in New York, NY
Combining found elements with those fashioned by my own hand, my work encompasses two- and three-dimensional collage as well as sculptural objects. Infused with a rich sense of histo...
Category

2010s Surrealist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Mixed Media

Party Animals
Located in Loveland, CO
Party Animals by Gary Alsum Bronze 8x12x8" ed/75 #2 available Dogs take over a classic VW bug in this playful composition. Green and multi-brown patina, l...
Category

2010s Surrealist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Surrealist Hanging Wall Sculpture, "Tete- a -Tete"
Located in San Diego, CA
This is a one of a kind original wall sculpture by San Diego artist, Cheryl Tall. Its diameter is 12 inches. A Certificate of Authenticity will follow the delivery of this piece. Th...
Category

2010s Surrealist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Surreal Sculpture: 'Tin Man'
Located in New York, NY
Combining found elements with those fashioned by my own hand, my work encompasses two- and three-dimensional collage as well as sculptural objects. Infused with a rich sense of histo...
Category

2010s Surrealist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Mixed Media

Surrealist Hanging Wall Sculpture, "I'll Be Your Server"
Located in San Diego, CA
This is a one of a kind original wall sculpture by San Diego artist, Cheryl Tall. Its diameter is 12 inches. A Certificate of Authenticity will follow the delivery of this piece. Th...
Category

2010s Surrealist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Surrealist Hanging Wall Sculpture, "Let's Go To Paris"
Located in San Diego, CA
This is a one of a kind original wall sculpture by San Diego artist, Cheryl Tall. Its diameter is 12 inches. A Certificate of Authenticity will follow the delivery of this piece. Th...
Category

2010s Surrealist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Surrealist Hanging Wall Sculpture, "Happy Hour"
Located in San Diego, CA
This is a one of a kind original wall sculpture by San Diego artist, Cheryl Tall. Its diameter is 12 inches. A Certificate of Authenticity will follow the delivery of this piece. Th...
Category

2010s Surrealist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Reinhoud dHaese Sculpture Mythical Figure Copper & Stone
Located in Detroit, MI
SALE ONE WEEK ONLY This work by Reinhoud d'Haese is a magnificent hammered copper figure on a natural stone base. This mythical creature, large and corpulent, invites a caress of it...
Category

1960s Surrealist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Stone, Copper

Kinetic Bronze Expressionist Sculpture Skier or Surfer Modernist Sporting Figure
Located in Surfside, FL
Vintage stylized figural sculpture by J James Akston (1898-1983 Poland/New York/Florida) Crafted of cast bronze with a rich dark brown patina. A sports figure, depicting a snow skiing or water surfing figure in a Mid Century Modern Brutalist style. Segmented torso with movable parts. Mounted to a variegated green marble base. Signed with artist signature on edge of ski or surf board. Bronze statue measures 13" x 10 1/2" Overall height with marble base 19 inches. (it is either a surfboard or a snowboard) Joseph James Akston was a Polish American sculptor, painter, known for surrealist abstract painting and Aubusson (for Les Ateliers Pinton Frères, tapisserie d'aubusson) tapestry artist. Born in Warsaw, Poland in 1898 he died in Palm Beach Florida in 1983. During the 1960s and '70s the entrepreneur-artist James Joseph Akston adopted a unique Surreal Expressionist style in order to present his private primordial universe and lampoon its denizens, a ribald cast of animal creatures with human foibles. A successful industrialist, he began his career with General Motors foreign operations and then started his own business. Intermittently he studied painting, first with Jerry Farnsworth...
Category

Mid-20th Century Surrealist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

"Man in Green Shirt, " Acrylic on Ceramic
Located in Chicago, IL
Although this whimsical sculpture by Allan Winkler has the look of outsider art, this ceramic work stems from the art school-trained artist’s interest in...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic, Acrylic

Alpha Dogs
Located in Loveland, CO
Alpha Dogs by Gary Alsum Bronze car driven by dogs ​4x7x5" ed/75 #1 available Shipping price includes the custom packing necessary for fine art. A new body of work that takes on a ...
Category

2010s Surrealist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Large Salvador Dali Surrealist Bronze Portrait Sculpture Mexican Master Aguilar
Located in Surfside, FL
Carlos Aguilar y Linares, Mexican Sculptor (1945-2010) Sculpture chose him. In his hands and his soul he always had the necessary impulse to create wi...
Category

20th Century Surrealist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Angels
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork "Angels" 1984 is a embossed paper bas-relief sculpture by Chilean artist Lucia Waiser, b. 1940. it is hand signed and inscribed A/P (Artist Proof) in white pencil by the artist. The size of the subject is 12.75 x 15 inches, over all size is 15 x 22 inches. It is in excellent condition. About the artist: Lucia Waiser Palombo was born in Santiago on September 30, 1940. She studied Design at the Art School of the University of Chile, from which he graduated in 1966. Later he moved to the United States to study drawing at Foothill College in California. In 1976 he traveled to England where he completed a Master in Art Theory and History at the University of Sussex. The following year he studied lithography at the Brighton Polytechnic Institute. In 1980 he returned to the United States and entered Stanford University to study sculpture with Richad Randell. In 1984, he completed his artistic apprenticeship at the University of Berkeley, California, conducting a paper workshop dictated by Joan Rhine. Selected museums and public collections: COLLECTION IBM, SANTIAGO, CHILE CEMENTO MELON SA, LA CALERA, CHILE WINTHERTUR MUSEUM, SWITZERLAND SOUTH MUSEUM, CHILOE, CHILE VALDIVIA MUSEUM, VALDIVIA, CHILE SALVADOR ALLENDE MUSEUM, SANTIAGO, CHILE CONSULATE OF CHILE IN NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES NORGLAS, SANTIAGO, CHILE PAPELES BIO-BIO SA, CONCEPCION, CHILE SCULPTURE PARK, PROVIDENCIA, SANTIAGO, CHILE Selected exhibitions 1981 Selected in Sculpture, Seventh National Securities Placement Contest, Chile. 1991 Honorable Mention, Parque Arauco Es-Cultura Contest, Santiago. 1966 University of Chile, School of Design, Santiago, Chile. 1968 Vidal, Zurich, Switzerland. 1978 Bell, Book and Candle, San Juan, Puerto Rico. 1978 Lou Henry Hoover House, Standford University, Standford, California, United States. 1981 For being a Woman, South Gallery, Santiago, Chile. 1982 San Francisco Museum Gallery, California, United States. 1983 Época Gallery, Santiago, Chile. 1984 Chilean-French Institute. 1987 Carmen Waugh Gallery, Santiago, Chile. 1988 Del Cerro Gallery, Santiago, Chile. 1990 Sculpture Park, Santiago, Chile. 1991 British Chilean Institute of Culture, Santiago, Chile. 1992 National Painting Competition El Color del Sur, Puerto Varas, Chile. 1995 Arte Actual Gallery, Santiago, Chile. 2009 Accomplices, sculptures 2009, Artespacio Gallery, Santiago, Chile. 1967 IL Principe, Florence, Italy. 1967 Bottega di Fulgenzi, Florence, Italy. 1979 Los Robles Gallery, Palo Alto, California, United States. 1980 Lou Henry Hoover House, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States. 1980 Printers Inc., Palo Alto, California, United States. 1980 Palo Alto Cultural Center, Palo Alto, California, United States. 1981 VII National Securities Placement Contest, National Museum of Fine Arts, Santiago, Chile. 1982 Los Robles Gallery, Palo Alto, California, United States. 1982 Adam and Eve, Época Gallery, Santiago, Chile. 1982 Innate Harmony, London, England. 1982 Christie's Contemporary Art, London, England. 1983 Five Women Artists, Espacio Arte Gallery, Santiago, Chile. 1983 Contemporary Textile, Goethe Institut, Santiago, Chile. 1983 Third Anniversary Exhibition, The Moss Gallery, San Francisco, California, United States. 1983 Center Culturel de L'Amérique Latine, Paris, France. 1984 Bread in Art, South Gallery, Santiago, Chile. 1984 Small Format, South Gallery, Santiago, Chile. 1984 The Art and Survival of the Planet, National Museum of Natural History, Santiago, Chile. 1986 Nuestro Mundo Andino, Galería Arte Actual, Santiago, Chile. 1986 La Tertulia, Museum of Modern Art, Cali, Colombia. 1987 Carmen Waugh Gallery, Casa Larga, Santiago, Chile. 1987 The Couple, Época Gallery, Santiago, Chile. 1988 Exhibition and auction of works by national artists, Dutch Embassy, ​​Santiago, Chile. 1988 Painting the Painting, El Cerro Gallery, Santiago, Chile. 1988 Sculptors' Meeting, Plaza Mulato Gil de Castro...
Category

Late 20th Century Surrealist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Mixed Media

Rare Salvador Dali Surrealist 3D Pop Up Etching Engraving Paper Sculpture 1973
Located in Surfside, FL
Genre: Surrealism Subject: people, architecture rendering Medium: Etching Surface: Paper Salvador Dali (Spanish, 1904-1989) I believe the title is L'Immortalite de L'Imperialisme Genetique, 1973, From Dix Recettes d'Immortalité, Published by Audouin-Descharnes, Paris, (Michler & Löpsinger 567-577) 3-Dimensional pop-up etching on stiff wove paper, (etchings with drypoint and heliogravure). Pencil hand signed lower right and pencil numbered 100/210 lower left. On Auvergne paper. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Galerie Michael, Beverly Hills, CA Open: 13 1/2" x 30 1/2" x 22" it folds flat and closes like a pop up birthday card. It can be displayed in a plexiglass case like a Charles Fazzino or Red Grooms artwork. Salvador Dali Biography 1904-1989 Salvador Dali is considered as the greatest original artist of the surrealist art movement and one of the greatest masters of art of the twentieth century. Dali began to study art at the Royal Academy of Art in Madrid. He was expelled twice and never took the final examinations. His opinion was that he was more qualified than those who should have examined him. Surreal Art In 1928 Dali went to Paris where he met the Spanish painters Pablo Picasso and Joan Miro. He established himself as the principal figure of a group of surrealist artists grouped around Andre Breton, who was something like the theoretical "schoolmaster" of surrealism. Years later Breton turned away from Dali accusing him of support of fascism, excessive self-presentation and financial greediness. By 1929 Dali had found his personal style that should make him famous - the world of the unconscious that is recalled during our dreams. The surrealist theory is based on the theories of the psychologist Dr. Sigmund Freud. Recurring images of burning giraffes and melting watches...
Category

1970s Surrealist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Paper, Board, Etching

Monkey Girl II
By James Johnson
Located in Long Island City, NY
A mixed media sculpture by James Johnson from 2002. A pregnant female figure of epoxy resin with copper wings and a simian face. Artist: James Johnson Title: Monkey Girl 2 Year...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Copper

Teutonia, Bronze Sculpture, by Stefan Vladescu 1992
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Stefan Vladescu, Romanian (1952 - ) Title: Teutonia Year: 1992 Medium: Bronze Sculpture on marble base, signed and dated Size: 18.5 x 10 x 9 inches Base 2 x 11 x 10 inches
Category

1990s Surrealist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Four Surrealist Skeletal Figures Unique Painted Mini Folding Screen
Located in Long Island City, NY
A very cool and stylish mini folding screen of carved figures hand painted by an unknown artist. It is likely from around 1970, the figures are a bit surrealist and match in a stiff ...
Category

1970s Surrealist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Paint, Wood

Woman with Head of Roses, Surrealist Bronze Sculpture by Salvador Dali
Located in Long Island City, NY
"Woman with Head of Roses" or "Femme à Tête de Roses" is a bronze sculpture by Surrealist Salvador Dali. This interesting piece, referenced by Descharnes as number 684, includes a pl...
Category

1980s Surrealist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Monograph: BOTERO SCULPTURE (hardback book, hand signed by Fernando Botero)
Located in New York, NY
Fernando Botero BOTERO SCULPTURE (hand signed by Fernando Botero), 1987 Hardback monograph with dust jacket (hand signed by Fernando Botero) Hand signed by Fernando on the first front end page 13 × 11 1/2 × 1 1/2 inches Provenance Hand signed for the present owner at Fernando Botero Sculpture...
Category

1980s Surrealist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Lithograph, Offset

Don Quixote Bas Relief in Original Velvet Box
Located in Missouri, MO
"Don Quixote" 1979 Bronze (encased in original velvet box) Signed Lower right Numbered Lower Left 157/215 Size of Relief: 27" x 18.5" Size of Velvet box: 29.5" x 21" x 3.25" Provenance: Martin Lawrence Galleries Salvador Felipe Jacinto Dali was born May 11, 1904 in the small Spanish town of Figueras in the province of Catalunya. The name 'Salvador' had been given to an older brother who died in infancy. When Dali was born the name was passed on to him. No one could have known just how revolutionary and important this name would become to the art world. Growing up, Dali was a difficult child and refused to conform to family or community customs. Dali's father, a respected notary, his mother and younger sister all encouraged Dali's early interest in art. In fact, a room in the family home was the young artist's first studio. Early on, Dali's talent was already refined beyond his years, and with each year his talent only grew, as did his interests. After receiving private art lessons in Figueras for some time, Dali enrolled at the Escuela de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid in 1921. There he joined an avant-garde circle of students that included film-maker Luis Bunuel and poet-dramatist Federico Garcia Lorca. Although Dali excelled in his academic pursuits, he never took final examinations, deeming that he had no need for the type of education offered by formal schooling. He was expelled and reinstated, yet it mattered little to him. Salvador Dali's passion for the arts and his need to experience life on his own terms could not be met within the confines of school. He left. This did not sit well with Dali's father however, and Salvador was subsequently disowned. With no true home left to him, Dali moved into a fisherman's shack in the small village of Port Lligat, two miles from Cadaques and not far from the French border. Port Lligat would become the site of Dali's future mansion home where he would spend many years of his life. It was at this time that Dali came under the influence of two forces that shaped his philosophy and his art. The first was Sigmund Freud's theory of the unconscious, introduced to Dali in Freud's book The Interpretation of Dreams. The second was his association with the French surrealists, a group of artists and writers led by the French poet Andre Breton. When Dali visited Paris for the first time, he was introduced to the leading surrealists in the movement, but because of his lack of interest in politics, he was eventually shunned by this group. It was also around this time that Dali met the woman who was to become one the most important people in his life... his wife and soul mate, Gala. Gala was a Russian girl...
Category

1970s Surrealist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Hebru Brantley Gaia (Hebru Brantley Lil Mama as Gaia)
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Hebru Brantley GAIA (Hebru Brantley Lil Mama as Gaia): Hebru Brantley’s ethereal art toy features his much iconic, Lil Mama character as Gaia, the...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Vinyl

Bust of John F. Kennedy
Located in Long Island City, NY
This iconoclastic sculpture links two of the twentieth century’s most renowned figures: President John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Salvador Dalí. Cast in wax and decorated with paperclip...
Category

1960s Surrealist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Centaur, Outdoor Sculpture by Ernst Neizvestny
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Ernst Neizvestny, Russian (1926 - 2016) Title: Centaur Year: 1973-89 Medium: Bronze Sculpture, signature and numbering inscribed Edition: 7 Size: 84 x 65 x 36 in. (213.36 x 1...
Category

1970s Surrealist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Shadow: After the Egyptian
By David Cregeen
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: David Cregeen, British (1945 - ) Title: Shadow: After the Egyptian Year: circa 1985 Medium: Bronze Sculpture with Patina, signature inscribed Edition: 5 Size: 48.5 x 13.5 x ...
Category

1980s Surrealist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

The Michelin Slave
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Salvador Dali, Spanish (1904 - 1989) Title: The Michelin Slave Year: 1967 Medium: Bronze Sculpture, Signature and number inscribed Edition: 5/6 Size: 12 in x 6 in d. (...
Category

1960s Surrealist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Swan-Elephant
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Salvador Dali, Spanish (1904 - 1989) Title: Swan-Elephant Year: 1967 Medium: Bronze Sculpture, Signature and number inscribed Edition: 5/6 Size: 4.5 in. x 8 in. x 5.5 i...
Category

1960s Surrealist Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Surrealist figurative sculptures for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Surrealist figurative sculptures 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 figurative sculptures created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of purple, green and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Salvador Dalí, (after) Salvador Dali, David Barnett, and Gary Alsum. Frequently made by artists working with Metal, and Ceramic 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 figurative sculptures, so small editions measuring 2 inches across are also available. Prices for figurative sculptures 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 $273 and tops out at $250,000, while the average work sells for $3,400.

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