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Surrealist Art

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
Artist: (after) Salvador Dali
Red Starfish - ceramic tile - 1954
Located in Paris, FR
Salvador DALI (after) Red Starfish Handpainted ceramic tile Signed in the pattern 8 x 8" (20x20cm) Edited in 1954 by Maurice Duchin and hand crafted in atelier MPG under the control...
Category

1950s Surrealist Art

Materials

Ceramic

Sol y Dali - Rare Vintage Lithograph Poster - Mourlot 1967 (Field #67-1)
Located in Paris, FR
Salvador Dali Sol y Dali Vintage lithographic poster (Mourlot workshop) Printed signature in the plate Edited in 1967 by Jean Schneider On paper 78 x 54 cm...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

The Blue Owl - Lithograph - Edited by J. Schneider, 1983
Located in Paris, FR
Salvador DALI (after) The Blue Owl Lithograph Printed signature in the plate Printed in Matthieu workshop Edited by J. Schneider for the Dali exhibition at Galerie Orangerie in 198...
Category

1980s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Salvador Dali (after) - New-York: Plaza (poster edition) - Lithograph
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Lithograph after an original watercolor by Salvador Dali Title: New-York City : Plaza (pre-text/"avant la lettre" poster edition) Printed Signature, da...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Butterfly suite : Auvergne - heliogravure and lithograph - 1969
Located in Paris, FR
after Salvador DALI (1904-1969) France : Auvergne, 1969 Lithograph and Heliogravure / Photogravure after an original design by Dali Blind stamp signature bottom right Numbered / 170...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Photogravure, Lithograph

Butterfly suite : Paris - lithograph - Tall size, 1969
Located in Paris, FR
Salvador DALI (1904-1969) Butterfly suite : Paris, 1969 Lithograph and heliogravure after original designs by Dali Printed signature in the plate bottom right Larger size with text,...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Photogravure, Lithograph

Butterfly suite : Normandy - lithograph - Tall size, 1969
Located in Paris, FR
After Salvador DALI (1904-1969) Butterfly suite : Normandy, 1969 Lithograph and heliogravure Printed signature in the plate bottom right Tall model, from the 700 unumbered edition P...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Photogravure, Lithograph

Butterfly suite : Les Alpes - lithograph - Tall size, 1969
Located in Paris, FR
after Salvador DALI (1904-1969) Butterfly suite : Les Alpes, 1969 Lithograph and heliogravure after original compositions by Dali Printed signature in the plate bottom right Larger ...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Photogravure, Lithograph

Night of Birds - ceramic tile - 1954
Located in Paris, FR
Salvador DALI (after) Night of Birds Handpainted ceramic tile Signed in the pattern 8 x 8" (20x20cm) Edited in 1954 by Maurice Duchin and hand crafted in atelier MPG under the contr...
Category

1950s Surrealist Art

Materials

Ceramic

Salvador Dali (after) - Auvergne - Lithograph
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Lithograph after an original gouache by Salvador Dali for the Societe Nationale des Chemins de Fer Title: S.N.C.F. (Butterfly Suite) Embossed signature Dimensions: 46.5 x 24 cm Edit...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Les Caprices de Goya - Lithograph Poster (Field #77-3)
Located in Paris, FR
Salvador Dali (after) Les Caprices de Goya, 1977 Lithograph (Desjobert workshop) Printed signature in the plate On heavy paper 65 x 45 cm (c. 18 ...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Dali Inaguracion Teatro Museo Figueras Espana Septiember 1974 Poster
Located in Paonia, CO
Dali Inaguracion Teatro Museo Figueras Espana Septiember 1974 is a rare plate signed vintage poster celebrating the opening of the Salvad...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Color

Salvador Dali American Trotting Horses No.1 rare poster for Tokyo Exhibit 1974
Located in Paonia, CO
Salvador Dali American Trotting Horses no.1 poster for Tokyo Exhibit 1974. This image is from the The Currier and Ives Suite of six litho...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

C Print

Butterfly suite : Roussillon - Original lithograph - Tall size, 1969
Located in Paris, FR
After Salvador DALI (1904-1969) Butterfly suite : Roussillon, 1969 Lithograph and heliogravure Printed signature in the plate bottom right Tall model, from the 700 unumbered edition...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Photogravure, Lithograph

Man and Sea - Vintage exhibition poster - 1972
Located in Paris, FR
Salvador Dali (after) Man and Sea Exhibition poster printed in offset, with some color in lithograph and metallic ink Signature printed in the plate 119 x 84 cm (c. 48 x 34 inch) Ed...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph, Offset

after Salvador Dalí - Tienta en Espana - Lithograph
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
(after) Salvador Dali Tienta en Espana, 1983 Lithograph and embossing after an etching Plate signed On Arches vellum 30 x 37" (74 x 93 cm) REFERENCES : Field 67-2 edition descibed p....
Category

1980s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Museum of Figueras - Handsigned Lithograph
Located in Paris, FR
Salvador DALI (after) Museum of Figueras Lithograph on vellum Handsigned in pencil Numbered /500 Dated, 1974 69.4 x 49.3 cm (27 x 19.3 in.) REFERENCES : Catalog Michler and Lopsing...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

New-York City Suite : Plaza - Lithograph - circa 1981
Located in Paris, FR
Salvador Dali (after) New-York City : Plaza Lithograph after a watercolor Printed signature in the plate On BFK Rives vellum 50 x 65 cm (c. 20 x 26 in) Printed in Matthieu workshop circa 1981...
Category

1980s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Butterfly suite : Auvergne - lithograph - Tall size, 1969
Located in Paris, FR
after Salvador DALI (1904-1969) France : Auvergne, 1969 Lithograph and heliogravure Printed signature in the plate bottom right Tall model, from the 700 unumbered edition Printed in...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph, Photogravure

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Pablo Picasso Terracotta Fish Pitcher Madoura Pottery Sujet Poisson France 1952
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René Magritte - LE CHEF D'OEUVRE OU... Limited Surrealism French Contemporary
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Frère Ogrin, l'hermite (Brother Ogrin, the Hermit) /// Surrealism Salvador Dali
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Salvador Dali (Spanish, 1904-1989) Title: "Frère Ogrin, l'hermite (Brother Ogrin, the Hermit)" Portfolio: Tristan et Iseult *Monogram signed by Dali in pencil lower right Year: 1970 Medium: Original Engraving on Mandeure paper Limited edition: 101/125 Printer: Atelier Rigal, Paris, France Publisher: Leon Amiel, New York, NY and Paris, France Reference: "The Official Catalog of the Graphic Works of Salvador Dali" - Field No. 70-10-K, page 60; "Dali: Catalogue Raisonné of Etchings and Mixed-Media Prints, 1924-1980" - Michler/Löpsinger No. 416, page 183-184 Framing: Recently framed in a gold ornate moulding with matting from Holland, gold filet, and Museum glass. All archival Framed size: 28" x 22.25" Sheet size (folded): 18" x 12.75" Sheet size (unfolded): 18" x 25.5" Image size: 15.75" x 10.5" Condition: One tiny tear upper left. Some faint spots lower left. It is otherwise a strong impression is excellent condition Notes: Provenance: private collection - Indianapolis, IN; acquired from Ferdinand Roten Galleries, Baltimore, MD retaining their original gallery label on verso. Numbered by Dali in pencil lower left. Comes from Dali's 1970 "Tristan et Iseult" portfolio of 21 color engravings. Leon Amiel chop mark/blind stamp lower left. These engravings from the "Tristan et Iseult" portfolio were printed on folded sheets with their respective text descriptions as issued. We are specialists in Salvador Dali's printmaking oeuvre, having personally worked with his cataloger Albert Field in the 1980's, we unconditionally guarantee all of our examples to be authentic. Biography: Salvador Dalí (May 11, 1904 – January 23, 1989), was a prominent Spanish Catalan surrealist painter born in Figueres, Spain. Dalí was a skilled draftsman, best known for the striking and bizarre images in his surrealist work. His painterly skills are often attributed to the influence of Renaissance masters. His best-known work, The Persistence of Memory, was completed in August 1931. Dalí's expansive artistic repertoire included film, sculpture, and photography, in collaboration with a range of artists in a variety of media. Dalí attributed his "love of everything that is gilded and excessive, my passion for luxury and my love of oriental clothes...
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1970s Surrealist Art

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"FernLake" Cargo Ship at Sea - Company Chromolithograph on Canvas
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1960s Surrealist Art

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Dieu, Le Temps, L'Espace et le Pape (God, Time, Space, and the Pope) /// Dali
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Salvador Dali (Spanish, 1904-1989) Title: "Dieu, Le Temps, L'Espace et le Pape (God, Time, Space, and the Pope)" Portfolio: After 50 Years of Surrealism *Signed by Dali in pencil lower right Year: 1974 Medium: Original Etching with Pochoir on Arches paper Limited edition: A67/A195 Printer: Atelier Rigal, Paris, France Publisher: Transworld Art, New York, NY Reference: "The Official Catalog of the Graphic Works of Salvador Dali" - Field No. 74-8-I, page 94-95; "Dali: Catalogue Raisonné of Etchings and Mixed-Media Prints, 1924-1980" - Michler/Löpsinger No. 667, page 224 Sheet size: 26" x 19.75" Image size: 15.75" x 12" Condition: The colors attenuated. In otherwise very good condition with clean paper Notes: Provenance: private collection - Bedford...
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Large Colorful Jerusalem Israeli Judaica Surrealist Lithograph on Heavy Paper
Located in Surfside, FL
THis is a fabulous, Surrealist lithograph in bright fauvist colors by Hasidic mystic Boruch Nachshon It depicts jerusalem with King David and a menorah in a Jerusalem Landscape. Bar...
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INTO IT Hand Drawn Lithograph, Stone Men, Sci-Fi Landscape, Fantastic Realism
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Hommage a Picasso (Cannes) (Cote d'Azur) /// Surrealism Salvador Dali Surrealist
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Salvador Dali (Spanish, 1904-1989) Title: "Hommage a Picasso (Cannes) (Cote d'Azur)" *Signed by Dali in pencil lower right Year: 1973 Medium: Original Drypoint Etching on Rives BFK paper Limited edition: L/CC (50/200) Printer: Atelier Rigal, Paris, France Publisher: Felicia, New York, NY and EGI, Beverly Hills, CA Reference: "The Official Catalog of the Graphic Works of Salvador Dali" - Field No. 73-5, page 84; "Dali: Catalogue Raisonné of Etchings and Mixed-Media Prints, 1924-1980" - Michler/Löpsinger No. 719, page 252 Sheet size: 26" x 19.63" Image size: 19.88" x 14.5" Condition: In excellent condition Rare Notes: Provenance: private collection - Clearwater, FL. Numbered by Dali in pencil lower left. BFK Rives watermark lower right. Some dealer reference numbers pencil inscribed on verso. Dali executed this etching in Cannes, France when he learned of Picasso's death. We are specialists in Salvador Dali's printmaking oeuvre, having personally worked with his cataloger Albert Field in the 1980's, we unconditionally guarantee all of our examples to be authentic. Biography: Salvador Dalí (May 11, 1904 – January 23, 1989), was a prominent Spanish Catalan surrealist painter born in Figueres, Spain. Dalí was a skilled draftsman, best known for the striking and bizarre images in his surrealist work. His painterly skills are often attributed to the influence of Renaissance masters. His best-known work, The Persistence of Memory, was completed in August 1931. Dalí's expansive artistic repertoire included film, sculpture, and photography, in collaboration with a range of artists in a variety of media. Dalí attributed his "love of everything that is gilded and excessive, my passion for luxury and my love of oriental...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Intaglio, Drypoint, Etching

Presentation print for Royal Mail Christmas Stamp Series (Signed) British artist
By Andy Goldsworthy
Located in New York, NY
Andy Goldsworthy Presentation print for Royal Mail Christmas Stamp Series, 2003 Color photogravure on handmade rag paper with deckled edges 15 × 20 1/4 inches hand signed lower right...
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Materials

Handmade Paper, Photogravure, Mixed Media, Pencil

Previously Available Items
Salvador Dali (after) - New-York: Plaza (poster edition) - Lithograph
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Lithograph after an original watercolor by Salvador Dali Title: New-York City : Plaza (pre-text/"avant la lettre" poster edition) Printed Signature, dated 1964 Dimensions: 50 x 65 cm Provenance: JP.Schneider collections Dali created the New York City Suite in 1964 for Schneider / Wucua. He painted in watercolor the New York Plaza...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

“La Suite Catalane” Set of 6 Salvadore Dali Designed Tiles. 1954
Located in Brecon, Powys
“La Suite Catalane” Complete set of 6 painted and glazed ceramic tiles after paintings by the artist Spain, 1954. Stamped 1954 verso Salvador Dalí (1904-1989) – Spanish painter and ...
Category

1950s Surrealist Art

Materials

Ceramic

Salvador Dali Christ of Saint John of the Cross BAS Relief Sculpture Gold
Located in Pasadena, CA
Salvador Dali BAS Relief Sculpture Gold Edition, Signed Dali Sculpture. Signed E65/75. Christ Of St. John Of The Cross, a base relief sculpture by Sa...
Category

Mid-20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Bronze

“La Suite Catalane” Set of 6 Salvadore Dali Designed Tiles. 1954
Located in Brecon, Powys
La Suite Catalane” Complete set of 6 painted and glazed ceramic tiles after paintings by the artist Spain, 1954. Stamped 1954 verso Salvador Dalí (...
Category

1950s Surrealist Art

Materials

Ceramic

Butterfly suite : Les Alpes - heliogravure - 1969
Located in Paris, FR
after Salvador DALI (1904-1969) Butterfly suite : Les Alpes, 1969 Heliogravure / Photogravure after original design by Dali Blind stamp signature bottom right Numbered / 1700 copies...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Photogravure

Butterfly suite : Auvergne - heliogravure and lithograph - 1969
Located in Paris, FR
after Salvador DALI (1904-1969) France : Les Alpes, 1969 Lithograph and Heliogravure / Photogravure after an original design by Dali Blind stamp signature bottom right Numbered / 17...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Photogravure, Lithograph

“La Suite Catalane” Set of 6 Salvadore Dali Designed Tiles. 1954
Located in Brecon, Powys
“La Suite Catalane” Complete set of 6 painted and glazed ceramic tiles after paintings by the artist Spain, 1954. Stamped 1954 verso Salvador Dalí (1904-1989) – Spanish painter and ...
Category

1950s Surrealist Art

Materials

Ceramic

Butterfly suite : Auvergne - heliogravure and lithograph - 1969
Located in Paris, FR
after Salvador DALI (1904-1969) France : Les Alpes, 1969 Lithograph and Heliogravure / Photogravure after an original design by Dali Blind stamp signature bottom right Numbered / 17...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Photogravure, Lithograph

Persistence of Memory, Knoedler Gallery Poster Signed by Salvador Dali
Located in Long Island City, NY
A poster for a Dali exhibition at Knoedler Gallery, signed by Dali. It incorporates the “Persistence of Memory”, a 1931 painting by artist Salva...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Offset

Aliyah The Rebirth of Israel / Gallery of Modern Art, Salvador Dali Poster 1968
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: after Salvador Dali Title: Aliyah The Rebirth of Israel / Gallery of Modern Art Year: 1968 Medium: Vintage Poster Size: 28.5 in. x 22.5 in. (72.39 cm x 57.15 cm)
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Offset

"Apparatus and Hand" Surrealist Salvador Dali Lithograph Print
Located in Houston, TX
Later edition print of the famous surrealist painting "Apparatus and Hand" by Salvador Dali in 1927. The surrealist print has different geometric sh...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Les Caprices de Goya - Lithograph Poster (Field #77-3)
Located in Paris, FR
Salvador Dali (after) Les Caprices de Goya, 1977 Lithograph (Desjobert workshop) Printed signature in the plate On heavy paper 65 x 45 cm (c. 18 ...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Surrealist art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Surrealist art 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 art created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, orange, purple, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Salvador Dalí, Marc Chagall, Joan Miró, and Leonor Fini. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Lithograph 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 art, so small editions measuring 1 inches across are also available. Prices for art 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 $1 and tops out at $1,450,000, while the average work sells for $1,426.

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