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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: Le Corbusier
Unité, Planche 10 (Set of 2) /// Surrealism Modern Art Le Corbusier Nude Animal
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Le Corbusier (Charles-Édouard Jeanneret) (Swiss-French, 1887-1965) Title: "Unité, Planche 10" (Set of 2) Portfolio: Unité *Signed by Le Corbusier in pencil lower right. It is...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint, Intaglio

Unité, Planche 5 (Set of 2) /// Surrealism Modern Art Le Corbusier Abstract
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Le Corbusier (Charles-Édouard Jeanneret) (Swiss-French, 1887-1965) Title: "Unité, Planche 5" (Set of 2) Portfolio: Unité *Signed by Le Corbusier in pencil lower right. It is ...
Category

1950s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint, Intaglio

Unité, Planche 19 (Set of 2) /// Surrealism Modern Art Le Corbusier Bull Cow
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Le Corbusier (Charles-Édouard Jeanneret) (Swiss-French, 1887-1965) Title: "Unité, Planche 19" (Set of 2) Portfolio: Unité *Signed by Le Corbusier in pencil lower right. It is...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint, Intaglio

Unité, Planche 8 (Set of 2) /// Surrealism Modern Art Le Corbusier Abstract
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Le Corbusier (Charles-Édouard Jeanneret) (Swiss-French, 1887-1965) Title: "Unité, Planche 8" (Set of 2) Portfolio: Unité *Signed by Le Corbusier in pencil lower right. It is ...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint, Intaglio

Unité, Planche 15 (Set of 2) /// Surrealism Modern Art Le Corbusier Abstract
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Le Corbusier (Charles-Édouard Jeanneret) (Swiss-French, 1887-1965) Title: "Unité, Planche 15" (Set of 2) Portfolio: Unité *Signed by Le Corbusier in pencil lower right. It is...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint, Intaglio

Unité, Planche 3 (Set of 2) /// Surrealism Le Corbusier Etching Modern Aquatint
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Le Corbusier (Charles-Édouard Jeanneret) (Swiss-French, 1887-1965) Title: "Unité, Planche 3" (Set of 2) Portfolio: Unité *Signed by Le Corbusier in pencil lower right. It is ...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint, Intaglio

Unité, Planche 16 (Set of 2) /// Surrealism Modern Art Le Corbusier Abstract
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Le Corbusier (Charles-Édouard Jeanneret) (Swiss-French, 1887-1965) Title: "Unité, Planche 16" (Set of 2) Portfolio: Unité *Signed by Le Corbusier in pencil lower right. It is...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint, Intaglio

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Greenwich Window I
Free Shipping
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Stanley Boxer Aquatint Intaglio Etching Elephant Herd Abstract Expressionist
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1970s Surrealist Art

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Previously Available Items
Unité, Planche 20
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
An original signed etching with aquatint by French-Swiss artist Le Corbusier (1887-1965) titled "Unité, Planche 20", 1965. Limited edition: hand signed and numbered by Le ...
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1960s Surrealist Art

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Unité, Planche 18 (Set of 2)
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
An original signed etching with aquatint on Rives BFK paper by French-Swiss artist Le Corbusier (Charles-Édouard Jeanneret) (1887-1965) titled "Unité, Planche 18", 1965. Hand pencil...
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1960s Surrealist Art

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Etching, Aquatint

Unité, Planche 17
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
An original etching with aquatint by French-Swiss artist Le Corbusier (1887-1965) titled "Unité, Planche 17", 1965. Limited edition: hand numbered lower left: VI/XXX, (6/30). Becaus...
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1960s Surrealist Art

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Unité, Planche 14 (Set of 2)
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
An original signed etching with aquatint on Rives BFK paper by French-Swiss artist Le Corbusier (Charles-Édouard Jeanneret) (1887-1965) titled "Unité, Planche 14", 1965. Hand pencil...
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1960s Surrealist Art

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Unité, Planche 13
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
An original etching with aquatint by French-Swiss artist Le Corbusier (1887-1965) titled "Unité, Planche 13", 1965. Limited edition: hand numbered lower left: VI/XXX, (6/3...
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1960s Surrealist Art

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Aquatint, Etching

Unité, Planche 12
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
An original etching with aquatint by French-Swiss artist Le Corbusier (1887-1965) titled "Unité, Planche 12", 1965. Limited edition: hand numbered lower left: VI/XXX, (6/30). Becaus...
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1960s Surrealist Art

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Etching, Aquatint

Unité, Planche 9 (Set of 2)
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
An original signed etching with aquatint on Rives BFK paper by French-Swiss artist Le Corbusier (Charles-Édouard Jeanneret) (1887-1965) titled "Unité, Planche 9", 1965. Hand pencil ...
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1960s Surrealist Art

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Etching, Aquatint

Unité, Planche 7 (Set of 2)
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
An original signed etching with aquatint on Rives BFK paper by French-Swiss artist Le Corbusier (Charles-Édouard Jeanneret) (1887-1965) titled "Unité, Planche 7", 1965. Hand pencil ...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

Unité, Planche 4 (Set of 2)
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
An original signed etching with aquatint on Rives BFK paper by French-Swiss artist Le Corbusier (Charles-Édouard Jeanneret) (1887-1965) titled "Unité, Planche 4", 1965. Hand pencil ...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

Unité, Planche 2 (Set of 2)
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
An original etching with aquatint on Rives BFK paper by French-Swiss artist Le Corbusier (Charles-Édouard Jeanneret) (1887-1965) titled "Unité, Planche 2", 1965. By mistake during p...
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1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Aquatint, Etching

Unité, Planche 1 (Set of 2)
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
An original signed etching with aquatint by French-Swiss artist Le Corbusier (1887-1965) titled "Unité, Planche 1", 1965. Limited edition: hand signed and numbered by Le C...
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1960s Surrealist Art

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Unité, Planche 6 (Set of 2)
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
An original signed etching with aquatint by French-Swiss artist Le Corbusier (1887-1965) titled "Unité, Planche 6", 1965. Limited edition: hand signed and numbered by Le C...
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1960s Surrealist Art

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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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