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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
This Week's Listings Only
Obra Inèdita Recent X
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Joan Miró is one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. He is renowned internationally as a painter, sculptor, printmaker, and ceramicist. Miró’s works, which were at the int...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Joan Miro, Tribute to Aime Maeght, from Derriere le Miroir, 1982
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph by Joan Miro (1893–1983), titled Hommage a Aime Maeght (Tribute to Aime Maeght), originates from the historic 1982 folio Derriere le Miroir, No. 250, Hommag...
Category

1980s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Litografía original III
Located in OPOLE, PL
Joan Miro (1893-1983) - Litografía original III Lithograph from 1972. Dimensions of work: 32 x 24.5 cm. Dimensions in frame: 52 x42 cm. Publisher: Maeght Éditeur, Paris. Printed ...
Category

1930s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Salvador Dali - Nude with Raised Arms - Lithograph
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Salvador Dali - Nude with Raised Arms - Original Handsigned Lithograph Dimensions: 77 x 55 cm 1970 Signed in pencil and numbered Edition : /CXX References : Field 70-8(Page 158)
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Cavalier Casqué aux Papillons - Lithograph - 1971
Located in Roma, IT
Etching and aquatint on wove paper, from the Suite "Caldéron, La Vie est un Songe". Image dimension: 32x24.5. Artist proof (e.A.), out of an edition of 250 on Richard de Bas Paper ...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Winter and Summer
Located in Hollywood, FL
ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Winter and Summer MEDIUM: Etching SIGNED: Hand Signed EDITION NUMBER: A/P MEASUREMENTS: 25" x 35.5" YEAR: 1973 FRAMED: No AUTHENTICITY: This pi...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

Apocalypse of John the Evangelis - Etching by Giorgio De Chirico - 1941
Located in Roma, IT
Apocalypse of John the Evangelist is an original black and white etching realized by Giorgio De Chirico in 1941. Hand signed on the lower right margin. Numbered on the lower left. ...
Category

1940s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

A Colorful, '37 Modern Surrealist Abstraction by Hananiah Harari "Signal Set Up"
Located in Chicago, IL
A Striking, Colorful 1930s Modern Surrealist Abstraction by Notable New York Avant Garde Artist, Hannah Harari (Am. 1912-2000). Titled "Signal Set Up", the artwork is colored pencil...
Category

1930s Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Color Pencil, Graphite

Salvador Dali "The Old Hippie"
Located in Boston, MA
Artist: Dali, Salvador Title: The Old Hippie Series: The Hippies Date: 1969 Medium: drypoint with added color Signature: Pencil signed Edition: I...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Drypoint

The Dream a Marcos, Figurative Surrealism, Original oil Painting
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Ashot Yan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2018 Style: Portrait, Surrealism, Subject: The Dream a Marcos, Size: 19" x...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Joan Miro, The Flowered Ram, from Derriere le miroir, 1971
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph by Joan Miro (1893–1983), titled L'Oiseau s'envole (The Bird Takes Flight), from the folio Derriere le miroir, No. 193-194, originates from the 1971 edition...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Cahiers d'art, Surrealist Composition 1
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Cahiers d'art, Surrealist Composition 1 Pochoir, 1934 Unsigned as issued in Cahier's edition Published in Cahier's d'art, 1934 Unsigned Edition of 1200 There was also a pencil signed...
Category

1930s Surrealist Art

Materials

Stencil

Here Too, Isn’t It George (surreal painting vintage crack in the blue sky grass)
Located in Quebec, Quebec
Two men dressed in early 20th-century garb crouch across a fractured path, peering intently into a massive rupture that tears through both the earth and the sky. They appear to be ex...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Original AIRS DE CHANCE Loterie Nationale original French lottery poster
Located in Spokane, WA
Original AIRS DE CHANCE Loterie Nationale French vintage poster. Translated, it means, "In the moonlight, my friend Pierrot, lend me your money to win the jackpot." Linen-backed original French lottery...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Frocin, the Bad Dwarf, from Tristan and Iseult
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Salvador Dali Title: Frocin, the Bad Dwarf Portfolio: Tristan and Iseult Medium: Color engraving Year: 1970 Edition: 12/25 Frame Size: 25 1/4" x 20 3/4" Sheet Size: 17 3/4" x...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Engraving

Cloud Fishing - 21st Century, Contemporary, Surrealism, African Nature, Boy
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Cloud Fishing" is a metaphorical exploration of the ephemeral and the unknown. Through my work, I aim to capture the essence of chasing something elusive and intangible – like fishin...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Acrylic, Canvas

Dali - De Draeger - Portfolio Luxury edition - 1968
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Dali -De Draeger, Portfolio by Max Gérard Luxury edition inside special packaged box bearing a cover with “soft melting pocket watch” and bronze medal of “L'Unicorne Dyonisiaque” minted and numbered by Monnaie de Paris...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Bronze

Wings. Limited edition print, Fantasy, Established Polish artist
Located in Warsaw, PL
Giclee limited edition print by worldwidely established Polish artist Rafal Olbinski. Figurative fantasy print with an angel rising from the ground. The work comes directly from the ...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Color

Empirial Message (Surrealist Black Philadelphia Artist)
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Roland Ayers (1932-2014). The Emperial Message, 1959. Drypoint Etching on paper, 15 × 17 ¾ inches. Larger in acid free archival matting. No Frame. A/P (no edition, unique examp...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Ink

Hopeful (black labrador, dog pet, woman, vintage, animal, surrealist painting)
Located in Quebec, Quebec
In this moving piece by Rudolf Kosow, the canvas captures a tender and intimate moment between species. The focus is a deeply expressive black dog, portrayed with a level of detail t...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Four of Cups, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Four cups connect at the center of the composition, forming a diamond shape. Wavy lines ripple around them, while bright beams radiate from the handles and rims...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

original lithograph
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. Printed in Paris by Mourlot and published by Pierre à Feu and Maeght Editeur for the Marcel Duchamp / André Breton project Surréalisme en 1947. Issued in...
Category

1940s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Adam & Eve. Limited edition print, Surreal, Established Polish artist
Located in Warsaw, PL
Size of sheet is ca. 21 x 29 cm (A4) Contemporary figurative giclee print by Polish artist Rafal Olbinski. Print is signed, numbered and has a stamp of an artist's atelier. It comes...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Color

Obra Inèdita Recent I
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Joan Miró (1893-1983) is one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. He is renowned internationally as a painter, sculptor, printmaker, and ceramicist. Miró’s works, which wer...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Homage to Newton (bronze sculpture)
Located in Aventura, FL
Bronze with patina sculpture. Incised signature by the artist and stamp numbered with foundry and date. From the edition of 350. Size including marble plinth approx. 15 x 8.5 x 3.5 ...
Category

1980s Surrealist Art

Materials

Bronze

Behold his bed The Song of Songs of King Solomon by Salvador Dali
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Salvador Dali Title: Behold his bed from The Song of Songs of King Solomon from the Portfolio Song of Songs of Solomon Year: 1972 Medium: Color Etching with Gold Dust on Arch...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

Composition (Dupin 119), Feuilles éparses, Joan Miró
Located in Southampton, NY
Aquatint and etching on vélin cuve de Rives paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition. Notes: From the folio, Feuilles éparses, 1965. Published and print...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

Very Large French Surrealist Contemporary Painting Abstract Figures Embracing
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
French Surrealist artist, late 20th century/ early 21st. acrylic and pen painting on board, unframed board: 29.5 x 41.5 inches provenance: private collection, France condition: very...
Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Art

Materials

Acrylic, Pen

Lunar Encounter with Child, Surrealist Portrait, Oil on Canvas, 1958, Framed
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Lunar Encounter with Child" by Philadelphia born modernist painter Leon Kelly, is a large, brightly colored surrealist portrait of two figures. The 40" x 30" oil on canvas was paint...
Category

1950s Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Our Historical Heritage King Saul
Located in Hollywood, FL
ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Our Historical Heritage King Saul MEDIUM: Etching SIGNED: Hand Signed by Salvador Dali EDITION NUMBER: 175/400 MEASUREMENTS: 26" x 19.87" YEAR: 197...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

Collage Watercolor Painting David Gilhooly California Funk Surrealism MixedMedia
Located in Surfside, FL
DAVID JAMES GILHOOLY (American, 1943-2013), Mixed media collage 6 x 4 inches, Hand signed and dated verso Napoleon from the back, with King Henry VIII holding a pastry. titled: "England cannot be conquered by a few French pastries" cut and pasted cardstock assemblage, collaged art. David Gilhooly RCA (1943 – 2013), was an American ceramicist, sculptor, painter, printmaker, and professor. He is best known for pioneering the Funk art movement. He made a series of ceramic frogs called FrogWorld, as well as ceramic food, planets, and other creatures. David James Gilhooly III was born on April 15, 1943, in Auburn, California. He was raised in Los Altos, California; Saint Croix in the Virgin Islands; and Humacao, Puerto Rico. He enrolled in University of California, Davis (UC Davis) initially studying biology, followed by anthropology, and ending with a focus on fine art. While attending UC Davis, Gilhooly served as artist Robert Arneson assistant starting in 1963. He graduated from UC Davis with a BA degree in 1965, and an MA degree in 1967. Gilhooly, together with Robert Arneson, Peter Vandenberge, Chris Unterseher, and Margaret Dodd, working together in TB-9 (temporary building 9) were what was later to be called, The Funk Ceramic...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Ink, Watercolor

Fantomes Le Soupirant
Located in Hollywood, FL
ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Fantoms Le Soupirant MEDIUM: Etching SIGNED: Hand Signed PUBLISHER: Editions Argillet, Paris EDITION NUMBER: 51/100 MEASUREMENTS: 14.9" x 11" YEA...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

Untitled - Etching by H. Bellmer - Mid-20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Untitled is a contemporary artwork realized by Hans Bellmer in the mid-20th Century. Colored etching Hand signed and numbered on the lower margin. Edition of 54/150
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

Love Letters
Located in Greenwich, CT
Love Letters is a lithograph on paper with an image size of 2.25 x 2.25 inches, initialed 'FMB' lower right and annotated lower left, framed in a contemporary silver and dark gray fr...
Category

20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Lithograph

The Heretics - Woodcut print - 1963
Located in Roma, IT
The Heretics - Hell  plate 10 is a woodcut print realized in 1963 for a series illustrating the Medieval poem of the "Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri. Good conditions. Limited e...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Woodcut

"Femme et Oiseaux dans la Nuit" original pochoir
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original pochoir stencil print in four colors. Catalogue reference: Dupin 50. Printed in 1947 in an edition of 1500 by Meriden Gravure and published by Curt Valentin for the ...
Category

1940s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph, Stencil

Italian Modernist Surrealist Woman Color Oil Painting Lazzaro Donati La Signora
Located in Surfside, FL
Lazzaro Donati (Italian, 1926-1977) Oil on board. Colorful woman. La Signora, Vestita Di Giallo, 1969 Hand signed upper right. signed, titled on back of panel. Dimensions: (Frame) H 38" x W 30", (Panel) H 28" x W 20" Lazzaro Donati was born in Florence and attended the Academy of Fine Arts. He began to paint in 1953, and in 1955 held his first exhibition at the Indiano Gallery in Florence. Within three years eleven exhibitions followed in Italy, and as his reputation grew he was invited to give major exhibitions in London, Paris, New York, Chicago, Rio de Janeiro and Montevideo. He is considered one of the foremost contemporary Italian painters and his paintings hang in museums and private collections throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. His work is recalling the works of the french Raoul Dufy, Dunoyer de Segonzac, Francois Gall and Jean Jansem. This particular work is reminiscent of the work of Manolo Valdes. Donati lived and worked at 24 Piazza Donatello in Florence, the square where generations of artists have created works worthy of the great Florentine tradition. As you entered the narrow hallway to his studio, a gilded life-size Venetian angel beckoned you to his door. Once inside, the present faded away and you found yourself in an atelier where early masters might have worked during the Renaissance. Within, luxurious Persian rugs set off the innumerable objects d’art and antique furnishings...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Face and Flowers
Located in Columbia, MO
Leonor Fini was born in Argentina in 1907 but travelled and lived in Europe with her mother from a young age. By 1931, she was in Paris, in the full swing of the Surrealist movement....
Category

20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

Right by You-original surreal wildlife interior oil painting-contemporary art
Located in London, Chelsea
We offer complimentary worldwide shipping and cover all tariffs and import taxes for this artwork. This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet C...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Alice in Wonderland
Located in Hollywood, FL
ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Alice in Wonderland MEDIUM: Etching SIGNED: Hand Signed PUBLISHER: Transworld Art EDITION NUMBER: A IX/XL PAPER: Japon Paper MEASUREMENTS: 29.75"...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

Omega (Poem by George Reamy), Surrealist Etching by Irene Rice Pereira
Located in Long Island City, NY
Omega (Poem by George Reamy) Irene Rice Pereira, American (1902–1971) Date: 1953 Etching and Aquatint, signed, dated and dedicated in pencil Edition of Dedicated Proof Image Size: 14...
Category

1950s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

Florals Tiger Lilies
Located in Hollywood, FL
ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Florals Tiger Lilies MEDIUM: Etching on Heavy Paper SIGNED: Hand Signed by Salvador Dali EDITION NUMBER: 91/350 MEASUREMENTS: 21.5" x 30" YEAR: 197...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

(after) Julio Gonzalez - "Personnage barbu" pochoir
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: pochoir (after the watercolor). Printed in Paris in 1957 by Jacomet and published by the Galerie Berggruen for a rare catalogue. Image size: 6 3/4 x 3 3/4 inches (173 x 97 mm...
Category

1950s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph, Stencil

The Old Town - Original Vibrant Abstract Neighborhood Landscape Collage Artwork
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C. Bernhardsson is a colorful artist who lives and paints in Sweden. Most of her works are influenced by the architecture and geometry of houses. Bernhardsson travels the world...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Mixed Media

Jean COCTEAU and Raymond MORETTI : The Evolution - Original Hansigned Lithograph
Located in Paris, IDF
Jean Cocteau and Raymond Moretti Earth's Evolution Original lithograph Printed signature in the plate, handsigned by Raymond Moretti Numbered 1/79 On Arches vellum 50 x 65 cm (c. 1...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

"Sanguis Maledictum" (2023) by Sybiline, Oil Painting, Surreal Still Life
Located in Denver, CO
Sybiline's (CAN based) "Sanguis Maledictum" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts several purple blooms with tiny fangs and dripping blood. About the Artist: Sybiline ...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Wifredo Lam Pastels vintage 1980s Galerie Lelong, Paris offset lithograph poster
Located in New York, NY
Wifredo Lam Wifredo Lam Pastels: vintage Galerie Lelong poster, 1988 Offset lithograph Plate signed on the front 26 1/2 × 19 1/2 inches Unframed, unnumbered Offset lithograph poster...
Category

1980s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph, Offset

Land's End (Black Surrealist Philadelphia artist)
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Roland Ayers (1932-2014). Land’s End, 1971 Ink on paper, 3.25 × 5 inches Signed and dated. Artist and art educator, Roland Ayers was born on July 2, 1932, the only child of Ali...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Ink

Spanish 1984 signed limited edition original art print etching 15x21 in. n21
Located in Miami, FL
Eduardo Naranjo (Spain, 1944) 'La creación IV', 1984 etching, aquatint on paper Guarro Super Alpha 250g. 15 x 20.9 in. (38 x 53 cm.) Edition of 225 Unf...
Category

1980s Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Engraving, Screen

Journal D'Un Graveur - Vol. 2 Plate 15 - Drypoint by Joan Mirò - 1975
Located in Roma, IT
This is an original drypoint realized by Joan Miró in 1975. Hand signed in pencil on the lower right and numbered on the lower left. Edition of 75 prints. It represents an abstract s...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Drypoint

Composition, Variations sur l'imaginaire, Leonor Fini
Located in Southampton, NY
Lithograph on vélin de Rives paper. Inscription: hand signed and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition. Notes: From the folio, Variations sur l'imaginaire, 1972. Published by Philipp...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Bill Murray
Located in Hollywood, FL
Artist: Ralph Steadman Title: Bill Murray Medium: One color silkscreen on White Rising Stonehenge Deckle Edge Paper Size: 22 x 30 Inches Edition: of 250 Year: 2006 Notes: Custom Fra...
Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Art

Materials

Screen

Pablo Picasso, "Sculpteur et Modele debout, " etching, hand signed
Located in Chatsworth, CA
Artist: Pablo Picasso Title: Sculpteur et Modele debout Year: 1933 Medium: Original etching Edition: hand signed in pencil from an edition of 250 on small margins Size: Frame: 27 x 2...
Category

1930s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

CHROMA aka Rick Wolfryd "THE GREATEST" Sculpture from Huichol ALTERATIONS Series
Located in Cuauhtemoc, Ciudad de México
THE GREATEST!!!!!! ALTERATION ART . . . is a collaboration process between CHROMA aka Rick Wolfryd, fine artist and art dealer with over 40 years experience, and various Mexican Hui...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Glass, Mixed Media

Reclining Female (Surreal, Colorful, Vibrant, Modern) (25% OFF LIST PRICE)
Located in Kansas City, MO
Franz Graw Reclining Female (Surreal, Colorful, Vibrant, Modern) Color Offset Lithograph Year: 2021 Size: 16.53 x 11.73 inches (42 x 29.8 cm) Edition: 100 Signed and numbered in penc...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph, Offset

Crazy Horse
Located in Hollywood, FL
ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Crazy Horse MEDIUM: Lithograph SIGNED: Hand Signed EDITION NUMBER: 223/250 MEASUREMENTS: 30.5" x 22.25" YEAR: 1968 FRAMED: No CONDITION: Excelle...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Pablo Picasso, "Carnet de la Californie", original lithograph
Located in Chatsworth, CA
This piece is an original crayon lithograph on transfer paper created by Pablo Picasso in 1959. The zinc in this piece has been re-worked with crayon marks and this composition was u...
Category

1950s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

'Body and Soul' — Mid-20th Century Surrealism
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Federico Castellon, 'Body and Soul', 1938, lithograph, edition 30, Freundlich 3. Signed in pencil. Signed in the stone, lower left. A fine, richly-inked, atmospheric impression on cr...
Category

1940s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Man Ray, Rayograph, from Electa Editrice, 1980 (after)
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite heliogravure after Man Ray (1890–1976), titled Rayograph, 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 image exemplifies Man Ray’s pioneering “rayograph” technique—a cameraless photographic process in which objects were placed directly onto photosensitive paper and exposed to light, creating luminous abstract compositions that fused chance, intuition, and surrealist invention. Through this groundbreaking process, Man Ray transformed photography into pure visual poetry, redefining its potential as a form of modern art. 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 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 Art

Materials

Lithograph

Le Lézard Aux Plumes D'or: Plate I (Mourlot 803; Cramer 148), Joan Miró
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Joan Miro (1893-1983) Title: Le Lézard Aux Plumes D'or: Plate I (Mourlot 803; Cramer 148) Year: 1971 Edition: H.C.; 195, plus proofs Inscription: Signed and inscribed ‘H.C.’ ...
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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