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.
(after) Kurt Seligmann - pochoir
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: pochoir (after the painting). This exquisitely rich impression on black wove paper was published in 1941 by the Nierendorf Gallery, of New York, for the cover of a now quite ...
Lithograph
$1,100Sale Price|26% Off
Spirit of 76
By Martha Hamlin Visser't Hooft
Located in Buffalo, NY
A whimsical gouache painting by American female surrealist Martha Visser't Hooft depicting a butterfly in a patriotic color scheme. Martha Visser't Hooft was born in Buffalo in 19...
Archival Paper, Gouache
Grayish Pink, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
The artwork offers a geometric reimagining of a coastal village from a unique perspective with a thoughtful color palette. The high vantage point shifts focus f...
Oil
Jean COCTEAU and Raymond MORETTI : A memory - Original Hansigned Lithograph
By Jean Cocteau
Located in Paris, IDF
Jean Cocteau and Raymond Moretti A Memory Original lithograph Printed signature in the plate, handsigned by Raymond Moretti Numbered 1/79 - Very look for proof bearing n°1 On Arches...
Lithograph
"Big Eyes 2" Photography 24" x 24" in Edition 1/15 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Big Eyes 2" Photography 24" x 24" in Edition 1/15 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA issues by the artist Not f...
Photographic Paper
Tribute to Leonardo da Vinci, The Linotype - Original Handsigned Etching
Located in Paris, IDF
Salvador DALI (1904-1969) Tribute to Leonardo da Vinci, The Linotype, 1975 Original etching Signed in pencil Justified trial proof (Essai) On Arches vellum 76 x 56 cm (29.9 x 22 in)...
Etching
A View from the Platform, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Artist Benjamin Xu renders the familiar landscape of Venice, Italy, into an idealized, dreamlike painting by exploring color, form, and stillness. A stone moori...
Oil
Night Room
Located in Greenwich, CT
Night Room is a lithograph on paper with an image size of 2.25 x 3.25 inches, initialed 'FMB' lower right and annotated lower left, framed in a contemporary silver and dark gray fram...
Paper, Lithograph
L'Oiseau Bleu - Etching by Johnny Friedlaender - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
L'oiseau bleu is a print realized by Johnny Friedlaender (Plonia, 1912 - Paris, 1992). Etching on paper. Hand-Signed lower right, edition lower left. Numbered, edition of 5/20 prin...
Etching
$297Sale Price|33% Off
Analphabetogramme - Signatur Objekt Nr. 23 (Collages, Assemblages, Surrealism)
By Jiri Kolar
Located in Kansas City, MO
Jiri Kolar (Jiří Kolář) Analphabetogramme - Signatur Objekt Nr. 23 (Collages, Assemblages, Poetry, Surrealism) Analphabétogramme (hand-pressed copper print) with matte Year: 1995 Size: 12×11.6×0.6in Edition: 756 of 990 Signed, numbered by hand Publisher: First Edition, Verlag Rommerskirchen, Rolandseck - Germany COA provided Ref.: 924802-1933 White original cardboard in a Plexiglas slipcase, signed and numbered, number 756 of 990. 28 pages in block book form, texts and colored illustrations of collaged sculpture photographs, 1 loosely enclosed hand-signed original hand-pressed copper print ("Analphabétograms") under passepartout. The cardboard cover is cut out like a passe-partout so that the title illustration is visible when the book is hung on the wall as an art object using the acrylic glass frame provided. Tags: Czech artist,Poet,Visual artist,Political activist,Collages,Assemblages,Poetry,Surrealism,Dada...
Copper
Paradise Mountain II - Abstract Color Drenched Landscape Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C Bernhardsson's original artworks are influenced by the architecture and geometry of houses. Born in Sweden, Bernhardsson travels the world photographing and sketching houses ...
Canvas, Mixed Media
The Family of Mattathias - Lithograph - 1964
Located in Roma, IT
The Family of Mattathias is a Color lithograph on heavy rag paper realized in 1964. It is part of Biblia Sacra vulgatæ edition is published by Rizzoli-Mediolani between 1967 and 1969...
Lithograph
Petals in Reverie II - Framed Botanical Flowers Still Life Acrylic Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The figurative surrealistic paintings of Carlos Gamez de Francisco are heavily influenced by his Cuban upbringing in a Russian-governed academic setting. This presence exposed Franci...
Canvas, Acrylic
Lucky, Color Photograph, Archival Pigment Ink Print, signed and numbered
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Lucky, 2023 is a recent archival pigment ink print by Maggie Taylor. All prints are signed and numbered by Maggie Taylor. Maggie Taylor's digital creations are emblematic, afterima...
Archival Pigment
$10,000
Butler Fight, Figurative Surrealism, Original oil Painting, Ready to Hang
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Tigran Hovumyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Canvas Year: 2018 Style: Surrealism, Subject: Butle...
Canvas, Oil
Fata Morgana
Located in Zofingen, AG
Fata Morgana In this work, the experience of love emerges as a fragile illusion — one that distorts perception while at the same time enriching it. The sky transforms into a treasury...
Canvas, Acrylic
Untitled - Lithograph by J. Hérold - 1974
Located in Roma, IT
Original artwork realized by Jacques Hérold in 1974. Colored lithograph. Not signed, as issued. Printed by Mourlot , France. Excellent condition. This lithograph was realized b...
Lithograph
Paysage Déplié Lithograph, Surrealist Style, Signed, Edition 24/35
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Paysage déplié Lithograph from 1995. The edition 24 of 35. Dimensions of work: 160 x 120 cm. Hand signed. The work is in Excellent condition.
Lithograph
"Fungo Atomico" (Atomic Mushroom) Surrealist Landscape
By Luigi Pretin
Located in Houston, TX
Surrealist painting of a white structure in a barren desert titled "Fungo Atomico" by Italian surrealist painter Luigi Pretin, circa 1976. Signed and dated in lower right corner as w...
Acrylic
original lithograph
By André Masson
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. Printed in 1972 for the art revue XXe Siecle (issue No. 38). Size: 12 1/4 x 9 1/4 inches (310 x 237 mm). Not signed.
Lithograph
$450Sale Price|50% Off
Cactus Landscape (Comanche Native American surrealist painting)
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Cactus Landscape, ca. 1975-80. Gouache on Arches rag paper, Sheet measures 23 x 30 inches. Image measures 22 x 29 inches. Signed lower left. Excellent condition. Unframed.
Gouache, Rag Paper
$880Sale Price|20% Off
Sphinx and Moon (Self Portrait) 1980s Pastel, Cleveland School Artist
By Mary Spain
Located in Beachwood, OH
Mary Spain (American, 1934-1983) Sphinx and Moon (Self Portrait), c. 1980 Pastel on paper 9 x 16.5 inches 17. 5 x 25 inches, framed Set in a realm of fantasy, Mary Spain’s work ex...
Pastel
Le Lézard aux Plumes d’Or - LIthograph by Joan Mirò - 1971
By Joan Miró
Located in Roma, IT
Le Lézard aux Plumes d'Or is a beautiful colored lithograph on mother-of-pearl Japan paper from the series realized by Joan Miró in 1971. Signed on the lower right corner. Printed by...
Lithograph
Another Form
Located in Zofingen, AG
A mythical creature emerges as a new form of consciousness, born after numerous internal transformations. The human, the animal, and the celestial merge into a single image, where ev...
Canvas, Acrylic
$960Sale Price|20% Off
Salvador Dali "Untitled 05 (Les Chants de Maldoror)"
Located in Boston, MA
Artist: Dali, Salvador Title: Untitled 05 (Les Chants de Maldoror) Series: Les Chants de Maldoror Date: 1934 Medium: original drypoint Unframed Dimensions: 12.5" x 9.75" Framed...
Drypoint
José Manuel Capuletti, Las damas
Located in Madrid, ES
JOSÉ MANUEL CAPULETTI Spanish, 1925 - 1976 LAS DAMAS signed "Capuletti" (lower right) oil on cardboard 21-1/4 x 25-5/8 inches (54 x 65 cm.) framed: 22-5/8 x 27 inches (57.5 x 68.5 cm...
Oil, Cardboard
Statimque Tobias Visum Recepit - Lithograph - 1967- 1969
Located in Roma, IT
Statimque Tobias visum recepit ("And immediately Tobit revovered his sight") is an artwork realized in 1964. It is part of Biblia Sacra vulgatæ editionis published by Rizzoli-Mediola...
Lithograph
Pablo Picasso Christian Zervos 33 Volume Books
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Christian Zervos. Pablo Picasso. Œuvres de 1895 à [1972]. Paris: Éditions Cahiers d'Art, 1949-1986. 33 volumes in 34 (volume 2 in two parts), small folio (325 x 252 mm.), numerous p...
Offset
Figurative Mixed Media Bust Sculpture in Ceramic Oxides and Carved Fir Wood
Located in FISTERRA, ES
This figurative mixed media bust sculpture in ceramic, metallic oxides and carved fir wood opens with a strong emphasis on material expression and emotional tension. The work belongs to the Xentes series, a body of sculptures by the Spanish artist Óscar Aldonza Torres that explores the dialogue between individuality and collective identity. The piece combines high-temperature ceramic for the head—treated with oxides and imitation gold leaf—with a tall fir-wood torso...
Metal, Gold Leaf
$4,612Sale Price|20% Off
Quevedos Visioner, Planche VI Etching, Surrealist, Signed, 1975
Located in OPOLE, PL
Salvador Dali (1904-1989) - Quevedos Visioner, Planche VI Etching from 1975. The edition of 295/300. Dimensions of work: 66 x 50 cm. Hand signed. Publisher: Galerie Börjeson, Ma...
Etching
Les Songes Drolatiques de Pantagruel
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist: Salvador Dali (Spanish surrealist, 1904-1989) Title: Les Songes Drolatiques De Pantagruel Year: 1973 Medium: Lithograph Edition: Inscribed E.A (Epreuve d' Artiste) i...
Lithograph
Salvador Dali - La Musica Lt Ed plate in white porcelain with 24-carat gold edge
Located in New York, NY
One of seven allegorical plates on the arts. Made by the company Porcelanas Bidasoa (Spain) in 1980 in fine white porcelain, with 24-carat gold edge. Limited edition of 5,000 example...
Gold
Modern Midden - Critical Masses
Located in Burlingame, CA
Artist's statement: In my series Critical Masses, I explore the relationship between our species and various small marine creatures to illustrate in symbolic form various narrative...
Canvas, Oil
Demons - Original China Ink - Mid 20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Demons is an original drawing in china Ink by an anonymous artist in the mid-20th Century. Good conditions. The artwork is depicted through confident strokes in a well-balanced com...
Ink
Cabeza Sobre Fondo Verde, Surrealist Etching by Rufino Tamayo
Located in Long Island City, NY
Rufino Tamayo, Mexican (1899 - 1991) - Cabeza Sobre Fondo Verde, Portfolio: Rufino Tamayo 15 aquafuertes, Year: 1979, Medium: Etching, signed and numbered in crayon, Edition: 14/...
Etching
$1,610
Surreal Contemporary Figurative Mixed-Media Sculpture Found-Object American
Located in Buffalo, NY
One of a kind mixed-media sculpture by Philip Kuznicki from the Spirit exhibition. Comes in its original frame. Born in Dunkirk NY, Kuznicki started his career working for artists su...
Found Objects, Mixed Media
Valentines Night - Original Romantic Playful Still Life Collage Artwork on Paper
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...
Paper, Mixed Media
Triumph Figurative Surrealism Original oil Painting, Ready to Hang
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Tigran Hovumyan Figurative Surrealist Oil Painter Artwork Title: Triumph Medium: Original Oil on Linen Dimensions: 40" x 32" x 1" (101 x 81 x 3 cm) Year: 2024 Unframed, Stretched o...
Canvas, Oil
$1,100
A Unique, Enigmatic Modern Surrealist City Interior Scene with Figure Profile
Located in Chicago, IL
A Unique, Unusual Surrealist Interior Scene with Abstracted Figure by Notable Chicago Modern Artist, Harold Haydon (Am. 1909-1994). Depicting an abstract city apartment interior wit...
Oil, Board
Hombre-Cabaza-Cuernos (Faun, Man-Head-Horns)
Located in Hollywood, FL
ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Hombre-Cabaza-Cuernos (Faun, Man-Head-Horns) MEDIUM: Sculpture with Bronze Patina SIGNED: Engraved signature in the sculpture EDITION NUMBER: 301900...
Bronze
The House at the End of the Road - Original Framed Blue Floral Artwork on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Carlos Gamez de Francisco’s "The House at the End of the Road" is a striking blend of hyperrealism, figurative surrealism, and imaginative narrative art. This 12-inch round acrylic p...
Canvas, Acrylic
Snail. By Constantin Selihanov. Bronze. 19x29x10 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Konstantin Vladimirovich Selikhanov (born June 18, 1967, Minsk) is a Belarusian sculptor, artist, and graphic artist, the grandson of sculptor S. I. Selikhanov. The alley leading to ...
Bronze
The King's Feast, King Ubu - Original Lithograph (Maeght #399)
By Joan Miró
Located in Paris, IDF
Joan MIRO The King's Feast, King Ubu, 1966 Original lithograph (Atelier Mourlot, Paris) Unsigned Numbered 34 / 75 copies On Arches vellum 54 x 75 cm (c. 21.2 x 29.5 in) REFERENCE :...
Lithograph
Spanish Modern Art by Joan Miró - Tres Joans
By Joan Miró
Located in Paris, IDF
This book cover 50 x 74 x 0,2 cm - 19,6 x 29,1 x 0,07 in is a highly successful example of Joan Miró's mature graphic language. It distills many of the qualities that made his late w...
Lithograph, Archival Paper
$4,077Sale Price|20% Off
Enormous 1980's French Surrealist Painting Rainbow over Greek Fantasy Landscape
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Rainbow French School, signed with monogram and dated 1985 oil painting on canvas, unframed: 77 x 31 inches condition: overall very good, a few very small indents to the giant canvas but no holes, rips or damage. provenance: from a collection in France One of the largest paintings we have available at the moment, this staggering painting is very beautiful with the deep blue sky, the rainbow arching through the landscape, set against the backdrop of a fantasy Greek/ Romanesque landscape with ancient columns...
Canvas, Oil
Salvador Dali "Ultra Surrealist, Corpuscular Galutska"
Located in Boston, MA
Artist: Dali, Salvador Title: Ultra Surrealist Corpuscular Galutska Series: Memories of Surrealism Date: 1971 Medium: Lithograph with etching Unframed Dimensions: 29.75" x 21.25...
Lithograph, Etching
$1,500
Amazon - original painting on round canvas Paula Craioveanu Neo-Mythology
Located in Forest Hills, NY
Inspired by the mythological Greco-Roman origins, these works of art are dreamlike superimposed views of expressive and sometimes sensual figures. Like the immortal mythological hero...
Acrylic
Welcome to the water planet.
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
In 1981 Maggie Taylor (b. 1961) began to photograph while she was a student at Yale University majoring in philosophy. She primarily took photographs of suburban landscapes and stran...
Digital Pigment
La Grande Guerre - 20th Century, Surrealist, Lithograph, Figurative Print
Located in Sint-Truiden, BE
Color lithograph after the 1954 oil on canvas by René Magritte, plate-signed by Magritte and numbered from the edition of 300. The lithograph features the dry stamps of the Magritte...
Lithograph
$3,823
Salvador Dalí – La Tête ( The Head ) – hand watercolored drypoint etching – 1969
Located in Varese, IT
hand watercolored drypoint etching on extremely fine Japanese paper, edited in 1969 limited edition of 145 copies water-colored , numbered in lower left corner ea ( artist proof ) signed in pencil by artist in lower right corner paper size: 38.5 x 28.5 cm framed size: 65 x 55 cm very good conditions Bibliography: Salvador Dalí Catalogue Raisoneé of etchings and mixed media prints Ref 369 pag 178 Fast and Tracked shipping with express currier DHL . We offer professional packaging and tracked shipping with DHL Express courier ( shipping time: 24 hours for European countries and 4 to 6 days for America and other non-eu countries...
Paper, Watercolor, Drypoint, Etching
$900
Portrait with flowers, Leonor Fini (1907-1996) Women Surrealist, Lithograph 1960
By Leonor Fini
Located in New York, NY
Leonor Fini (1907-1996) Portrait with flowers, 1960 Lithograph 25 1/4 x 19 in (64 x 48 cm) With frame: 33 x 26 1/2 in (83,5 x 67,5 cm) Leonor Fini was born in 1907 in Buenos Aires a...
Lithograph
La Fille au Flambeau Etching, Surrealist, Signed, 1968, Edition 56/95
Located in Roma, IT
Etching and drypoint realized in 1968. Table from the Series "Les Amours de Cassandre", published by Argillet, Paris. Edition of 56/95 on japanese paper, hand colored. Hand signed...
Etching
"Night Swim" (2024) Original Oil Painting on Panel
By Nadezda
Located in Denver, CO
Nadezda's beautiful handmade oil on panel painting "Night Swim" (2024) is a portrait of a young girl in a surreal scene, laying in ocean waters while carried by a shiver of sharks. ...
Oil, Panel
(after) Julio Gonzalez - "Personnage au livre" pochoir
By Julio González 1
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: pochoir (after the drawing). 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 98 mm). ...
Lithograph, Stencil
Pantheum Moonlight, Early 20th century surrealist landscape, Cleveland School
Located in Beachwood, OH
Ferdinand Burgdorff (American, 1881-1975) Pantheum Moonlight, 1916 Oil on canvas Signed and dated lower right 16 x 24 inches 21.5 x 29.5 inches, framed Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Ferd...
Oil
American Modernist Surreal Beach Scene Framed Figural Original Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American modernist beach scene oil painting . Oil on board. Signed. Framed. Measuring: 21 by 25 inches overall, and 18 by 22 painting alone. Excellent condition, ready to h...
Oil
$3,800
"Solitary Confinement" (2016) By Diego Glazer, Original Surrealist Oil Painting
By Diego Glazer
Located in Denver, CO
Diego Glazer's "Solitary Confinement" is an original, handmade oil painting that is framed and ready to hang. The framed measurements are 22 in H x 26 in W. About the Artist: For a...
Canvas, Oil
Île Saint-Louis - River Seine Paris France Surrealist Oil on Board Painting
Located in Sevenoaks, GB
* No US duty or taxes to pay on this item * A very beautiful signed and dated 1972 oil on board depicting a surrealist view of the Île Saint-Louis in Paris at sunset. Striking and ...
Oil, Board
Jeune Fille, Photogravure, Modern, 1937, Excellent
Located in OPOLE, PL
Henri Matisse (1869-1954) - Jeune fille Photogravure from 1937. Dimensions of work: 35.5 x 26.4 cm Publisher: Tériade, Paris. The work is in Excellent condition. Fast and secure...
Photogravure
Le Lézard aux Plumes d’Or - Lithograph by Joan Mirò - 1971
By Joan Miró
Located in Roma, IT
Hand signed, and han written in pencil "H.C." (hors commerce). Edition of 150 numbered in Arabic numerals on Rives with “Miro” watermark + 20 numbered in Roman numerals on Rives wit...
Lithograph