Skip to main content

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.

to
1,660
3,741
1,682
2,149
989
1,048
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
20
29
6,163
3,400
4
19
124
112
154
526
1,532
1,982
525
295
18
117,121
64,430
56,472
28,425
14,623
6,696
6,006
4,182
3,159
2,534
2,339
2,144
604
5,890
2,609
936
3,988
2,527
1,493
1,259
1,215
1,049
1,025
538
332
332
316
315
277
258
246
243
166
138
129
111
2,813
2,518
1,739
1,634
1,603
839
420
338
256
199
1,700
2,631
5,663
3,543
Style: Surrealist
Sunny Day IV - Original Textural Lace Surrealist Figurative Floral Painting
Sunny Day IV - Original Textural Lace Surrealist Figurative Floral Painting

Sunny Day IV - Original Textural Lace Surrealist Figurative Floral Painting

By Carlos Gamez de Francisco

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 academia setting. This presence exposed Franci...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Meditation Practice 101 - Figurative Surrealist Portrait Mixed Media Painting
Meditation Practice 101 - Figurative Surrealist Portrait Mixed Media Painting

Meditation Practice 101 - Figurative Surrealist Portrait Mixed Media Painting

By Carlos Gamez de Francisco

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...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Ink, Watercolor, Graphite, Paper

Hamadryades Mimetiques Arborescentes
Hamadryades Mimetiques Arborescentes

Hamadryades Mimetiques Arborescentes

By Salvador Dalí­

Located in Hollywood, FL

ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Hamadryades Mimetiques Arborescentes MEDIUM: Etching SIGNED: Hand Signed EDITION NUMBER: EA MEASUREMENTS: 19.3" x 12.4" YEAR: 1971 FRAMED: No CO...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

Japanese Fairy Tales
Japanese Fairy Tales

Japanese Fairy Tales

By Salvador Dalí­

Located in OPOLE, PL

Salvador Dali (1904-1989) - Japanese Fairy Tales Portfolio with 10 drypoint etching with stencil from 1974. The edition of XVII/LXXV on Richard de Bas paper. Dimensions of work: 6...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Drypoint, Etching

A View from the Platform, Oil Painting
A View from the Platform, Oil Painting

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...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

Water Town, Oil Painting
Water Town, Oil Painting

Water Town, Oil Painting

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
The painting embraces modernist sensibilities with a surrealist touch, challenging conventional rules of depth and perspective. It distills the vibrant canal vi...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

Leeward, Oil Painting
Leeward, Oil Painting

Leeward, Oil Painting

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Artist Benjamin Xu presents a geometric architectural scene that conveys a strong sense of shelter, stillness, and spatial harmony. The viewer is drawn into a d...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

Optimist, Oil Painting
Optimist, Oil Painting

Optimist, Oil Painting

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Artist Benjamin Xu paints a vibrant architectural scene that explores hope, resilience, and bright horizons. The artwork highlights a balance between structure ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

original lithograph

original lithograph

By Julio de Diego

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: original lithograph. This lithograph was printed for the front cover of the 1955 "Improvisations" portfolio, published by the Artists Equity Association of New York on the oc...

Category

1950s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Untitled (Venice Gondola Scene)
Untitled (Venice Gondola Scene)

Untitled (Venice Gondola Scene)

By Jean Calogero

Located in Burlingame, CA

Mid-century modern oil on canvas by Sicilian painter Jean Calogero, 1922-2001. Fantasy scene of three black gondolas on a Venice canal, with green water, blue skies and Venetian arch...

Category

20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

A False Narrative - Figurative Black, White & Red Mixed Media Surrealist Art
A False Narrative - Figurative Black, White & Red Mixed Media Surrealist Art

A False Narrative - Figurative Black, White & Red Mixed Media Surrealist Art

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Robert Lebsack creates artworks using mixed media with ink, acrylic, and charcoal on archival copies of newspapers, textbooks, and sheet music. As a visionary artist, Lebsack weaves ...

Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Charcoal, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic

original lithograph

original lithograph

By Yves Tanguy

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 ...

Category

1940s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Last Faint Ember - Abstract Figurative Black & White Mixed Media Romantic Art
Last Faint Ember - Abstract Figurative Black & White Mixed Media Romantic Art

Last Faint Ember - Abstract Figurative Black & White Mixed Media Romantic Art

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Robert Lebsack creates artworks using mixed media with ink, acrylic, and charcoal on archival copies of newspapers, textbooks, and sheet music. As a visionary artist, Lebsack weaves ...

Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Charcoal, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic

original etching

original etching

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: original etching. Printed in Paris by Lacourière 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

Etching

Early Bird, Oil Painting
Early Bird, Oil Painting

Early Bird, Oil Painting

By Keith Thomson

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Sometimes, when painting a New York cityscape at sunrise, an artist takes liberties. They turn gray buildings blue, the blue sky gray, or replace the expected. ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

Homecoming  (Black Surrealist Philadelphia artist)
Homecoming  (Black Surrealist Philadelphia artist)

Homecoming (Black Surrealist Philadelphia artist)

By Roland Ayers

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Roland Ayers (1932-2014). Homecoming, 1971. Ink on paper, 4 1/8 × 6 7/8 inches. Signed and dated. Small toning stain left margin. Artist and art educator, Roland Ayers was ...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Ink

The Cubist Angel
The Cubist Angel

The Cubist Angel

By Salvador Dalí­

Located in OPOLE, PL

Bronze, hand-patinated and partially polished cast in 1982 using the lost-wax (""à cire perdue"") technique bearing the foundry stamp ""Strehle Kunstguss"" height (including base): 5...

Category

1980s Surrealist Art

Materials

Bronze

Installation, Oil Painting
Installation, Oil Painting

Installation, Oil Painting

By Michael Wedge

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Part of artist Michael Wedge's series explores the contrast between urban and rural environments. This surrealist painting depicts the installation of some digital technology in an unlikely place in nature. A woman prepares to climb up the ladder while another approaches with an open laptop and an extension wire at hand. They are busy in the middle of an open field with a fox wandering between them and deers grazing in the distance.


About the Artist
Michael Wedge works in a variety of mediums: sculpture, painting, mixed media and more. He oftentimes starts with a mental image and creates digital collages, which become the basis for his paintings. A lot of his work references themes from his personal life, such as the experience of living in a city versus in the countryside. If his art seems mysterious, it;s because he enjoys making complex works. "I am attracted to images or moments that seem to have something subtle or hidden under the surface," he explains. When he;s not making art, he teaches it at an elementary school.


Words that describe this painting: surrealism...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

Joan Miro, Figures Before the Sea, from D'Aci i d’Alla, 1934
Joan Miro, Figures Before the Sea, from D'Aci i d’Alla, 1934

Joan Miro, Figures Before the Sea, from D'Aci i d’Alla, 1934

By Joan Miró

Located in Southampton, NY

This exquisite lithograph and pochoir by Joan Miro (1893–1983), titled Figures davant el mar (Figures Before the Sea), originates from the historic 1934 album D'Aci i d’Alla, Numero Extraordinari de Nadal dedicat a l’art del segle XX. Published by Llibreria Catalonia, Barcelona, under the direction of Antonio Lopez Llausas, Editeur, Barcelona, 1934, and under the supervision of Joan Prats, Barcelona, and Josep Lluis Sert, Barcelona; printed by Pochoir Publicity Art, Barcelona, under the direction of J. Mateu, Barcelona, 1934, the work reflects Miros early mastery of Surrealist biomorphism and his exceptional sensitivity to the pochoir technique, whose saturated, hand-applied colors were ideally suited to his luminous Mediterranean palette. Executed as a lithograph and pochoir on velin paper, this work measures 13 x 11.1875 inches (33.02 x 28.42 cm). Unsigned and unnumbered as issued. Printed by Pochoir Publicity Art, Barcelona, under the direction of J. Mateu. Artwork Details: Artist: Joan Miro (1893–1983) Title: Figures davant el mar (Figures Before the Sea), from the album D'Aci i d’Alla, Numero Extraordinari de Nadal dedicat a l’art del segle XX, 1934 Medium: Lithograph and pochoir on velin paper Dimensions: 13 x 11.1875 inches (33.02 x 28.42 cm) Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered as issued Date: 1934 Publisher: Llibreria Catalonia, Barcelona; under the direction of Antonio Lopez Llausas, Editeur, Barcelona, with the supervision of Joan Prats and Josep Lluis Sert Printer: Pochoir Publicity Art, Barcelona; under the direction of J. Mateu Catalogue raisonne reference: Dupin, Jacques, and Joan Miro. Miro Engraver 1928–1960. Rizzoli, 1984, illustration 13. Cramer, Patrick. Joan Miro: The Illustrated Books: Catalogue Raisonne. Patrick Cramer, 1989, illustration 11. Condition: Well preserved, consistent with age and medium Provenance: From the album D'Aci i d’Alla, Numero Extraordinari de Nadal dedicat a l’art del segle XX, 1934, published by Llibreria Catalonia, Barcelona About the Publication: The 1934 album D'Aci i d’Alla, Numero Extraordinari de Nadal dedicat a l’art del segle XX, stands as one of the most ambitious, sophisticated, and culturally significant Catalan art publications of the interwar period, conceived at a moment when Barcelona was a thriving hub of artistic modernity. Produced by Llibreria Catalonia under the direction of Antonio Lopez Llausas, with the close involvement of Joan Prats and Josep Lluis Sert—two of the most influential Catalan cultural figures of the twentieth century—the album embodied a vision of Catalonia as an active, forward-looking center of international avant-garde thought, connected intellectually and aesthetically to Paris, yet deeply rooted in Mediterranean identity. Unlike standard periodicals, D'Aci i d’Alla functioned as a hybrid fine art album, design object, and critical journal, integrating essays, photography, architecture, poetry, and original artworks in a unified modernist aesthetic. The 1934 Numero Extraordinari, devoted to twentieth-century art, was particularly ambitious in scope: it surveyed the newest movements in modernism while highlighting Catalonia’s unique contributions to the international avant-garde. Its inclusion of an original Joan Miro pochoir...

Category

1930s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Happy People in Pink - Lithograph (Maeght)
Happy People in Pink - Lithograph (Maeght)

Happy People in Pink - Lithograph (Maeght)

By Paul Klee

Located in Paris, IDF

Paul KLEE (1879 - 1940) Happy character Color photolithograph after a painting Signed in the plate On vellum 83 x 60 cm (c. 32 x 24 in) Excellent condition

Category

Early 20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Watercolor, Lithograph

A Nearly Forgotten Song - Abstract Colorful Figurative Mixed Media Art on Wood
A Nearly Forgotten Song - Abstract Colorful Figurative Mixed Media Art on Wood

A Nearly Forgotten Song - Abstract Colorful Figurative Mixed Media Art on Wood

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Robert Lebsack creates artworks using mixed media with ink, acrylic, and charcoal on archival copies of newspapers, textbooks, and sheet music. As a visionary artist, Lebsack weaves ...

Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Charcoal, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel

original lithograph

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

Large Surrealist Symbolist Painting, Peeking Child, Moorish Architectural Arches
Large Surrealist Symbolist Painting, Peeking Child, Moorish Architectural Arches

Large Surrealist Symbolist Painting, Peeking Child, Moorish Architectural Arches

By Baruch Elron

Located in Surfside, FL

Large Surrealist Symbolist Painting With a peeking, peering figure of a child dressed in red in a typical Middle Eastern Architectural setting. (unframed 28.75X39.5 inches) Baruch El...

Category

20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

(after) Marino Marini - "Cavalier et cheval" pochoir

(after) Marino Marini - "Cavalier et cheval" pochoir

By Marino Marini

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: pochoir (after the lithograph). Printed by the atelier of Daniel Jacomet, and published in Paris in 1955 by Heinz Berggruen. The image measures 5 1/4 x 3 3/4 inches (135 x 10...

Category

1950s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph, Stencil

Cactus Flower, Oil Painting
Cactus Flower, Oil Painting

Cactus Flower, Oil Painting

By Duane Brown

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A woman poses as a cactus flower, her form creating both balance and tension. The surreal positioning draws attention to the connection between humans and nat...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

Dessert Landscape (Comanche Native American surrealist painting)
Dessert Landscape (Comanche Native American surrealist painting)

Dessert Landscape (Comanche Native American surrealist painting)

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Dessert 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.

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Gouache, Rag Paper

Leonor Fini, Untitled, from The Flowers of Evil, 1964
Leonor Fini, Untitled, from The Flowers of Evil, 1964

Leonor Fini, Untitled, from The Flowers of Evil, 1964

By Leonor Fini

Located in Southampton, NY

This exquisite lithograph by Leonor Fini (1907–1996), titled Sans titre (Untitled), from Les Fleurs du Mal (The Flowers of Evil), originates from the 1964 issue published by Le Cercl...

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Ernő Tóth Surrealist Painting
Ernő Tóth Surrealist Painting

Ernő Tóth Surrealist Painting

Located in New York, NY

Ernő Tóth (Hungarian, b. 1949) Untitled, c. 20th-21st Century Oil on board 32 3/8 x 22 3/4 in. Framed: 36 3/4 x 27 x 1 1/4 in. Signed lower right Exhibition labels verso Ernő Tóth was born in 25. December 1949 in Sajóecseg, Hungary. Schools: 1964-68, Secondary School of Fine Arts; 1974-79 Academy of Fine Arts. His masters: Szilárd Iván, Jenő Barcsay and László Patay. Membership: National Association of Hungarian Artists, Hungarian Artist’s Association, Hungarian Painters’ Society, DunapART Art Society, Inner City Artists’ Society, Hungarian Art Workshop Society. His works were shown - apart from Hungary - also in Sweden, Finnland, Austria, and Germany. He made study trips in France, The Netherlands, USA, Yugoslavia, and Bulgaria. At various national and international exhibitions he was awarded several prizes, among others the international first prize for painting at the Humor-Satire Art...

Category

20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Large Scale Surrealist Oil on Canvas, 'Noah's Ark and the Animals'.
Large Scale Surrealist Oil on Canvas, 'Noah's Ark and the Animals'.

Large Scale Surrealist Oil on Canvas, 'Noah's Ark and the Animals'.

Located in Cotignac, FR

Very large scale late 20th century oil on canvas of Noah's Ark and the Animals by British artist Derek Carruthers. Signed to the bottom right. A magical, highly colourful and energe...

Category

Late 20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Brunetto Latini - Woodcut Print - 1963
Brunetto Latini - Woodcut Print - 1963

Brunetto Latini - Woodcut Print - 1963

By Salvador Dalí­

Located in Roma, IT

Brunetto Latini from the Series "The Divine Comedy" - Song 16 - Hell is a woodcut print realized in 1963 for a series illustrating the Medieval poem of the "Divine Comedy" by Dante...

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Woodcut

Joan Miro, The Huntress, from Derriere le Miroir, 1965
Joan Miro, The Huntress, from Derriere le Miroir, 1965

Joan Miro, The Huntress, from Derriere le Miroir, 1965

By Joan Miró

Located in Southampton, NY

This exquisite lithograph by Joan Miro (1893–1983), titled La chasseresse (The Huntress), originates from the December 1965 folio Derriere le Miroir, No. 155, published by Maeght Edi...

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Antonio Monasterio – Woman with a Large Hat and Table with Vase. Nr.2
Antonio Monasterio – Woman with a Large Hat and Table with Vase. Nr.2

Antonio Monasterio – Woman with a Large Hat and Table with Vase. Nr.2

Located in Firenze, IT

Antonio Monasterio – Woman with a Large Hat and Table with Vase. Nr.2 • Technique: Mixed media on paper (pastels, wax, and red pen) • Dimensions: 56 x 44 cm • Signature: Lower ri...

Category

Late 20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Crayon, Wax Crayon, Wax, Pen

"Characters", Surrealist John Devoluy (1903-1982) Oil on canvas
"Characters", Surrealist John Devoluy (1903-1982) Oil on canvas

"Characters", Surrealist John Devoluy (1903-1982) Oil on canvas

Located in New York, NY

John Devoluy (1903-1982) Characters, 1950 c. Oil on canvas 28 3/4 x 24 inches l 73 x 61 cm With frame: 30 3/4 x 26 inches l 78 x 66 cm John Devoluy was born in 1903 and became a cen...

Category

1950s Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

original lithograph

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.

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Metamorphosis Cat (B)
Metamorphosis Cat (B)

Metamorphosis Cat (B)

By Leonor Fini

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

Mid-20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

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.