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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
Figurative Mixed Media Bust Sculpture in Ceramic Oxides and Carved Fir Wood
Figurative Mixed Media Bust Sculpture in Ceramic Oxides and Carved Fir Wood

Figurative Mixed Media Bust Sculpture in Ceramic Oxides and Carved Fir Wood

By Óscar Aldonza Torres

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...

Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Metal, Gold Leaf

Quietude From Turmoil - Original Colorful Mixed Media Surrealist Landscape Art
Quietude From Turmoil - Original Colorful Mixed Media Surrealist Landscape Art

Quietude From Turmoil - Original Colorful Mixed Media Surrealist Landscape 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, Wood Panel

Mythological Oil Painting Depicting a Mystical Scene with Figures French 20th C
Mythological Oil Painting Depicting a Mystical Scene with Figures French 20th C

Mythological Oil Painting Depicting a Mystical Scene with Figures French 20th C

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Mystical Scene with Figures by Guy Nicod (French 1923 - 2021) signed oil on canvas laid on board, framed Framed: 35.5 x 27 inches Canvas: 32.5 x 24 inches Provenance: private collec...

Category

Mid-20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

"Before The Fog" - 1975 Surrealist Lithograph on Paper
"Before The Fog" - 1975 Surrealist Lithograph on Paper

"Before The Fog" - 1975 Surrealist Lithograph on Paper

By Jim Crabb

Located in Soquel, CA

"Before The Fog" - 1975 Surrealist Lithograph on Paper Black and white surrealist lithograph by Jim Crabb (American, b. 1947). Abstracted figures take up the paper, with a pop of go...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Ink, Lithograph

Salvador Dali Pencil Signed Nude on a Rhinoceros Horn
Salvador Dali Pencil Signed Nude on a Rhinoceros Horn

Salvador Dali Pencil Signed Nude on a Rhinoceros Horn

By Salvador Dalí­

Located in San Francisco, CA

Salvador Dali: 1904-1989. One of the most famous artist of the 20th century. A master surrealist, whose auction prices are well into the millions. This image of a nude on a rhinocero...

Category

Mid-20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

Salvador Dali "Transfiguration"
Salvador Dali "Transfiguration"

Salvador Dali "Transfiguration"

By Salvador Dalí­

Located in Boston, MA

Artist: Dali, Salvador Title: Transfiguration Date: 1973 Medium: Drypoint with Added Watercolor Unframed Dimensions: 30" x 22" Signature: Pencil signed Edition: 100/100 Litera...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Drypoint, Watercolor

"Les chiens ont soif" lithograph

"Les chiens ont soif" lithograph

By (after) Max Ernst

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: lithograph (after the drawing). Printed by Mourlot for the deluxe limited edition portfolio "Les chiens ont soif", this is one of 250 impressions on BFK Rives wove paper (the...

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Homes in the Desert - Colorful Abstract Landscape Painting on Canvas Framed
Homes in the Desert - Colorful Abstract Landscape Painting on Canvas Framed

Homes in the Desert - Colorful Abstract Landscape Painting on Canvas Framed

By Maria C. Bernhardsson

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 ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Mixed Media

In Memory of Dante Figurative Surrealism Original oil Painting
In Memory of Dante Figurative Surrealism Original oil Painting

In Memory of Dante Figurative Surrealism Original oil Painting

By Ashot Yan

Located in Granada Hills, CA

Figurative Surrealism Original Painting Artist: Ashot Yan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2023 Style: Portrait Surrealism, T...

Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Space Time - Original handsigned lithograph
Space Time - Original handsigned lithograph

Space Time - Original handsigned lithograph

By Jean Allemand

Located in Paris, IDF

Jean Allemand Space Time Original lithograph Handsigned in pencil Limited /275 copies On vellum 76 x 56 cm (c. 29.9 x 22 in) Excellent condition

Category

Late 20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Aery Kingdom (Black Surrealist Philadelphia artist)
Aery Kingdom (Black Surrealist Philadelphia artist)

Aery Kingdom (Black Surrealist Philadelphia artist)

By Roland Ayers

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Roland Ayers (1932-2014). Aery Kingdom, WIngs of Cloud, 1971 Ink on illustration board, panel measuring 19.5 × 25.5 inches. Artist label on verso. Signed and dated. Artist and a...

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Ink

The Lovers - Héliogravure by Marc Chagall - 1960
The Lovers - Héliogravure by Marc Chagall - 1960

The Lovers - Héliogravure by Marc Chagall - 1960

By Marc Chagall

Located in Roma, IT

Héliogravure on brown-toned paper, so signature. On bot sheets, recto and verso. Edition of 6500 unsigned copies. Printed by Mourlot and published by Tériade, Paris. Ref. Mourlot,...

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Photogravure

Playing with Symbols Inside a Red Theatrical Space
Playing with Symbols Inside a Red Theatrical Space

Playing with Symbols Inside a Red Theatrical Space

By Marina Skvortsova

Located in Oslo, NO

“Playing with Symbols” is built on a combination of theatricality, artificiality, and ritual gesture. A figure with an almost doll-like face emerges from a saturated red space, surro...

Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Watercolor, Pencil

1970’s French Surrealist Signed Oil Painting Abstract Robotic Figure
1970’s French Surrealist Signed Oil Painting Abstract Robotic Figure

1970’s French Surrealist Signed Oil Painting Abstract Robotic Figure

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Tristan Fabris 1970's, French Surrealist artist Abstract Surrealist Figurative study oil on canvas, unframed inscribed verso canvas: 32 x 24 inches private collection, France The pai...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Spike Milligan (If)"
"Spike Milligan (If)"

"Spike Milligan (If)"

By Natalia Kolpakova 1

Located in Edinburgh, GB

"Spike Milligan(If) is a riotous homage to absurdity, theatricality, and the razor wit of British humor. This surreal silk composition draws inspiration from Milligan’s nonsensical p...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Silk

Patiently Waiting 2 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Black Woman, Love
Patiently Waiting 2 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Black Woman, Love

Patiently Waiting 2 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Black Woman, Love

By Akingbade Mayowa

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure FREE Shipping Worldwide Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authent...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

The Giants - Original etching - 150ex
The Giants - Original etching - 150ex

The Giants - Original etching - 150ex

By Salvador Dalí­

Located in Paris, IDF

Salvador Dali The giants (1960) Heliogravure reworked with drypoint Printed signature in the plate On BFK Rives Vellum paper Size 32.8 x 26.4 cm (c. 13 x 10") References: - Field p...

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

Soft Fragility
Soft Fragility

Soft Fragility

By Tetiana Borys

Located in Zofingen, AG

The series "Dissonance of Softness" consists of five paintings: "Soft Silence," "Soft Solitude," "Soft Maturity," "Soft Fragility," and "Soft Indecision." The word "softness" does no...

Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Acrylic, Archival Paper

Night Room
Night Room

Night Room

By Fanny Brennan

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...

Category

20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Lithograph

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

Pablo Picasso, L'Abreuvoir from La Suite Saltimbanques
Pablo Picasso, L'Abreuvoir from La Suite Saltimbanques

Pablo Picasso, L'Abreuvoir from La Suite Saltimbanques

By Pablo Picasso

Located in Chatsworth, CA

This piece is an original drypoint created by Pablo Picasso in 1905 and printed by Ambroise Vollard after steel-facing in 1913. It is from a series entitled La Suite des Saltimbanque...

Category

1910s Surrealist Art

Materials

Drypoint

Ruth glaneuse

Ruth glaneuse

By Marc Chagall

Located in Paris, FR

Original lithograph by Marc Chagall from The Bible of 1960 Ruth glaneuse Unsigned 35 x 26 cm Excellent condition

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Saint Peter to Dante - Woodcut - 1963
Saint Peter to Dante - Woodcut - 1963

Saint Peter to Dante - Woodcut - 1963

By Salvador Dalí­

Located in Roma, IT

Saint Peter to Dante -  "The Divine Comedy" - Song 27 -  Paradise is a woodcut print realized in 1963 for a series illustrating the Medieval poem of the "Divine Comedy" by Dante Alig...

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Woodcut

Leonor Fini, Rogomelec (rare print on paper)
Leonor Fini, Rogomelec (rare print on paper)

Leonor Fini, Rogomelec (rare print on paper)

By Leonor Fini

Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Leonor Fini, Rogomelec (rare original print on Rives paper) Texte : Rare lithograph on Rives paper, handsigned and numered by surrealist artist Leonor Fini, now rediscovered and inscreasingly esteemed with the movement of rediscovering art by women. Leonor Fini was actually the life of the party during the Surrealist movement like Leonora Carrington, Remedios Varo, Jacqueline Lamba and Claude Lalanne. Many consider her to be the most fiercely independent female artist of the 20th centuryThis rare lithograph was made after the painting untitled Rogomelec, which was sold by Christie's on october 9th 2024 at GBP 907,200. Created in 1978, Rogomelec is an arresting example of Leonor Fini’s fantastical visions. Within a barren land stands a king dressed in an elaborate coat of peacock feathers. Light glints off his dazzling crown. He is magisterial, imperious, royalty incarnated. The painting shares its title with that of Fini’s third novella, first published in 1979; Rogomelec means ‘he who stones the king’. Written in the first person, the story tells of a traveller in a faraway land, home to a decaying monastery-turned-sanatorium, where monks proffer hallucinatory herbal cures, and culminates in an unsettling discovery during a ritual celebration of the king, the subject of the present work. Born in Buenos Aires, Fini moved to Trieste as a young child. There, she developed an early interest in Renaissance and Mannerist art – the latter’s influence is evident in the elongated figure of Rogomelec – as well as Gustav Klimt, the Pre-Raphaelites, and the German and French Romantics, artists she discovered while riffling through her uncle’s extensive library. Largely self-taught, she moved to Paris in 1931 where she befriended René Magritte, Paul Éluard, Max Ernst, and Victor Brauner. Through them, Fini grew close with the Surrealists and participated in their exhibitions, including Peggy Guggenheim’s landmark show 31 Women at her eponymous gallery on West 57 Street in New York. Like her contemporaries, Fini’s paintings too seem wrenched from a dream and across her works she sought to reconcile the world that she experienced with that of her subconscious mind. In Rogomelec, the king’s clothing is meticulous, and the drama of the ensemble was likely influenced by Fini’s work outside the studio. She created sets and costumes for the ballet, stage, and film; collaborated on performances for the Paris Opéra and La Scala in Milan; and conceived of the bottle and packaging for Elsa Schiaparelli’s perfume...

Category

Mid-20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper

1971 L'Académie de Paris, Pencil Signed EA Colorful Etching
1971 L'Académie de Paris, Pencil Signed EA Colorful Etching

1971 L'Académie de Paris, Pencil Signed EA Colorful Etching

By Salvador Dalí­

Located in New York, NY

Salvador Dali 1971 L'Académie de Paris Etching 19x25 inches Image 27x33 inches with frame overall good condition Pencil Signed lower right Pencil Edition Size EA This Large piece is pencil signed and has lots of light Colors "Academy of Paris - Dali" refers to the etching L'Académie de Paris (1971) by Salvador Dalí, created to commemorate his admission to the French Academy of Fine Arts. It also refers to the Dali Paris...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

The Ballerina And The Angel - Original Surrealist On Board
The Ballerina And The Angel - Original Surrealist On Board

The Ballerina And The Angel - Original Surrealist On Board

By Russell Tripp

Located in Soquel, CA

The Ballerina And The Angel - Original Surrealist On Board Dramatic and dynamic fantasy scene by Russell R. Tripp (American, 1942-2025). This piece depicts a ballerina sitting in the bottom left corner against stone pillars, wearing a deep red leotard, white leggings and pink ballerina shoes...

Category

1980s Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

"Siren in Green Gold" (2024) Original Oil Painting on Panel
"Siren in Green Gold" (2024) Original Oil Painting on Panel

"Siren in Green Gold" (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 woman dressed in an intricate green-gold outfit, donning a headdress and resting in a conten...

Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Paysage Surréaliste
Paysage Surréaliste

Paysage Surréaliste

By Salvador Dalí­

Located in Hollywood, FL

ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Paysage Surrealiste MEDIUM: Etching SIGNED: Hand Signed by Salvador Dali EDITION NUMBER: XII/LXXV MEASUREMENTS: 24.75" x 25.12" YEAR: 1974 FRAMED:...

Category

1970s 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.