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.
TEAR OF TIME (Melting Clock)Signed Lithograph on Arches Paper, Surrealism
Located in Union City, NJ
TEAR OF TIME (Melting Clock) is a limited edition color lithograph by the Modern master Salvador Dali, after an original Salvador Dali gouache pa...
Lithograph
Casanova : Snail Lady - Original etching (Field #67-4 K)
Located in Paris, IDF
Salvador DALI (1904-1969) Casanova : Snail lady, 1967 Original etching Signed in the plate On vellum Rives 38 x 28 cm (c. 14.9 x 11 inch) REFERENCES : - Catalog raisonné Field #67-...
Etching
$775
Magritte at Galerie Alexandre Iolas, Milan, Italy, Offset lithograph poster
Located in New York, NY
René Magritte Magritte at Galerie Alexandre Iolas, Milan, Italy, ca. 1980 Offset lithograph lettering and silkscreen poster on thin wove paper ...
Lithograph, Offset, Screen
Rufino Tamayo, Mujer Con Brazos Altos en Rojo (Affiche Avant Lettre)
Located in Cuauhtemoc, Ciudad de México
CONDITION: EXCELLENT PERFECT FOR COLLECTING! ! ! Mujer Con Brazos Altos en Rojo (Affiche Avant Lettre) (from the Mujeres portfolio) 1969 lithograph in colors 30.875 h x 23.875 w i...
Lithograph
$1,996Sale Price|20% Off
Joan Miro, The Three Blues, from Derriere le miroir, 1951
By Joan Miró
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph by Joan Miro (1893–1983), titled Les Trois Bleus (The Three Blues), from the folio Derriere le miroir, Sur Quatre Murs (Behind the Mirror, On Four Walls), N...
Lithograph
$840Sale Price|40% Off
Los Gatos Surrealist Giclée Print, Framed, Signed, 2010, 88x88 cm
Located in Cuauhtemoc, Ciudad de México
-Pedro Friedeberg signed print featuring a fantastical surrealistic scene. Includes whimsical figures, optical art elements, and surreal details. framed in a hand-painted black and g...
Giclée
Miro a l'Encre II, Surrealist Lithograph by Joan Miro
By Joan Miró
Located in Long Island City, NY
Joan Miro, Spanish (1893 - 1983) - Miro a l'Encre II, Year: 1972, Medium: Lithograph, Image Size: 13.75 x 9.75 inches, Size: 14 x 10 in. (35.56 x 25.4 cm), Frame Size: 21 x 17 inch...
Lithograph
$3,995
Salvador Dali Lithograph, Signed, 1969, Without Hope, from The Marquis de Sade
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Salvador Dali Title: Without Hope, from The Marquis de Sade Medium: Lithograph in colors on Japon paper Date: 1969 Edition: 6/J Frame Size: 31 5/8" x 25 1/8" Sheet Size: 25 5...
Lithograph
$960Sale Price|20% Off
El Siglo de Pericles Giclée Print, Surrealist Style, Framed, 2010+
Located in Cuauhtemoc, Ciudad de México
-Pedro Friedeberg signed print featuring a fantastical architectural scene. Includes whimsical figures, optical art elements, and surreal details. framed in a hand-painted black and ...
Giclée
$3,112Sale Price|20% Off
Les Songes Drôlatiques de Pantagruel, Planche II
Located in OPOLE, PL
Salvador Dali (1904-1989) - Les Songes Drôlatiques de Pantagruel, Planche II Lithograph from 1973. Edition 10/250 on Japon paper. Dimensions of work: 76 x 56 cm Publisher: Carpen...
Lithograph
Red Composition, Preface to 52 Affiches - Original Lithograph (Cramer #84)
By Joan Miró
Located in Paris, IDF
Joan MIRO Red Composition, Preface to 52 Affiches, 1963 Original lithograph in colors (Atelier Mourlot, Paris) Signed in pencil by Fernand Mourlot Dated in pencil Numbered on / 125 ...
Lithograph
Poet's house.
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
$2,601Sale Price|20% Off
1970's Large French Surrealist Oil Painting Figures on the Beach
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Surrealist composition French School, dated 1975 verso oil on canvas, framed framed: 33.5 x 27 inches canvas: 32 x 25.5 inches inscribed verso provenance: private collection, France ...
Oil, Canvas
$66Sale Price|25% Off
Bull - Still Life (Surreal, Colorful, Vibrant, Modern) (26% OFF LIST PRICE)
Located in Kansas City, MO
Franz Graw Bull Color Offset Lithograph Year: 2023 Size: 11.81 x 15.74 inches (30 x 40 cm) Edition: 100 Signed and numbered in pencil COA provided Franz Graw (b. 1964) is a Düsseld...
Lithograph, Offset
$1,500Sale Price|58% Off
Moonlight Acrylic on Masonite, Surrealist, Signed, 1963, Framed
Located in Cuauhtemoc, Ciudad de México
Title: Moonlight Signed Date: 1963 Leonardo Nierman Mendelejis (Mexico City, November 1, 1932 – June 7, 2023) was a Mexican artist known primarily for his painting and sculpture....
Masonite, Acrylic
$3,996Sale Price|20% Off
Rene Magritte, Gemstones, 1968 (after)
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph after Rene Magritte (1898–1967), titled Pierreries (Gemstones), from the folio Les Enfants Trouves de Magritte (The Found Children of Magritte), 1968, origi...
Lithograph
$796Sale Price|20% Off
Joan Miro, Untitled, from Trace on the Water, 1963 (after)
By Joan Miró
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph after Joan Miro (1893–1983), titled Sans titre (Untitled), from the album Trace sur l'eau (Trace on the Water), originates from the 1963 edition published b...
Lithograph
"The Post-Truth Era V", Surrealist Portrait, Brown, Collage, Acrylic Painting
By John Baker
Located in Franklin, MA
John Baker’s “The Post-Truth Era V “ is an acrylic painting on canvas with collage 20 x 16 inches in blues, whites, tans and browns. In our post-truth era it is next to impossible to...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
A Home in the Woods - Original Birds Portrait Still Life Framed 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
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
Lady Godiva
Located in OPOLE, PL
Salvador Dali (1904-1989) - Lady Godiva Lithograph from 1970. Edition of 187/256. Dimensions of work: 68 x 50 cm Publisher: Simeon Wajntraub. On B.F.K Rives paper as stated in t...
Lithograph
Dancing Lovers
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this oil painting, I've blended abstract, figurative, and surreal elements to capture the fluid motion and raw emotion of an intimate dance. The intertwining forms, awash in shade...
Oil
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
David Saved by Michal - Lithograph by Marc Chagall - 1960
By Marc Chagall
Located in Roma, IT
Color lithograph realized by Marc Chagall in 1960 to illustrate "The Bible". Edition of 6500, published by Tériade in no. 33 and 34 of the Art Magazine Verve. Printed by Mourlot a...
Lithograph
London Bus - London cityscape impressionism 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...
Canvas, Oil
(after) Julio Gonzalez - "Le Guerrier" 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 1/4 x 3 3/4 inches (160 x 98 mm...
Lithograph, Stencil
$716Sale Price|20% Off
Joan Miro, Lithograph I, from Lithographs I, 1972
By Joan Miró
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph by Joan Miro (1893–1983), titled Lithograph I, from the album Joan Miro Lithographs, Volume I, originates from the 1972 edition published by Tudor Publishin...
Lithograph
$716Sale Price|20% Off
Joan Miro, The Black Sun, from Derriere le miroir, 1965
By Joan Miró
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph by Joan Miro (1893–1983), titled Le Soleil Noir (The Black Sun), from the folio Derriere le miroir, No. 151–152, originates from the 1965 edition published ...
Lithograph
$716Sale Price|20% Off
Joan Miro, Lithograph XI, from Lithographs I, 1972
By Joan Miró
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph by Joan Miro (1893–1983), titled Lithograph XI, from the album Joan Miro Lithographs, Volume I, originates from the 1972 edition published by Tudor Publishi...
Lithograph
$2,360Sale Price|20% Off
Dali, Femme à tete de Roses (after)
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Salvador Dali (1904-1989) Title: Femme à tete de Roses Year: 2004 Medium: Lithograph on wove paper Size: 30.25 x 22 inches Condition: Excellent Inscription: Unsigned and unnu...
Lithograph
$796Sale Price|20% Off
Joan Miro, The Flowered Ram, from Derriere le miroir, 1971
By Joan Miró
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...
Lithograph
$1,350Sale Price|25% Off
Códice Miguelito I Giclée Print, Surrealist Style, Framed, 2010+
Located in Cuauhtemoc, Ciudad de México
Artist and designer Pedro Friedeberg is known for his surrealist paintings, prints, and sculptural furniture. He was the subject of a 2009 retrospective at the Museo del Palacio de B...
Giclée
$4,845Sale Price|40% Off
St. George
Located in OPOLE, PL
Salvador Dali (1904-1989) - St. George Lithograph from 1972. The edition of 187/250. Dimensions of work: 68 x 50 cm. On B.F.K Rives paper as stated in the Field catalogue. Refer...
Lithograph
Knight In Armour w/ Horse, Large Magical Realist Landscape
By Paul Riba
Located in Beachwood, OH
Paul Riba (American, 1912-1977) Knight in Armour, 1973 Oil on board Signed and dated lower right 39.5 x 47.5 inches 48.5 x 57 inches, framed Paul Rib...
Oil
$7,500
Mystery of Sleep (The Hermit), Signed Surrealist Lithograph by Salvador Dali
Located in Long Island City, NY
A clock-faced figure wearing monk's robes floats in a blue void above a roiling storm cloud. This Surrealist lithograph by Salvador Dali shows the figure in movement, traveling with ...
Lithograph
$460Sale Price|20% Off
Nude Figurative in Oil on Artist's Board
Located in Soquel, CA
Nude study by Andy Smith (American, 20th Century). A woman is seated, slightly leaning to the left of the composition. The background fades from a rusty red to a dark blue, changing ...
Canvas, Oil, Illustration Board
Hell 24 - The Thieves - Woodcut - 1963 (Field #p. 189)
Located in Paris, IDF
Salvador Dali (1904-1989) Hell 24 - The Thieves Original woodcut Printed signature in the plate 1960/63 Printed on paper Vélin BFK Rives Size 32,8 x 26,4 cm (c. 13 x 10") REFERENCE...
Woodcut
Couple Embraced - Original etching handsigned and numbered
Located in Paris, IDF
Pierre-Yves Tremois Couple embraced Original etching, 1970 Handsigned by the artist Numbered / XXIV copies (total edition of 90 + XXIV) Size 57 x 45 cm (c. 22,4 x 17,7 in) Very good...
Etching
$750
A 1930s Modern Surreal Abstract Drawing "Figure Abstract" by Hananiah Harari
Located in Chicago, IL
A Striking, 1930s Modern Surrealist Abstract Drawing, "Figure Abstract" by Notable New York Avant Garde Artist, Hannah Harari (Am. 1912-2000). Graphite on paper, dating from 1936....
Paper, Graphite
Souvenir de Voyage - 20th Century, Surrealist, Lithograph, Figurative Print
Located in Sint-Truiden, BE
Color lithograph after the 1952 oil on canvas by René Magritte, printed signature of Magritte and numbered from the edition of 275. The lithograph features the dry stamps of the Mag...
Lithograph
This commotion - Original Handsigned Etching
Located in Paris, IDF
Popovic LJUBA (1934-2016) This Commotion, 1975 Original etching (engraved by Alain Controu) Signed in pencil Printed in 119 unnumbered copies On Arches vellum 56 x 38 cm (22 x 14.9...
Etching
$1,164
René Magritte - LES AMANTS Limited Surrealism French Art Contemporary
Located in Madrid, Madrid
René Magritte - LES AMANTS, 1928 (THE LOVERS) Date of creation: 2010 Medium: Lithograph on BFK Rives Paper Edition: 275 Size: 60 x 45 cm Condition: New, in mint condition and never f...
Paper, Lithograph
$4,809Sale Price|40% Off
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...
Canvas, Oil
The Creation - Lithograph by Marc Chagall - 1960
By Marc Chagall
Located in Roma, IT
Color lithograph realized by Marc Chagall in 1960 to illustrate "The Bible". Edition of 6500, published by Tériade in no. 33 and 34 of the Art Magazine Verve. Printed by Mourlot a...
Lithograph
$22,800Sale Price|20% Off
Téléphone-homard cybernétique (Michler/Löpsinger 822-831; Field 75-13)
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Salvador Dali (1904-1989) Title: Téléphone-homard cybernétique (Michler/Löpsinger 822-831; Field 75-13), Imaginations et Objets du Futur (Cybernetic lobster phone, Imaginatio...
Mixed Media, Drypoint, Lithograph, Screen
$1,560Sale Price|20% Off
Friendship, Braniff International Airways Flying Colors Collection
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Alexander Calder (1898-1976) Title: Friendship, Braniff International Airways Flying Colors Collection Year: 1975 Medium: Lithograph on vélin d’Arches paper Size: 20 x 26 inc...
Lithograph
$542Sale Price|23% Off
Surrealist scene oil on canvas painting surrealism
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
Oil on canvas. Signed Aress. Oil mesures 33x24 cm. Frame mesures 48x39 cm.
Canvas, Oil
$3,418
Psychoanalysis : Tribute to Freud - Original handsigned lithograph (Field #72-3)
Located in Paris, IDF
Salvador Dali (1904-1989) Psychoanalysis : Tribute to Freud, 1972 Original coloured lithograph Handsigned in pencil Numbered 984/ 1000 On Arches Vellum 35 x 26" (87 x 64 cm) Ref...
Lithograph
Mid Century San Francisco Nocturnal Surrealist Oil Painting
Located in Soquel, CA
Mid Century Nocturnal Surrealist Oil Painting--San Francisco Unreal Dreams by Russell Tripp Dramatic and atmospheric San Francisco surrealist figurative painting by Russell R. Tripp...
Oil, Board
$3,712Sale Price|25% Off
Mano Sol (rare giltwood sculpture)
Located in Aventura, FL
Carved giltwood sculpture. Signed Pedro Friedberg on the underside of the base. Size: 10 x 3.25 x 1.5 inches. Certificate of Authenticity is included. Artwork is in excellent co...
Gold Leaf
Lovers - Thétis and Pelée - Original etching handsigned and numbered
Located in Paris, IDF
Pierre-Yves Tremois Thésis and Pelée Original etching, 1970 Handsigned by the artist Numbered / XXIV copies (total edition of 90 + XXIV) Size 57 x 45 cm (c. 22,4 x 17,7 in) Very goo...
Etching
Brain of Hunter S. Thompson
Located in Hollywood, FL
Artist: Ralph Steadman Title: Brain of Hunter S. Thompson Medium: One color silkscreen on White Rising Stonehenge Deckle Edge Paper Size: 11 x15 Inches Edition: of 800 Year: 2010 No...
Silk, Screen
$1,120Sale Price|20% Off
White Stone Surrealist Painting, Late 20th Century, Cleveland Female Artist
Located in Beachwood, OH
Sally Lachina (American, 20th Century) White Stone, 1994 Acrylic on canvas Signed and dated lower right, signed, dated and titled verso 42 x 42 inches Sally Lachina is an American a...
Acrylic
$2,500
An Abstract, Surrealist 1950s Mid-Century Modern Interior Still Life Painting
Located in Chicago, IL
A Visually Striking, early 1950s Abstract, Surrealist Mid-Century Modern Still Life Painting by Notable Chicago Artist, Harold Haydon (Am. 1909-1994). Depicting a colorful interior ...
Oil, Masonite
$1,571Sale Price|20% Off
Mid 20th Century French Surrealist Oil Painting Nude Woman Standing
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Nude in Landscape French Surrealist artist, mid 20th century oil painting on board, ornately framed frame: 40 x 31 inches board: 29 x 20 inches provenance: private collection, Paris ...
Oil
Reclined Nude with Flower - Etching - 1968
Located in Roma, IT
Etching and drypoint realized to illustrate Pierre Ronsard's "Les Amours de Cassandre". Published by Argillet, Paris, in 1968. Edition of 299 pieces. One of 165 specimen on Arches ...
Etching
$2,280Sale Price|20% Off
Dutress and Her Cat -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Women, Animals
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure 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 Authenticity About Artist Oluw...
Canvas, Acrylic
$6,264Sale Price|20% Off
Le Séducteur (The Tempter)
Located in Milwaukee, WI
Framed 34.25 x 38.50 in Color lithograph after the 1951 oil on canvas by René Magritte, plate-signed by Magritte and numbered from the edition of 300.
Lithograph
On the Towerhelm street. 1985. Cardboard, oil pastel, 65x80 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Janis Zemitis graduated from the Riga Art School of J. Rosenthal in 1958, in 1964 Art Academy of Latvian State, painting department, Head of the diploma work "Working in the forest" ...
Cardboard, Oil Pastel
$1,036Sale Price|20% Off
Joan Miro, The Woman and the Bird, from XXe Siecle, 1956
By Joan Miró
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph and pochoir by Joan Miro (1893–1983), titled La Femme et l’Oiseau (The Woman and the Bird), from the album XXe Siecle, Nouvelle serie No. 6, originates from...
Lithograph