Skip to main content

Surrealist Art

8,881 Results
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
1,629
3,672
1,687
2,224
987
1,106
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
20
29
6,105
3,524
4
19
127
109
160
530
1,547
1,929
502
303
17
119,506
63,904
57,349
29,382
14,482
6,965
6,319
4,269
3,193
2,509
2,319
2,115
589
5,896
2,633
970
4,143
2,596
1,478
1,288
1,240
1,117
1,029
559
343
333
329
316
291
260
250
248
174
135
130
107
2,940
2,368
1,731
1,677
1,622
846
418
282
248
209
1,751
2,743
5,567
3,735
Style: Surrealist
The Memory of Flowers
The Memory of Flowers

The Memory of Flowers

Located in Zofingen, AG

Some feelings never fade away. They simply change form. One day, melancholy ceases to be a burden and transforms into a blossoming—quiet, almost imperceptible. Then memory no longer ...

Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

lithograph

lithograph

By Marino Marini

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: lithograph. Executed by Marino Marini especially for the cover of a rare exhibition catalogue. This impression on smooth wove paper was printed by Mourlot and published in Pa...

Category

1950s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

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

Large, Unique Abstract Surrealist Oil Painting in the Chicago Imagist Tradition
Large, Unique Abstract Surrealist Oil Painting in the Chicago Imagist Tradition

Large, Unique Abstract Surrealist Oil Painting in the Chicago Imagist Tradition

Located in Chicago, IL

A Unique, Unusual and Striking Abstract Surrealist Painting Completed in the Chicago Imagist Tradition by Notable Artist, Stanley Dean Edwards (Am. Born 1941). Titled "The Last Living Face in Pompeii", the painting is oil and acrylic on canvas presented in its original frame. The artwork shows a unique synthesis of Post-War Surrealist influences, including the avant-garde Italian artist Enrico Baj and the vibrant palette of the Chicago Imagist school, namely Ed Paschke and his contemporaries. The collage-like references in the composition recall the artwork of sculptor H.C. Westermann and others experimenting with assemblage, found objects and the integration of inanimate objects. Artwork size: 38 1/2 x 32 inches; Framed size: 39 1/4 x 33 1/4 inches. Signed "Edwards", lower right; signed, titled and dated on reverse. Provenance: The Artist; Private Collection, Chicago, IL (circa 2010). Born 1941 in Joliet, Illinois, Stanley Dean Edwards moved to Chicago early in life to pursue his life as an artist. His mother was a Chicago public school teacher, and his father was a Methodist minister. He studied painting and design at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), receiving a BFA in 1967. While at SAIC, Edwards was influenced by Vera Berdich's printmaking classes and Daniel Massen's design classes. After a brief stay in New York (1967-1970), where he was profoundly shaken by urban rioting and general upheaval of this time, Edwards returned to Chicago and later set up a studio in the Pilsen Neighborhood. Edwards is primarily a figurative painter whose work is informed by both Surrealism and Constructivism. Early hard-edge paintings from the mid-1960's feature a series of screaming babies set in brightly colored environments. These works offer religious suggestions, as the infants are paired with ecclesiastical figures presented atop an altar. Other protagonists of his series include dogs and faceless men. (1) In the early 1960's, Stan Edwards was part of a diverse group of artists that included George Kokines, Ray Siemanowski, Michael Hurson and Peter Holbrook among others. These artists and Edwards were part of that decade's vanguard and their work was included in an exhibition titled, "Twelve Chicago Artists" at the Walker Art Center. The curator was Jan Van der Marck. Edwards called his paintings of babies, dogs and erotic torsos from that period "image painting" because they were taken not from the model stand but cast off photo images. One painting from this period, Infant in Altar IV, is a 60" x 60" an oil and acrylic painting and was loaned by the National Museum of American Art at the Smithsonian to the Museum of Contemporary Art for its fifty year retrospective titled, "Art in Chicago, 1945 to 1995." The painting is part of the Martha Jackson memorial collection at the National Museum of American Art. (2.) Recent paintings, which Edwards calls "Icons for a New Era: Assembled Art Imagery," feature iconic images composed of items from popular culture; witty titles often allude to the materials from which they were made. The found objects, vibrant colors, and slick presentations of his works indicate their relationship to and a continuation of Pop art. Both humorous and sinister, Edwards' paintings reflect the psychological uneasiness associated with the close of the twentieth century. (3.) One painting of this series titled Surveyor is a 66" x 60" oil and acrylic painting and appears in the book Humor in Art by Nicholas Roukes, published by Davis Inc. The book is widely used as a text for art and design projects. (4.) In October of 2002 Edwards presented a retrospective exhibition of his work at the Illinois Institute of Art where he taught art and design in the foundation program. His lecture and exhibition were presented as part of "Chicago Artist's Month" sponsored by the Department of Cultural Affairs for the City of Chicago. In 2004 Edwards completed a major commission for the new Veterans' Administration building in Chicago. The commission centered on patriotic themes and one large 6 and 1/2' x 10' painting is dedicated to prisoners of war. Five others are 48" x 48" and depict the military branch seals, and four paintings 32" x 32" are based on 19th century patriotic engravings. Stan Edwards, who retired from the Illinois Institute of Art in 2009, lives and works in Chicago, Illinois. Sources: (2. & 4.) Press release (1. & 3.) "Art in Chicago 1945 1995, MCA.) COLLECTIONS: Selected corporate & institutional collections National Museum of American Art/Smithsonian Corcoran Gallery of Art Ceco Corporation Crain Communications Thrall Railcar Company American Hospital Association Plyzynski & Associates, Inc. NYC North American Jet Corporation Ball State University Illinois Institute of Art at Chicago State University of New York Harris Bank & Trust Dallas Theater Center Electronic Media Magazine Johnson Controls Central National Bank of Cleveland Associates Commercial Corporation Corporate Art Source Veterans' Administration Commission, Chicago, 2004 Ten site specific paintings Siemens Corporation COLLECTIONS: Selected private collections Walter & Dawn Clark Netsch Beatrice "Buddy" Mayer Douglas Ross Larry Aronson Marc & Ilana Platt Phil & Joan Krone Craig & Janet Duchossois Sally Fairweather Shirley Hardin Brian Boyer Pritzker collection James Speyer collection Michael Greany Ed & Lindy Bergman Collection Leigh Block Collection Professor Harold Platt Professors Lew Erenberg & Susan Hirsch Dr. David Gross Professor Mihaly Csiksentmihalyi Dr. Paula Young Dr. & Mrs. Imre Hidvegi EXHIBITIONS: Selected exhibitions Biennial Drawing Exhibition, Art Institute of Chicago, 1962 Momentum II, Lexington Hall, University of Chicago, 1964 The Sunken City Rises, Hermann Hall, Illinois Institute of Technology,1964 Eye on Chicago, Hermann Hall, Illinois Institute of Technology, 1964 29th Corcoran Biennial, 1965, Washington, D.C. Inaugural exhibition, Fairweather-Hardin, 1965 Society for Contemporary Art, Art Institute of Chicago, 1965 12 Chicago Painters...

Category

1990s Surrealist Art

Materials

Mixed Media, Acrylic, Oil

original lithograph

original lithograph

By Julio de Diego

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: original lithograph. This lithograph was printed in 1950 for the "Improvisations" portfolio, published by the Artists Equity Association of New York on the occasion of the 19...

Category

1950s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Our House, limited edition color print, signed and numbered

Our House, limited edition color print, signed and numbered

By Maggie Taylor

Located in Sante Fe, NM

Our House, limited edition color print, signed and numbered Maggie Taylor's digital creations are emblematic, afterimages that invite, transport, and are unforgettable. Taylor's im...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

Escargot
Escargot

Escargot

By Salvador Dalí­

Located in Hollywood, FL

ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Escargot MEDIUM: Etching SIGNED: Hand Signed by Salvador Dali EDITION NUMBER: I/XXV MEASUREMENTS: Paper: 14.48" x 11" Frame: 19" x 15" YEAR: 1970 ...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

Stallion and a Unicorn -21st Century, Contemporary, Abstract, African, Horse
Stallion and a Unicorn -21st Century, Contemporary, Abstract, African, Horse

Stallion and a Unicorn -21st Century, Contemporary, Abstract, African, Horse

By Akanji Bolaji

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

A Stallion and a Unicorn explores the duality of action and aspiration, grounding us in the tension between lived reality and imagined possibility. The stallion embodies patriotism r...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Códice Miguelito III, Surrealist Style, Framed, 2010+
Códice Miguelito III, Surrealist Style, Framed, 2010+

Códice Miguelito III, Surrealist Style, Framed, 2010+

By Pedro Friedeberg

Located in Cuauhtemoc, Ciudad de México

-Pedro Friedeberg signed digital giclee print featuring a fantastical architectural scene inspired by “Mickey”. Includes whimsical figures, optical art elements, and surreal details....

Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Giclée

For Alberti, For Spain! - Etching by Joan Mirò - 1975

For Alberti, For Spain! - Etching by Joan Mirò - 1975

By Joan Miró

Located in Roma, IT

For Alberti, For Spain!  it's an artwork realized by Joan Mirò in 1975. Etching,  90 x 66 cm.  Hand signed. Edition 45/90. Reference: Dupin 926 Printed on Fabriano paper, Printed...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

Salvador dali 'Passiflora lauigera - 1968' Lithograph/Etching, Signed & numbered
Salvador dali 'Passiflora lauigera - 1968' Lithograph/Etching, Signed & numbered

Salvador dali 'Passiflora lauigera - 1968' Lithograph/Etching, Signed & numbered

By Salvador Dalí­

Located in Pembroke Pines, FL

Artist: Salvador Dali Title: Passiflora laurigera (Le vine, Passionflower) Portfolio: 1968 Flora Dalinae Medium: Photolithograph, etching, and pochoir in colors on BFK Rives Date: 19...

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching, Photographic Film, Lithograph

Newcomer, Portrait Surrealism Original oil Painting
Newcomer, Portrait Surrealism Original oil Painting

Newcomer, Portrait Surrealism Original oil Painting

By Ashot Yan

Located in Granada Hills, CA

Portrait Surrealism Original Painting Artist: Ashot Yan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2019 Style: Portrait Surrealism, Tit...

Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Art Brut Surrealist figurative abstract Philadelphia Artist
Art Brut Surrealist figurative abstract Philadelphia Artist

Art Brut Surrealist figurative abstract Philadelphia Artist

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Jesse Soifer (1932-2013). Untitled #06, 1969. Ink on paper, sheet measures 12 x 18 inches. Unsigned. Estate stamp on verso sheet with assignation number. Early Life and Recognit...

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Ink

RENÉ MAGRITTE L'EMPIRE DES LUMIÈRES, 1964 Limited edition Lithograph, Surrealism
RENÉ MAGRITTE L'EMPIRE DES LUMIÈRES, 1964 Limited edition Lithograph, Surrealism

RENÉ MAGRITTE L'EMPIRE DES LUMIÈRES, 1964 Limited edition Lithograph, Surrealism

By (after) René Magritte

Located in Madrid, Madrid

L'EMPIRE DES LUMIÈRES, 1964 (THE EMPIRE OF LIGHTS, 1964) Date of creation: 2010 Medium: Lithograph on BFK Rives Paper Edition: 275 Size: 60 x 45 cm Observations: Lithograph on BFK Ri...

Category

Mid-20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

challange in Love  oil on canvas painting re colour
challange in Love  oil on canvas painting re colour

challange in Love oil on canvas painting re colour

By Anastasia Aureum

Located in London, London

Ferrari Ram, sheep, love, red, lips, shoes, hills, red shoes, red lips, golden horn, sea, ocean, kiss. Love is a challenge. In life not always we have the right tool to start a r...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Alegoría al Fútbol club Barcelona - Óleo sobre tela
Alegoría al Fútbol club Barcelona - Óleo sobre tela

Alegoría al Fútbol club Barcelona - Óleo sobre tela

Located in Sant Celoni, ES

La obra va firmada en la parte inferior y fechada del año 1981 Se presenta enmarcada (leves signos de uso en la enmarcación) Medidas de la obra: 92 x 73 cm. Medidas del marco: 103...

Category

1980s Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

Divine Comedy Heaven Canto 14 Decomposition
Divine Comedy Heaven Canto 14 Decomposition

Divine Comedy Heaven Canto 14 Decomposition

By Salvador Dalí­

Located in Hollywood, FL

Artist: Salvador Dali Title: Divine Comedy Heaven Canto 14 Decomposition Medium: Woodcut Measurements: Paper: 10.5" x 13" Frame: 13.75" x 17.5" Condition: Excellent. This piec...

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Woodblock

Pippin Bumble's Favorite Time of Day, Oil Painting
Pippin Bumble's Favorite Time of Day, Oil Painting

Pippin Bumble's Favorite Time of Day, Oil Painting

By Diane Flick

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A robot elephant balances an heirloom tomato and a pot of daisy flower on its head. This is artist Diane Flick's first painting using AI-generated reference p...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

Desert Goddess / - Transcendental Realism -
Desert Goddess / - Transcendental Realism -

Desert Goddess / - Transcendental Realism -

Located in Berlin, DE

Karin Hauke, Desert Goddess, 1976. Oil on wood, 70 x 50 cm (image size), 73 cm x 53 cm (frame), signed “K. HAUKE” lower right and dated “[19]76.” - Small flaking in the lower area, o...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

Musician. By Constantin Selihanov. Bronze.
Musician. By Constantin Selihanov. Bronze.

Musician. By Constantin Selihanov. Bronze.

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 ...

Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Art

Materials

Bronze

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.