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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
Magritte Portfolio V 20 lithographs- 20th Century, Surrealist, Figurative Print
Magritte Portfolio V 20 lithographs- 20th Century, Surrealist, Figurative Print

Magritte Portfolio V 20 lithographs- 20th Century, Surrealist, Figurative Print

By (after) René Magritte

Located in Sint-Truiden, BE

Complete set of 20 color lithographs in a beautiful burgundy board with ties, plate-signed by Magritte and numbered from the edition of 275. The lithograph features the dry stamps of the Magritte Foundation & ADAGP and is countersigned in pencil by Mr. Charly Herscovici, President of the Magritte Foundation, Chairman of the Magritte Museum and unique representative of the Magritte Succession. A proof of edition is printed on the back of the lithograph, guaranteeing its authenticity. Magritte was a Belgian surrealist artist whose witty and thought-provoking images challenged observers? preconditioned perceptions of reality. Magritte's work frequently displays a juxtaposition of ordinary objects in an unusual context, giving new meanings to familiar things.Magritte grew up in a simple and somewhat tragic household. His father was a modest tailor. His mother, who was mentally unsound, committed suicide in the year 1912. Magritte started drawing at a young age, and his first paintings, produced c. 1915, were Impressionistic in style.Magritte first worked as a draughtsman in a wallpaper factory and, in the year 1922, fell in love with and married Georgette Berger. In 1926, Magritte signed...

Category

20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Rainforest Parrots - Original Surrealist Figurative Portrait Original Artwork
Rainforest Parrots - Original Surrealist Figurative Portrait Original Artwork

Rainforest Parrots - Original Surrealist Figurative Portrait Original Artwork

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

Swaying, Oil Painting
Swaying, Oil Painting

Swaying, Oil Painting

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Artist Benjamin Xu presents a striking, minimalist exploration of architectural form and organic movement. A stark grey building frames a lone, slender tree, cr...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

In My Heart - Original Figurative Monochromatic Red Art Charcoal on Sheet Music
In My Heart - Original Figurative Monochromatic Red Art Charcoal on Sheet Music

In My Heart - Original Figurative Monochromatic Red Art Charcoal on Sheet Music

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

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Charcoal, Ink, Mixed Media

"Rabbit" - 1976 Surrealist Lithograph on Paper
"Rabbit" - 1976 Surrealist Lithograph on Paper

"Rabbit" - 1976 Surrealist Lithograph on Paper

By Jim Crabb

Located in Soquel, CA

"Rabbit" - 1976 Surrealist Lithograph on Paper 1976 surrealist lithograph on paper titled "Rabbit" by Jim Crabb (American, b. 1947). This piece resembles a surreal landscape, with b...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Ink, Laid Paper, Lithograph

Night Sea
Night Sea

Night Sea

By Olga Radionova

Located in Zofingen, AG

This picture is about a romantic meeting of a Man and a Woman. Between them are memories. The brightest is swimming in the night sea. When warm waves envelop bodies, when the stars s...

Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Polar Bear and Puffin Arctic Wildlife Painting Balloon Animal Art on Linen
Polar Bear and Puffin Arctic Wildlife Painting Balloon Animal Art on Linen

Polar Bear and Puffin Arctic Wildlife Painting Balloon Animal Art on Linen

By Sofía Cristina Jiménez

Located in FISTERRA, ES

Polar bear and puffin wildlife painting combining Arctic imagery, balloon animal aesthetics and ecological reflection on raw linen canvas. The Polar Bear and the Puffin – Plastic Nature VIII is an original acrylic painting by Sofía Cristina Jiménez from her ongoing Plastic Nature series. The work presents a polar bear and a puffin transformed into inflatable figures, positioned within an Arctic seascape where floating ice, reflective water and distant frozen horizons establish an atmosphere of stillness and vulnerability. Combining wildlife painting, balloon animal imagery and contemporary ecological themes, the work explores the increasingly complex relationship between nature, representation and environmental awareness. At the center of the composition stands a monumental pale-blue polar bear rendered as an inflatable structure. Its segmented surface recalls balloon sculptures and manufactured objects, creating a deliberate contrast between the symbolic weight of the animal and its apparently artificial form. Nearby, a puffin appears both perched and in flight, introducing scale, movement and narrative tension while reinforcing the fragile balance of the Arctic ecosystem. Throughout the Plastic Nature series, Sofía Cristina Jiménez transforms wildlife subjects into inflatable figures that occupy landscapes associated with environmental vulnerability. Rather than illustrating ecological issues directly, the artist creates subtle visual displacements that encourage viewers to reconsider familiar animal imagery. The balloon animal aesthetic introduces a layer of cultural mediation, suggesting how contemporary society increasingly encounters nature through images, symbols and representations. A significant feature of the painting is the use of raw linen. The upper portion of the composition remains intentionally unprimed, allowing the natural texture and color of the linen support to remain visible. This material decision activates the surface of the painting while establishing a striking contrast between the synthetic appearance of the inflatable animals and the tactile reality of the painted landscape. The restrained palette of icy blues, whites and natural linen tones reinforces the Arctic setting while creating a sophisticated chromatic balance suitable for contemporary interiors and collections focused on wildlife art, environmental themes and contemporary figurative painting. Medium: Acrylic on linen canvas Dimensions: [insert dimensions] Year: [insert year] Series: Plastic Nature Condition: Excellent original condition Frame: Unframed Installation: Ready to hang Authenticity: Unique original artwork This work is particularly suited for collectors interested in polar bear paintings...

Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Linen, Canvas, Acrylic

Gafotas

Gafotas

Located in Greenwich, CT

Mario Soria (Spanish, b. 1966) Oil on board, toys and tinted varnish with chrome effect. Born in Spain in 1966, Mario Soria wanted to paint for as long...

Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Varnish, Oil

Red Bow II - Original Framed Surrealist Figurative Portrait
Red Bow II - Original Framed Surrealist Figurative Portrait

Red Bow II - Original Framed Surrealist Figurative Portrait

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

Ink, Watercolor, Archival Paper, Graphite

D.N.A.
D.N.A.

Roman SustovD.N.A., 2007

$200Sale Price|20% Off

D.N.A.

By Roman Sustov

Located in Palm Springs, CA

An ex libris print featuring an elaborate structurewith figures at work on creation. Roman Sustov's prints often provide a fantastic blend of classic technique combined with images from the vast worlds of surrealism, eroticism, fantasy and fairy tales. Signed in pencil artists proof from the edition of 100. Roman Sustov was born in 1977 in Minsk, Belarus. In 1995 he graduated from Minsk Art College and six years later he graduated from the Belarusian Academy of Arts (Department of Graphic). Through this long training he has become a master in etching, lithography and linocut prints. His works can be found in collections in the USA, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Ukraine, Japan, Russia and Belarus, and in the Contemporary Fine Art Museum (Minsk, Belarus). Roman notes...

Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Art

Materials

Aquatint, Etching

Silent cloister. Contemporary Acrylic Painting, Vibrant, Landscape, Polish art

Silent cloister. Contemporary Acrylic Painting, Vibrant, Landscape, Polish art

By Marta Rynkiewicz

Located in Warsaw, PL

Contemporary figurative surrealist acrylic on canvas painting by Polish artist Marta Rynkiewicz. Artwork depicts vibrant landscape with architectural elements. Marta Rynkiewicz is ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

"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

City of Refuge
City of Refuge

City of Refuge

By Ralph Steadman

Located in Hollywood, FL

Artist: Ralph Steadman Title: City of Refuge Medium: One color silkscreen on White Rising Stonehenge Deckle Edge Paper Size: 22 x 30 Inches Edition: of 250 Year: 2006 Notes: Custom ...

Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Art

Materials

Screen

L'Ange du 7e ciel - Etching - 150 copies
L'Ange du 7e ciel - Etching - 150 copies

L'Ange du 7e ciel - Etching - 150 copies

By Salvador Dalí­

Located in Paris, IDF

Salvador Dali L'Ange du 7e ciel (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: - ...

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

Large Museum Scale Surrealist Composition Dalí Circle Catalan Oil Painting art
Large Museum Scale Surrealist Composition Dalí Circle Catalan Oil Painting art

Large Museum Scale Surrealist Composition Dalí Circle Catalan Oil Painting art

By Antoni Pitxot

Located in Sitges, Barcelona

Large Museum Scale Surrealist Composition Dalí Circle Catalan Painting 1987 Artist: Antoni Pitxot Birth–death: Figueres, 1934–2015 Title: Battle of Constantine Series Date: 1987 Technique: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 100 × 100 cm (39.4 × 39.4 in) Signature: Signed and dated “pitxot 87” lower right Condition: Excellent overall condition Frame: Unframed Provenance: Private collection, Barcelona DESCRIPTION Important large-scale surrealist oil painting executed in 1987 by Antoni Pitxot, one of the closest artistic collaborators of Salvador Dalí and a central figure within the visual universe of the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres. This powerful 100 × 100 cm composition belongs to Pitxot’s Battle of Constantine series, one of the artist’s most ambitious narrative cycles. In this work, his unmistakable geological figuration becomes a theatrical surrealist battlefield, where mineral forms, latent human presences, fossil memory and Mediterranean landscape merge into a monumental symbolic construction. Pitxot’s mature paintings are instantly recognizable for their transformation of stones into anthropomorphic figures and metaphysical architectures. Rather than depicting a conventional landscape, the artist creates a stage of petrified forms, suspended between archaeology, sculpture, mythology and dream imagery. The work is especially strong for its museum-scale square format, its dramatic vertical construction and its direct connection with the Dalí circle. Large paintings by Pitxot with this level of compositional complexity are considerably less common than his smaller cabinet-format works and are particularly attractive for collectors of Spanish surrealism, Catalan modernism, European surrealism and artists connected to Salvador Dalí. A major statement piece with exceptional wall presence, ideal for an important private collection, curated interior or collector focused on late twentieth-century European surrealism. ARTIST BIO Antoni Pitxot (Figueres, 1934 – Cadaqués, 2015) was a Catalan painter and one of the most significant artists associated with Salvador Dalí’s late artistic environment. Born into the historic Pichot family, closely linked to the artistic life of Cadaqués, Pitxot studied drawing in San Sebastián under Juan Núñez, who had also been Dalí’s teacher. During the 1950s and early 1960s he exhibited in Barcelona, Madrid, Bilbao and Lisbon before settling permanently in Cadaqués in 1966. From that moment, he developed his mature and highly distinctive pictorial language based on the rock formations of Cap de Creus. Pitxot collected stones from the coast, arranged them in his studio as sculptural constructions, and then transformed them into oil paintings populated by anthropomorphic mineral figures. His friendship and artistic collaboration with Salvador Dalí became central to his career. Dalí dedicated a permanent gallery to Pitxot’s work inside the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres. After Dalí’s death...

Category

1980s Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

Leonor Fini, Untitled, from Parallel, 1969
Leonor Fini, Untitled, from Parallel, 1969

Leonor Fini, Untitled, from Parallel, 1969

By Leonor Fini

Located in Fairfield, CT

This exquisite lithograph by Leonor Fini (1907–1996), titled Sans titre (Untitled), from the folio Parallelement (Parallel), Paul Verlaine, illustre de lithographies originales de Le...

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

La lune près de paraître (The Moon About to Appear)
La lune près de paraître (The Moon About to Appear)

La lune près de paraître (The Moon About to Appear)

By Joan Miró

Located in OPOLE, PL

Joan Miro (1893-1983) - La lune près de paraître (The Moon About to Appear) Lithograph from 1967. The edition of 99/100 on Arches paper with full margins. Dimensions of sheet: 31....

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

l' Hirondelle
l' Hirondelle

l' Hirondelle

By Salvador Dalí­

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist: Salvador Dali (Spanish surrealist, 1904-1989) Title: L'Hirondelle Year: 1973 Medium: Color lithograph Edition: Numbered XLVI/CCL in pencil Paper: Arches watermarked Image size: 18.5 x 25 inches paper size: 19 x 25.5 inches Signature: Hand signed in pencil by the artist Publisher: Martin Lawrence and Jacques Carpentier...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

The Fang of Finances I - Spanish Surrealism Monumental
The Fang of Finances I - Spanish Surrealism Monumental

The Fang of Finances I - Spanish Surrealism Monumental

By Joan Miró

Located in London, GB

This original lithograph in colours is hand signed in pencil by the artist "Miró" at the lower right margin. It is also dedicated in pencil “à René Le Moigne", at the lower left mar...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

1970's Large French Surrealist Oil Painting Figures on the Beach
1970's Large French Surrealist Oil Painting Figures on the Beach

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 ...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

The Narrowing Down of Molly Hinglebottom, Oil Painting
The Narrowing Down of Molly Hinglebottom, Oil Painting

The Narrowing Down of Molly Hinglebottom, Oil Painting

By Diane Flick

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A girl with a yellow Gerbera daisy for a head holds an orange refrigerator with human limbs in one hand and a cupcake topped with a telephone on the other. This...

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

"Fountain"
"Fountain"

"Fountain"

By Natalia Kolpakova 1

Located in Edinburgh, GB

The artwork is print on silk and it is limited edition. "Fountain" – Where Mermaids Reign In the heart of the city, a grand fountain became more than just a landmark—it became home ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Silk

Leonor Fini, rare original lithograph on paper, circa 1970
Leonor Fini, rare original lithograph on paper, circa 1970

Leonor Fini, rare original lithograph on paper, circa 1970

By Leonor Fini

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

Rare print numered by surrealist artist Leonor Fini, now rediscovered and inscreasingly esteemed with the movement of rediscovering art by women. It depicts a beautiful feminine figu...

Category

Mid-20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper

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.