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.
Nieve, Surrealist Aquatint Etching by Hans-Georg Rauch
Located in Long Island City, NY
Hans-Georg Rauch, German (1939 - 1993) - Nieve, Year: circa 1978, Medium: Aquatint Etching, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 100, Size: 20 in. x 25 in. (50.8 cm x 63.5 cm)
Etching, Aquatint
Poèmes, Planche XIII
By Marc Chagall
Located in OPOLE, PL
Marc Chagall (1887-1985) - Poèmes, Planche XIII Woodcut print from 1968. An unnumbered and unsigned copy from a limited edition of 238. Dimensions of sheet: 32.5 x 25 cm Dimensio...
Woodcut
$240Sale Price|20% Off
Hero
By Roman Sustov
Located in Palm Springs, CA
An ex libris print featuring the heroic figure of a man on horseback, in a blend of medieval and fantasy armor, with a vanquished dragon at his feet. Roman Sustov's prints often prov...
Etching, Aquatint
The Infinite Beauty of Beatrice - Woodcut attr. to Salvador Dalì - 1963
Located in Roma, IT
The Infinite Beauty of Beatrice is a woodcut print realized in 1963. Very Good conditions. Not signed. Prov. Private Collection, Rome. Between 1951 and 1960, Dali was invited by...
Woodcut
Italian Pop Art Mixed Media Surrealist Painting Collage Gouache Emilio Tadini
Located in Surfside, FL
Emilio Tadini (1927-2002) Original Collage, Gouache and Watercolor painting. Dimensions: 41 X 29.5. framed. 39.75 X 28 artwork Emilio Tadini (1927 – 2002 ) was an Italian painter,...
Paint, Paper, Mixed Media, Watercolor, Gouache
$2,429Sale Price|20% Off
Ball Game (Triptych)
Located in CAMPO REAL, ES
It is important to note that this work consists of three separate canvases, each one of 70x70x2. They make up a work of 210x70x2. The scene depicted is purely imaginary, where two wi...
Linen, Oil
Nabuchodonosor Rex Babulonis - Lithograph - 1967/69
Located in Roma, IT
Nabuchodonosor Rex Babulonis ("Nebucchadenezzar King Of Babylon") is an artwork realized in 1964. It is part of Biblia Sacra vulgatæ editionis published by Rizzoli-Mediolani between...
Lithograph
Visionary Mystical Landscape Mississippi Artist
Located in Soquel, CA
Vibrant landscape with a group of trees by H. W. Shankle (20th Century). The trees, clouds, and ground are all swirling, as if warped by the perspective of the viewer, creating a fantastical feeling to the composition. In the Visionary Artist style. Signed and dated "H. Shankle 71" along the bottom edge. Label from exhibition on verso. Presented in a distressed frame. Board size: 16"H x 20"W Hugh W. Shankle (American, b. 1921) was a photo technician with WLBT-TV in Jackson, Mississippi, during the late 1950s and '60s. He was also the official photographer for the Mississippi Art...
Canvas, Acrylic, Cardboard
$3,960Sale Price|20% Off
The Good the Bad and Ugly (oil painting monochrome man cowboy western hat)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
keywords; surrealism, portrait, oil painting, earth tones, figurative painting, strangeness, contemporary surrealistic, unsettling, contemporary figurative painting, dreams, symbolic...
Canvas, Oil
Les Rois Mages L’Incantation
Located in Hollywood, FL
ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Les Rois Mages L'Incantation MEDIUM: Etching SIGNED: Hand Signed PUBLISHER: Editions Argillet EDITION NUMBER: XLIX/C MEASUREMENTS: 15" x 11" YEAR...
Etching
"Salvador Dali"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
I saw this landscape in a deserted place in winter. It was snowing and strong wind. The wind stopped blowing and I saw this surrealism. The picture is framed in a wooden frame. Size ...
Oil, Cardboard
Avars - Surrealist Woodcut Print, 1963, Limited Edition of 2900
Located in Roma, IT
Avars - "The Divine Comedy" - Song 20 - Purgatory is a woodcut print realized in 1963 for a series illustrating the Medieval poem of the "Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri. Plate n...
Woodcut
$850
La Danse (Yellow), Surrealist Etching and Aquatint by Martin Barooshian
Located in Long Island City, NY
Martin Barooshian, American (1929 - 2022) - La Danse (Yellow), Year: circa 1979, Medium: Etching and Aquatint on Arches, initialed in the plate and signed in pencil, Image Size: ...
Etching, Aquatint
"Salvador Dalí"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
In this painting, I've melded the whimsical with the surreal to explore the dichotomy between fantasy and reality. The jester, typically a figure of folly and transient joy, juxtapos...
Canvas, Oil
Psalm - Lithograph by Marc Chagall - 1960s
By Marc Chagall
Located in Roma, IT
Psaume is an artwork realized by March Chagall, 1960s. Lithograph on brown-toned paper, no signature. Lithograph on both sheets. Edition of 6500 unsigned lithographs. Printed by M...
Lithograph
French Contemporary Art By Helen Uter - La Muleta
By Helen Uter
Located in Paris, IDF
Oil on canvas with knife Helen Uter is an established Franco-American painter born in 1955 who lives and works in Donnery, near Orléans, France. Heavily influenced by Edward Hopper...
Canvas, Oil
Le Lézard aux Plumes d'Or - Lithograph by Joan Mirò - 1971
By Joan Miró
Located in Roma, IT
Le Lézard aux Plumes d'Or, Plate X is a beautiful color lithograph on Japanese paper, realized in 1971 by the Spanish Surrealist artist Joan Miró (Montroing, 1893 - Mallorca, 1983)...
Lithograph
Totem Pathfinder Wolverine Guardian of Wild Trails
Located in Oslo, NO
"Totem Pathfinder"- portrays a wolverine-like guide rendered on paper in mixed media - acrylic and watercolour pencils - blending bold, textured layers with fine, luminous strokes. T...
Paper, Acrylic, Pencil
Spirit with Horns - Abstracted Figurative Composition in Acrylic on Paper
Located in Soquel, CA
Wonderful abstracted surreal figure of a spirit by Michael Eggleston (American, 20th Century). This piece is bold and lively, with bright colors and rich blacks. This horned spirit i...
Paper, India Ink
"Target Practice", Surrealist Portrait, Brown, Mixed Media, Acrylic Painting
By John Baker
Located in Franklin, MA
John Baker’s “Target Practice” is an acrylic painting on canvas with collage 32 x 26 inches in rich browns and blacks complementing the buff color of the collaged paper. The merciles...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Surrealist Photo Collage Assemblage Art Butterfly Mouth Ivan Chermayeff
Located in Surfside, FL
Ivan Chermayeff (1932-2017): Butterfly Mouth Mixed media collage, 2002, hand signed 'Ivan Chermayeff' and dated lower right, titled lower left. Bears label from David Findlay Jr. Ga...
Paper, Mixed Media
$450Sale Price|50% Off
Parrot (Comanche Native American surrealist painting)
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Parrot, 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.
Gouache, Rag Paper
L’Alchimie
Located in Hollywood, FL
ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: L'Alchimie MEDIUM: Etching SIGNED: Hand Signed PUBLISHER: Joseph Foret EDITION NUMBER: 31/5 MEASUREMENTS: 22.25" x 30" YEAR: 1972 FRAME...
Etching
$3,040Sale Price|20% Off
Surreal Floral Still Life Painting, Patterns, XOXO by Joerg Dressler
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
JOERG DRESSLER "XOXO" Acrylic on Panel 24 x 18 inches _____________________________________ Joerg was born in Hanau, Germany. He received his MFA from the Hochschule für Gestaltung ...
Acrylic, Wood Panel
Vintage Poster Modern Art Museum - 1977
Located in Roma, IT
Vintage Poster Modern Art Museum is a vintage Lithograph and Offset poster realized after Joan Mirò (1893-1983) in 1977. Good conditions. Joan Miró (20 April 1893 – 25 December 198...
Offset, Lithograph
![Untitled, Planche 15 (Plate 15) [Set of 2] /// Le Corbusier Surrealism Etching](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/le-corbusier-prints-works-on-paper-unite-planche-15-set-of-2-surrealism-modern-art-le-corbusier-abstract-for-sale/a_1212/1759371302872/20161126_140438_master.jpg?width=240)
![Untitled, Planche 15 (Plate 15) [Set of 2] /// Le Corbusier Surrealism Etching](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/le-corbusier-prints-works-on-paper-unite-planche-15-set-of-2-surrealism-modern-art-le-corbusier-abstract-for-sale-picture-2/a_1212/a_170114821759371325452/20161126_140428_master.jpg?width=240)
$12,000
Untitled, Planche 15 (Plate 15) [Set of 2] /// Le Corbusier Surrealism Etching
By Le Corbusier
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Le Corbusier (Charles-Édouard Jeanneret) (Swiss-French, 1887-1965) Title: "Untitled, Planche 15 (Plate 15)" [Set of 2] Portfolio: Unité *Signed by Le Corbusier in pencil lowe...
Etching, Aquatint, Intaglio
The Ark Of The Covenant - Lithograph - 1964
Located in Roma, IT
The Ark Of The Covenant is Color lithograph on heavy rag paper realized in 1964. It is part of Biblia Sacra vulgatæ edition is published by Rizzoli-Mediolani between 1967 and 1969. ...
Lithograph
Muliere Peccatrici Remittuntur Peccata - Lithograph - 1964
Located in Roma, IT
Muliere peccatrici remittuntur peccata is an artwork realized by Salvador Dalí in the 1960s. It is part of Biblia Sacra vulgatæ editionis published by Rizzoli-Mediolani between 1967...
Lithograph
"Salvador Dalí"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
This painting was inspired by girls. They froze on a rug on a nudist beach. Like a city in the steppe. Eventually I met them, they became my muses, I repeatedly painted them naked in...
Oil
Edward Burra original watercolour 'Costume design for two young women in Carmen'
By Edward Burra
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Edward Burra (British,1905 – 1976) A costume design for two young women in Carmen Pencil and watercolour on paper with a swatch of fabric attached (lower right) Signed and inscribed ...
Paper, Watercolor, Pencil
Vintage Poster Exhibition Galerie Maeght-Lithograph/Offset after J. Mirò-1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Vintage Poster Exhibition Galerie Maeght is a vintage Lithograph and Offset poster realized after Joan Mirò (1893-1983) in the 1970s. Good conditions. Joan Miró i Ferrà (20 April 1...
Lithograph, Offset
Le Torse
Located in OPOLE, PL
Salvador Dali (1904-1989) - Le Torse Etching from 1969. 66/145 on Japan paper. Dimensions of work: 38 x 28 cm. Hand signed. Publisher: Graphik Europa Anstalt. Reference: Michl...
Etching
$4,400Sale Price|20% Off
Fauteuil à respirer pneumatique (Michler/Löpsinger 822-831; Field 75-13)
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Salvador Dali (1904-1989) Title: Fauteuil à respirer pneumatique (Michler/Löpsinger 822-831; Field 75-13), Imaginations et Objets du Futur (Pneumatic breathing chair, Imagina...
Mixed Media, Drypoint, Lithograph, Screen
Greed - Woodcut Print - 1963
Located in Roma, IT
Greed, from the Series "The Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri, is a woodcut print realized in 1963. Good conditions. Not signed, as issued. Plate n.23 ...
Woodcut
Jean Arp, Sieben Arpaden - Portfolio of 7 Lithographs, Original Prints
By Jean Arp
Located in Hamburg, DE
Jean Arp (1886-1966) Arpaden, 1923/1958 Medium: Set of 7 lithographs on paper Dimensions: 38 x 26.5 cm Edition of 180: Not signed, not numbered (as issued) Printed from the original...
Lithograph
José Manuel Capuletti, Las damas
Located in Madrid, ES
JOSÉ MANUEL CAPULETTI Spanish, 1925 - 1976 LAS DAMAS signed "Capuletti" (lower right) oil on cardboard 21-1/4 x 25-5/8 inches (54 x 65 cm.) framed: 22-5/8 x 27 inches (57.5 x 68.5 cm...
Oil, Cardboard
Return Home
Located in Atlanta, GA
Georgian artist Merab Gagiladze was born in Tbilisi. In 1987 he began his formal art education at the Tbilisi College of Art, School of Ceramics. In 19...
Oil
Hommage a Albrecht Durer Triomphe de Venus
Located in Hollywood, FL
ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Hommage a Albrecht Durer Triomphe de Venus MEDIUM: Etching SIGNED: Hand Signed PUBLISHER: Vision Nouvelle EDITION NUMBER: EA MEASUREMENTS: 23" x ...
Etching
Surreal Mother and Child Painting With Dog Umbilical Cord Folk Narrative
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Surreal mother and child painting featuring a dog, an umbilical cord and a dreamlike narrative filled with humor and ambiguity. Route 66 belongs to Inés Silvalde’s Influencers de Ta...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$2,400Sale Price|20% Off
“Bad Bunny” (FRAMED) Photography 30" x 24" inch Edition 1/12 by Brian Ziff
By Brian Ziff
Located in Culver City, CA
“Bad Bunny” (FRAMED) Photography 30" x 24" inch Edition 1/12 by Brian Ziff Giclee (Archival Ink) Print on Canson Platine Fibre Rag Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA ...
Archival Ink, Rag Paper, Giclée
The Saint - Original Etching on Paper by Guelfo Bianchini - 1960s
Located in Roma, IT
The Saint is an original modern Artwork realized in Italy by Guelfo Bianchini (Ancona, 1937) the 1960s. Original etching on paper. Hand-signed lower right corner. Limited edition...
Etching
Femme à le béquille
Located in OPOLE, PL
Salvador Dali (1904-1989) - Femme à le béquille Etching from 1969. 66/145 on Japan paper. Dimensions of work: 38 x 28 cm. Hand signed. Publisher: Graphik Europa Anstalt. Refere...
Etching
Vintage Silver Gelatin Photograph Surrealist Doll Art Photo, Jazz Photographer
By JoAnn Krivin
Located in Surfside, FL
These were from a show of her work. Influenced by Surrealism and Dada Photographs these are images of old children's dolls in various states of decay. These bear the influence of Ha...
Silver Gelatin
Vintage Poster Exhibition Galerie Maeght after Joan Mirò - 1978
Located in Roma, IT
Abstract Composition is a vintage Lithograph and Offset poster realized after Joan Mirò (1893-1983) in 1978. Good conditions. Joan Miró i Ferrà (20 April 1893 – 25 December 1983) w...
Lithograph, Offset
"Rene Magritte"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
In this oil painting, I explored a junction of surrealism and futurism, where the ordinary meets the fantastically impossible. I have manifest towns with vibrant, whimsical architect...
Oil, Board
Transcendent Brilliance - Digital Print by Kevin Abanto - 2023
By Kevin Abanto
Located in Roma, IT
Transcendent Brilliance embodies brilliance that ascends earthly confines, painting the canvas with ethereal luminosity. Each detail becomes a testament to the transcendence of light...
Digital
$20,800Sale Price|25% Off
Mother Earth "Sicilian Landscape II "
Located in Miami, FL
Eugene Berman is a keen observer of his surroundings but never translates his vision in a literal way. In "Sicilian Landscape," the artist transfor...
Oil
$2,800
10PM from L'Arc Obscur des Heures, Surrealist Etching by Roberto Matta
Located in Long Island City, NY
Roberto Matta, Chilean (1911 - 2002) - 10PM from L'Arc Obscur des Heures, Year: 1975, Medium: Etching with Aquatint, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 89/125, Image Size: 1...
Etching, Aquatint
Chemin de ronde
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Chemin de ronde Lithograph from 1977. The edition XVII/XXX on Arches paper. Dimensions of work: 63 x 92 cm. Hand signed. The work is in Excellent cond...
Lithograph
Crows, Surrealist Lithograph by Robert Beauchamp
Located in Long Island City, NY
Robert Beauchamp, American (1923 - 1995) - Crows, Year: circa 1975, Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 100, Size: 18 in. x 26 in. (45.72 cm x 66.04 cm)
Lithograph
The Slothful - Woodcut - 1963
Located in Roma, IT
The Slothful - "The Divine Comedy" - Song 18 - Purgatory is a woodcut print realized in 1963 for a series illustrating the Medieval poem of the "Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri. ...
Woodcut
Clown, Surrealist Etching by James Kearns
By James Kearns
Located in Long Island City, NY
James Kearns, American (1924 - ) - Clown, Year: circa 1975, Medium: Etching on Rives, signed, titled and numbered, Edition: 44/50, Image Size: 14.5 x 8.75 inches, Size: 22 x 15 in....
Etching
Collective letter
Located in Edinburgh, GB
This picture is included in the series of artworks "Pathos of the Bureaucracy". 100x100cm / oil on canvas/ 2017 The picture is ready to hang (edges of a picture is painted) Signed on the front and back. Certificate of authenticity is included. This is my humorous reaction to the bureaucracy. So often we come across unnecessary laws that say that you need to take permission from someone, and you run from one agency to another, and then notice that part of life has passed.. In the picture, the cancer writes a collective letter to the slug...
Canvas, Oil
34 Things I Love About You (and a trust fall), Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
The work addresses internal conversations, especially involving love and intimacy. By using domestic objects such as chairs the imagery interrogates the architecture of the psyche an...
Oil
$3,600
Salvador Dali, Le Cerf Malade Signed Etching Engraving, Color Lithograph Pochoir
Located in Surfside, FL
An original signed drypoint etching with color pochoir by Spanish artist Salvador Dali titled "La Cerf Malade", depicting a stag deer, from the Portfolio: Le Bestiaire de la Fontaine...
Color, Drypoint, Etching
$2,800Sale Price|20% Off
The beloved feeds among the lilies (Field 71-17J; M&L 477), Dalí
Located in Fairfield, CT
Title: The beloved feeds among the lilies (Field 71-17J; M&L 477), from the portfolio, The song of songs of King Solomon Year: 1971 Medium: Etching printed in colours with gilding on...
Engraving
Saint Peter to Dante - Woodcut - 1963
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...
Woodcut
$375
LIGHT OF DISCOVERY Hand Drawn Lithograph, Surrealist Landscape, Night Sky, Tree
Located in Union City, NJ
LIGHT OF DISCOVERY is an original hand drawn limited edition lithograph by the British artist, Michael Hasted printed using hand lithography on archival Somerset paper, 100% acid free. LIGHT OF DISCOVERY is a surrealist composition portraying a surreal landscape scene featuring a full, dark brownish black leafy tree positioned on stage like floor beside a single concrete sphere...
Lithograph
The Black Cherub Woodcut Print, Surrealist, 1963, Limited Edition 2900
Located in Roma, IT
The Black Cherub - Hell Plate 20 is a woodcut print realized in 1963 for a series illustrating the Medieval poem of the "Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri. Good conditions. Limite...
Woodcut
The Blasphermers - Surrealist Woodcut Print, Limited Edition, 1963
Located in Roma, IT
The Blasphermers - Hell Plate 14 is a woodcut print realized in 1963 for a series illustrating the Medieval poem of the "Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri. Plate n.32 (as reported on...
Woodcut