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.
$11,166Sale Price|20% Off
Femme à l'écharpe rouge Ceramic Plate, Surrealist, Signed, 1958
By Jean Cocteau
Located in CANNES, FR
Jean Cocteau ( 1889-1963 ) " Femme à l'écharpe rouge " Exemplaire d'Auteur . hand signed Jean Cocteau . Partially glazed white earthenware plate with engobe conceived in 1958 In an ...
Ceramic
Man at Work - Drawing by Antoine Mayo - Late-20th century
Located in Roma, IT
Man at work is an original artwork realized by french artist Antoine Mayo ( Port-Said 1905 - Seine-Port 1990 ). China ink and pencil on paper, 1960-1970 s. Signed on the lower left. Passepartout cm 50x35 Good conditions. Mayo was born in Port Said, Egypt in 1905. His father was a Greek who worked on the Suez Canal as an engineer and his mother was French from the Bourgogne. He moved to France in 1914 and completed his studies in architecture in Paris in 1922. During the Twenties, Mayo frequented the Parisian avant-garde circles of Montparnasse and made the acquaintance, among many others, of Derain, Picasso, Pascin, Prévert, and Desnos. René Crevel introduced him to the Surrealists and for a short time he became friendly with André Breton, Max Ernst, Magritte, and Tanguy. During this period he was at odds with his family who disapproved of his intention to become an artist and he continued to paint independently of any group. The first exhibit of his work took place in 1929 at Galerie Quatre Chemins in tandem with De Chirico. The following year the same gallery hosted his first solo exhibit. In this same period, he became a member of “Grand Jeu” along with Roger Gilbert-Lecomte, Maurice Henry...
Ink, Pencil
Chronology of Cacciaguida - Woodcut - 1963
Located in Roma, IT
Chronology of Cacciaguida is a woodcut print realized in 1963 for a series illustrating the Medieval poem of the "Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri. Not signed, as issued. Plate...
Woodcut
$232
Faces - Original Lithograph by Francis Mockel - Mid-20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Faces is an original lithograph realized by Francis Mockel (1940) Francis Mockel painter and engraver, he first mastered aquatint, a form in which he has been working since 1967. In...
Lithograph
Untitled (31), Surrealist Aquatint Etching by Hans-Georg Rauch
Located in Long Island City, NY
Hans-Georg Rauch, German (1939 - 1993) - Untitled (31), Year: 1978, Medium: Etching with Aquatint, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: HC X/X, Size: 20 in. x 28 in. (50.8 cm ...
Etching, Aquatint
$497Sale Price|20% Off
Chroessi Schnell - "Schizophrenic Landscape" - surrealist landscape drawing
Located in Winterswijk, NL
Chroessi Schnell - "Schizophrenic Landscape". Surrealism, abstract forms, dream universe. It is an extended version of the Alienations of the maps of "Münsterland" where my mother ...
Paper
Trio, Surrealist Lithograph by Zina Rothman
By Zina Rothman
Located in Long Island City, NY
Zina Rothman, Russian (1941 - ) - Trio, Year: circa 1980, Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil lower left, Edition: 22/200, Image Size: 12.5 x 18 inches, Size: 15 x...
Lithograph
$2,000
"Baby's Breath and Roses" (2023) By John Tarantola, Nude Portrait Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
John Tarantola's original nude portrait "Baby's Breath and Roses" (2023) is a surrealist oil on panel painting that depicts an athletic nude male figure, with a silhouette of another...
Oil, Panel
Visions de Quevedo Mother and Child
Located in Hollywood, FL
ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Visions de Quevedo Mother and Child MEDIUM: Etching SIGNED: Hand Signed PUBLISHER: EGI/Kean-Paul Loup/Borjeson EDITION NUMBER: EA MEASUREMENTS: 19...
Etching
Personne Suite No. 1
Located in Columbia, MO
Dorothea Tanning (American, 1910–2012) Etching on paper Signed to lower margin Edition 10/10 Initially associated with the Surrealist movement, Dorothea Tanning developed a person...
Etching
Rune Andersson's The Hands A Remarkable Swedish Conversation Piece
Located in Stockholm, SE
Rune Andersson (1936– ) Sweden Händerna (The Hands), 1968 signed and dated a tergo oil on panel and relief framed approximately 66 × 57 cm (26 × 22.4 in) Provenance: Private colle...
Plaster, Oil, Board
$337
Peach Still Life Oil Painting Pink Fruit Symbolic Figurative Kitchen Wall Art
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Peach still life oil painting with symbolic fruit imagery, soft pink tones and subtle surrealist undertones. Your Peaches is a small-scale oil painting by Inés Silvalde that reinter...
Canvas, Oil
$950Sale Price|62% Off
A 1959 Black & White, Mid-Century, Surrealist Abstraction by Desmond McLean
Located in Chicago, IL
A 1959 black and white, Mid-Century, Surrealist watercolor on paper by artist Desmond McLean in a cerused black frame. Image size: 12" x 30". Framed size: 19 3/4" x 25 3/4". McL...
Watercolor
New Order, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
The sides of this canvas were painted so there is no need for a frame. It's ready to hang! Thank you for looking at my art. :: Painting :: Surrealism :: This piece comes with an off...
Oil
Tempest - Symbolist Still Life with Maritime Imagery - Oil on Panel
By John Hrehov
Located in Chicago, IL
John Hrehov’s Tempest: a large cobalt-blue vase bearing the image of a Baltimore clipper, encircled by sunflowers. Hrehov calls his approach “allegorical realism”: precisely rendered...
Canvas, Oil, Panel
Abstract Composition - Etching by Andre Masson - 1965
By André Masson
Located in Roma, IT
Abstract Composition is an original black and white etching on cardboard realized in 1965 by André Masson. Hand-signed and dated on the lower right margin. On the lower left margin...
Etching
Sin Titulo, Surrealist Lithograph by Arnold Belkin
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Arnold Belkin, Mexican (1930 - 1992) Title: Sin Titulo Year: 1969 Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 100 Size: 22.5 in. x 30 in. (57.15 cm x 76.2 cm)
Lithograph
Figures 1959 - Etching by Guelfo Bianchini - 1959
Located in Roma, IT
Figure 1959 is an original etching realized by Guelfo Bianchini in 1959. The artwork is hand-signed by the artist on the lower right corner, and numbered (33/60) on the lower left ...
Etching
$2,042
Swedish 20th Century watercolour of the water spirit Nack on diamond rocks
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Brocke Bluckert (Swedish, 1887–1956) Deep on the Sea on the Diamond Rocks Sits the Water Spirit Nack, 1937 Pen and watercolour with body colour on paper Signed and dated lower left, ...
Paper, Watercolor, Pen
$800
French Surrealist Lithograph Legendary Mime Marcel Marceau Third Eye Surrealism
Located in Surfside, FL
Le Troisième Oeil (The Third Eye) Lithograph on Arches paper Hand signed and numbered 1981 Dimensions: 21.5 X 30 inches Marcel Marceau (French: born Marcel Mangel; 1923 – 2007) was ...
Lithograph
$6,000Sale Price|20% Off
Le Singe et le Léopard, Salvador Dali
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Salvador Dali (1904-1989) Title: Le Singe et le Léopard Year: 1975 Medium: Engraving with pochoir on Arches paper Edition: E.A.; 682, plus proofs Size: 30 x 22.25 inches Cond...
Engraving
Conquest of Cosmos 1 Suite
Located in Hollywood, FL
ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Conquest of Cosmos 1 Suite MEDIUM: 6 color Etchings & Aquatints with embossing SIGNED: Each piece is Hand Signed PUBLISHER: Levine & Levine EDITI...
Etching
$185,000
"El Innombrable" Fernando de Szyszlo, Red Mysticist Abstract Composition
Located in New York, NY
Fernando de Szyszlo El Innombrable, 1980 Titled inscribed dated verso: Orrentia 1980 "El Innombrable" Signed lower bottom edge center "Szyszlo" Oil on canvas 59 1/2 x 59 inches Fernando de Szyszlo was a Peruvian painter...
Canvas, Oil
Terpsichore
Located in OPOLE, PL
Salvador Dali (1904-1989) - Terpsichore Hand-coloured drypoint etching from 1971. The edition 81/145 on Arches paper. Dimensions of work: 65 x 51 cm. Hand signed. Publisher: Les...
Drypoint, Etching
Untitled, Surrealist Oil on Board Painting by Tito Salomoni
Located in Long Island City, NY
Untitled Tito Salomoni, Italian (1928–1989) Oil on Board, signed lower right Size: 11.5 x 9 in. (29.21 x 22.86 cm) Frame Size: 18 x 15.5 inches
Oil, Board
Le Chimère d'Horace Lithograph, Hand-Signed, Surrealist, 1970
Located in OPOLE, PL
Salvador Dali (1904-1989) - Le Chimère d'Horace (Horace's chimera) Lithograph from 1970. Edition of 187/250. Dimensions of work: 68 x 50 cm Publisher: Simeon Wajntraub. On B.F.K...
Lithograph
$4,000Sale Price|20% Off
Salvador Dali "The Curse Conquered"
Located in Boston, MA
Artist: Dali, Salvador Title: The Curse Conquered Series: After 50 Years of Surrealism Date: 1974 Medium: drypoint engraving with hand coloring on Arches Unframed Dimensions: 2...
Drypoint, Engraving
$4,700
An Old Jew, from: My Life - Russian French Berlin Jewish Surrealism Mein Leben
By Marc Chagall
Located in London, GB
This original etching and drypoint is hand signed in pencil by the artist "Marc Chagall" at the lower right margin. It is also hand numbered in pencil from the edition of 110, at th...
Drypoint, Etching
Trees on the Roof Top - Architectural Gray Tone Still Life Mixed Media Collage
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
The Essence of Dali
By Salvador Dali and Philippe Halsman
Located in Buffalo, NY
The work offered for sale here is an original vintage silver gelatin print hand created by Halsman hand signed and exhibited at the International Center for Photography. Philippe Halsman was at one point considered the best photo-portraitist in France. He had an incessant interest in faces: “Every face I see seems to hide—and sometimes fleetingly reveal—the mystery of another human being.” Halsman’s photographs of politicians, celebrities, and intellectuals were featured widely in magazines like LIFE and Vogue. His more famous subjects included the likes of Marc Chagall, Le Corbusier, Audrey Hepburn, and Albert Einstein. He also had a 37-year collaboration with Salvador Dalí, which resulted in several famous surrealist series including the “Dalí’s Mustache” portraits...
Silver Gelatin
Le Philosophe au Papillon, Surrealist Lithograph by Andre Masson
By André Masson
Located in Long Island City, NY
Andre Masson, French (1896 - 1987) - Le Philosophe au Papillon from Je Reve Portfolio, Year: 1975, Medium: Lithograph on Arches, Signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 93/125, Si...
Lithograph
Orphée (Signed), Surrealist Etching by André Masson
By André Masson
Located in Long Island City, NY
André Masson, French (1896 -1987) - Orphée (Signed), Year: 1972, Medium: Etching, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 1/50, Image Size: 11.75 x 9.25 inches, Size: 16.5 x 12....
Etching
La Pieta Nera (Black Madonna), hand signed lithograph
Located in Aventura, FL
From "Les Vitraux" portfolio. Lithograph in colors on arches paper. Hand signed lower right by Salvador Dali. Hand numbered E 12/175 lower left. Sheet Size: 25.5 x 18.75 inches....
Paper, Lithograph
Femme avec Parapluie from Derriere Le Miroir
By Marc Chagall
Located in Naples, Florida
Lithograph in colors on Arches paper Signed and numbered, edition 22/75 Printed by Mourlot Frères, Paris Published by Maeght Éditeur, Paris (Mourlot 412) ...
Lithograph
Personne Suite No. 5
Located in Columbia, MO
Dorothea Tanning (American, 1910–2012) Etching on paper Signed to lower margin Edition 10/10 Initially associated with the Surrealist movement, Dorothea Tanning developed a person...
Etching
Surreal Contemporary Figurative Mixed-Media Collage Found-Object American
Located in Buffalo, NY
One of a kind mixed-media collage on paper by Philip Kuznicki from the Spirit exhibition. Comes in its original frame. Born in Dunkirk NY, Kuznicki started his career working for art...
Found Objects, Paper, Mixed Media
$1,440Sale Price|40% Off
365 Sueñitos Surrealistas Giclée Print, Framed, Surrealist Style, 2010
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
$840Sale Price|30% Off
SALUDCITA Y PROVECHITO Giclee Print, Surrealist Style, Framed, Signed
Located in Cuauhtemoc, Ciudad de México
-Pedro Friedeberg signed print featuring a collection of various dogs. Includes whimsical figures, optical art elements, and surreal details. framed in a hand-painted black and gold ...
Giclée
$4,950
La lumiere de la guerison (The Dentist), Signed Lithograph by Salvador Dali
Located in Long Island City, NY
Salvador Dalí was born in May 11, 1904 in the small agricultural town of Figueres, Spain. Figueres is located in the foothills of the Pyrenees, only sixteen miles from the French bor...
Lithograph, Paper
$575Sale Price|55% Off
Surrealist Mixed Media Sculptural Assemblage, 'Toucan'.
Located in Cotignac, FR
Late 20th century mixed media sculptural assemblage by British artist Derek Carruthers. The work is not signed but was acquired along with a collectio...
Wood, Plywood, Paper, Acrylic
Composition Of Diodora - Original Lithograph by Bruno Capacci - 1950
Located in Roma, IT
Composition of Diodora is an original lithograph realized by Bruno Capacci in 1950. The artwork is part of an edition in 500 pieces by "La nef d'argent" Paris. In good condition, n...
Lithograph
L'Arbre de l'Amour (The Tree of Love) - Original Lithograph by Mayo - 1980
Located in Roma, IT
Beautiful hand signed lithograph by the Greek painter naturalized French citizen Antoine Malliarakis (Mayo, 1905-1990). Edition 68/100, signed and dated in pencil lower right. Very ...
Lithograph
Going Places, Surrealist Screenprint by Mark Kostabi
By Mark Kostabi
Located in Long Island City, NY
A play on the famous Rene Magritte painting “The Son of Man” but set inside the New York City subway system by Mark Kostabi. A surreal pop artwo...
Screen
Lithographs II (1044), Surrealist Abstract Lithograph by Joan Miro
By Joan Miró
Located in Long Island City, NY
Joan Miro was a Spanish Surrealist artist, world-renowned for his unique art style that blended surrealist fantasy and modern life. This lithograph is part of the series "Lithographs...
Lithograph
In work/Four figures. Double-sided, cardboard, tempera, 56x47 cm
Located in Riga, LV
In work/Four figures. Double-sided, cardboard, tempera, 56x47 cm Vladimir Borisovich Glushenkov (May 21, 1948, Riga - December 26, 2009, Riga.) - painter, graphic artist, poet, translator. Born in Riga in a Russian-Polish-German family. Vladimir Glushenkov...
Mixed Media, Cardboard, Tempera
Exclamation
By Leonor Fini
Located in Columbia, MO
Leonor Fini (Argentine-French, 1907–1996) A fiercely spirited Surrealist unfettered by social mores, Leonor Fini defied convention with her haunting, dreamlike works that explore the...
Paper, Screen
After Jean Miró, Pink and Purple Surrealism at Play
Located in San Francisco, CA
There’s been a lot of gray and stainless steel in decorating in recent years. For someone tentatively thinking of introducing some fresh excitement into their minimalist maison, cons...
Canvas, Oil
Bacchanale, Surrealist Lithograph by Andre Masson
By André Masson
Located in Long Island City, NY
Andre Masson, French (1896 - 1987) - Bacchanale from Je Reve Portfolio, Year: 1975, Medium: Lithograph on Arches, Signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 93/125, Size: 26 in. x 2...
Lithograph
Su Infierno Terrenal, Surrealist Poster by José Luis Cuevas
Located in Long Island City, NY
José Luis Cuevas, Mexican (1934 - 2017) - Su Infierno Terrenal, Year: 1976, Medium: Poster, Size: 27 x 18 in. (68.58 x 45.72 cm), Description: A poster for an exhibition of art b...
Offset
The Girl in Central Park - Abstract New York Architectural Painting on Canvas
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 ...
Canvas, Acrylic
Le Prince Iris, Surrealist Lithograph by Andre Masson
By André Masson
Located in Long Island City, NY
Andre Masson, French (1896 - 1987) - Le Prince Iris from Je Reve Portfolio, Year: 1975, Medium: Lithograph on Arches, Signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 93/125, Size: 20 in....
Lithograph
Femme au Chapeau D'Oiseau
By Hans Bellmer
Located in Hollywood, FL
Artist: Hans Bellmer Title: Femme au Chapeau D'Oiseau Medium: Etching on Japon Paper Signed: Hand Signed by Hans Bellmer Edition Number: 46/100 Measurements: Paper: 15" x 22" ...
Etching
MEJOR SOLAS
By Sofia Ruiz
Located in Los Angeles, CA
"MEJOR SOLAS" OIL AND ACRILIC ON CANVAS SIGNED AND DATED 2010 EXHIBITED MUSEO DEL BANCO CENTRAL DE COSTA RICA 47.5 X 59 INCHES Sofía Ruiz was born in ...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Crowd #2
By Misha Gordin
Located in Phoenix, AZ
Gelatin silver print Misha Gordin was born in 1946, the first year after World War II ended. Having survived the hardships of evacuation, Gordin's parents returned back home to Riga...
Silver Gelatin
La Tauramachie Individuelle
Located in Hollywood, FL
ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: La Tauromachie Individuelle MEDIUM: Etching SIGNED: Hand Signed PUBLISHER: Pierre Argillet EDITION NUMBER: XXV/C MEASUREMENTS: 25.5" x 20" YEAR: ...
Etching
Untitled II from Body and Heart, Surrealist Etching by Andre Masson
By André Masson
Located in Long Island City, NY
Andre Masson, French (1896 - 1987) - Untitled II from Body and Heart, Year: 1968, Medium: Etching on Arches, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 130, Image Size: 11.75 x 9.25...
Etching
Pear, Surrealist Aquatint Etching by Hank Laventhol
Located in Long Island City, NY
Hank Laventhol, American (1927 - 2001) - Pear, Year: Circa 1980, Medium: Aquatint Etching, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 300, AP XXXV, Image Size: 24 x 16 inches, Size:...
Etching, Aquatint
Sailboats at Sunset, Surrealist Oil Painting by Ted Lownik
By Ted Lownik
Located in Long Island City, NY
Ted Lownik, American - Sailboats at Sunset, Year: circa 1980, Medium: Oil on Canvas, Image Size: 17 x 26 inches, Size: 22 x 31 in. (55.88 x 78.74 cm), Frame Size: 23 x 32 inches
Oil
$5,641
"Birch Woods", Surrealist Naive Primitive Night Landscape Acrylic Painting
Located in Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
This artwork actually contains two landscapes. The inner landscape depicts a forest of birch trees at dawn or at dusk, with a purple sky and a fuzzy Sun. The ground is full of colored small flowers and plants. The outer landscape depicts a night green landscape through birch branches, with clouds and the Moon. Although both landscape can't actually merge, some branches of the inner landscape extends into those of the outer landscape, which makes this painting surrealist. Both landscapes are separated by a pink mosaic...
Canvas, Acrylic
Salvador Dali - The Beloved Feeds Among the Lilies - Signed Aquatint
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
SALVADOR DALI (1904-1989) THE BELOVED FEEDS AMONG THE LILIES, 1971 Board for the series "The Song of Songs hymns" Aquatint and dry point on wove paper...
Drypoint, Aquatint