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.
Still Life with Bottle. 1994. Oil on cardboard, 93x100 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
Yes, But Does It Float - Original Surreal Oil Painting with Symbolic Imagery
By Mark Bowers
Located in Chicago, IL
Mark Bowers Yes, But Does it Float oil on linen 21.75h x 14.75w in 55.24h x 37.47w cm MJB004 Mark Bowers- Artist Statement With the depiction of landscape playing such a central role in the history of North American art, it seemed to offer many of the critical possibilities I was looking for, and it felt more and more like something I have always known. Something I could easily apply, stage, and manipulate as a diary. My work consists of small-scale highly detailed landscape paintings. They are inspired by the comfort, trepidation, and beauty found in the mundane Chicago Suburbs. I combine nature, decorative house wares...
Linen, Oil
Le Rebelle Aquatint Etching by Joan Miró, Signed, 4/75, 52x39 in
By Joan Miró
Located in Aventura, FL
Aquatint and etching in colors with carborundum on Mandeure rag paper. Hand signed lower right by Joan Miro. Hand numbered '4/75' lower left. Sheet size: 41 x 28.75 inches. Frame...
Paper, Lithograph
$850
Large Surrealist Photo Realist Silkscreen Lithograph Print Swan Dreams
Located in Surfside, FL
Born in Stoke-on-Trent in 1953, Frederick Phillips studied Fine Art at Burslem College of Art when Arthur Berry was Head of the Fine Art (Painting) ...
Lithograph, Screen
Surrealist View Original Oil Painting on Canvas, Signed, 30x24 Inches
By Ferjo, Fernando de Jesus Oliveira
Located in Aventura, FL
Original oil painting on canvas. Hand signed lower front by Ferjo. Canvas image size 30 x 24 x 1 inches. Canvas is stretched. Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of au...
Canvas, Oil
"Back Cover of Derrière le Miroir #235" Original Lithograph
By Marc Chagall
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Back Cover of Derrière le Miroir #235, M 946" is an original lithograph by Marc Chagall. This Chagall is a graphic piece, with black lines on a white paper. The main figure is a je...
Lithograph
Après-moi le XX° siècle - Original Lithograph by Max Ernst - 1971
By Max Ernst
Located in Roma, IT
Après-moi Le XX Siècle is an original artwork realized by Max Ernst in 1971. Original colored lithograph. Very good conditions. This lithograph is from the second issue, which wa...
Lithograph
$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
Pietro Consagra - Composition - Original Etching
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Pietro Consagra - Composition - Original Etching 1959 Dimensions: 32 x 24 cm From the art review XXe siècle Unsigned and unumbered as issued
Etching
Strawberry, Surrealist Aquatint Etching by Hank Laventhol
Located in Long Island City, NY
Hank Laventhol, American (1927 - 2001) - Strawberry, Year: circa 1980, Medium: Aquatint Etching, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 300, AP XXXV, Image Size: 16.5 x 23.5 inc...
Etching, Aquatint
Attulima, Surrealist Lithograph by Roberto Matta
Located in Long Island City, NY
Roberto Matta, Chilean (1911 - 2002) - Attulima, Year: 1954, Medium: Lithograph, Edition: 211, Image Size: 10.75 x 8.5 inches, Size: 10.75 x 17 in. (27.31 x 43.18 cm), Publisher: E...
Lithograph
Anys Vint Poster
By Joan Miró
Located in Winterswijk, NL
Exhibition poster Technique: Colour lithography Unsigned
Lithograph
Alice in Wonderland, Surrealist Etching by Hans Bellmer
By Hans Bellmer
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Hans Bellmer, German (1902 - 1975) Title: untitled 3 Year: circa 1972 Medium: Etching, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: EA 12/20 Image Size: 12 x 10.5 inches Size: 26 i...
Etching
$300
Tu aimerais ce que j'aime..., Surrealist Etching with Aquatint by Jean Solombre
Located in Long Island City, NY
Jean Solombre, French (1948 - ) - Tu aimerais ce que j'aime et ce qui m'aime: l'eau, la images, le silence et la nuit, Year: 1981, Medium: Etching with Aquatint on Arches, signed, ...
Etching, Aquatint
Le Cheval Marin, Original Lithograph, Surrealist, 1972, Framed, Signed
Located in OPOLE, PL
Salvador Dali (1904-1989) - Le cheval marin 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. R...
Lithograph
$1,680Sale Price|20% Off
"Eating and Drinking I", Surrealist, Green, Yellow, Collage, Acrylic Painting
By John Baker
Located in Franklin, MA
John Baker’s “Eating and Drinking I” is an acrylic painting on canvas with collage 24 x 30 inches in reds, greens and yellows against a neutral background. What at first glance appea...
Canvas, Acrylic, Mixed Media
Whips Alley, Original Etching, Surrealist, 1969, Framed, Signed
Located in OPOLE, PL
Salvador Dali (1904-1989) - Allée des Verges (Whips Alley) Etching from 1969. 125/145 on Japan paper. Dimensions of work: 38 x 28 cm. Hand signed. Publisher: Graphik Europa Anst...
Drypoint, Etching
$4,250
Max Ernst Untitled 1965 #107A Surrealist Etching Aquatint in colors Blue Yellow
By Max Ernst
Located in Rancho Santa Fe, CA
Max Ernst "Untitled" 1965 Etching and aquatint in colors, on Arches paper. 7.8 x 5.39 inches Publisher: Georges Visat, Paris. Total edition: 100 copies +...
Archival Paper, Etching, Aquatint
$1,850
Innocence - 21st Century, Surrealism, Figurative Painting, Bulgy Eyes, Modern
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 Bor...
Canvas, Oil
$2,300
Roister - 21st Century, Surrealism, Young Men Making Cheers to Good Life
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 Bor...
Canvas, Acrylic
Chestnuts IV, Surreal Mezzotint by Guntars Sietins
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Chestnuts IV is a mezzotint by acclaimed Latvian printmaker Guntars Sietins, recognized internationally for his meticulous technique and introspective imagery. His surreal constructi...
Mezzotint
Homage to Pop Art Diptych, Original Oil Painting on Canvas, 48x72 in
By Ferjo, Fernando de Jesus Oliveira
Located in Aventura, FL
Original oil painting on canvas. Both canvases are hand signed on front by Ferjo. Total Image size: 48 x 72 inches (each canvas is 48 x 36 inches). Canvases are not stretched. Art...
Canvas, Oil
The Dust of Souls - Woodcut - 1963
Located in Roma, IT
The Dust of Souls - The Divine Comedy is a woodcut print realized in 1963 for a series illustrating the Medieval poem of the "Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri. Not signed, as issu...
Woodcut
$250Sale Price|37% Off
La Nostalgie de l'unité Etching, etching and aquatint, Surrealist, Signed, 1970s
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Signed, titled and numbered from the edition of 100. Doare is one of several French artists, including Francois Houtin and Erik Desmazieres, who emerged in the early ’70s where dra...
Engraving, Etching, Aquatint
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
FlorDali/Les Fruits Cherries
Located in Hollywood, FL
ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: FlorDali/Les Fruits Cherries MEDIUM: Etching SIGNED: Hand Signed PUBLISHER: Jean Schneider, Basel EDITION NUMBER: 109/200 MEASUREMENTS: 22" x 30" ...
Etching
心 (Heart) (Pop Surrealism, Anatomical Heart, White Roses, Big Eyes, Portrait)
By Stella Jae
Located in Kansas City, MO
Stella Jae 心 (Heart) 2026 Oil on Canvas Framed Size: 32.625 x 25.375 inches (82.87 x 64.45 cm) Signed COA provided ---------- 心 (Heart) sets a pale, wide-eyed girl against a near-black ground crowded with cream and blush roses, each bloom modelled petal by petal until the flowers seem to float in the dark around her. Her long auburn hair falls past a high lace collar and a sheer, dotted shawl, and with both small hands she holds an anatomical heart to her chest — rendered in warm coral with branching veins and arteries, as exact as a medical plate. A single tear runs from her green eye, and her mouth stays composed; the tension between that stillness and the raw organ she offers is the painting's quiet charge. The title, the Chinese character for heart and mind, carries both meanings at once: the physical heart and the inner self laid open. Richey pairs the tenderness of the roses with the frankness of the anatomy, so the image reads as devotion and vulnerability in the same gesture. Stella J Richey is an international visual artist and designer. Her works in visual arts concentrate on ceramic sculpture and oil painting. Her jewelry and fashion lines are original wearable art with influence from ancient cultures. Stella was born in the US, where she completed her education in Fine Arts and Photography before moving to Spain to study Design. Her insatiable appetite for knowledge guided her to study Acupuncture and Chinese medicine in Australia before embarking on a world journey that lasted 15 years. While studying medicine, she began attending discourses at the local Buddhist monastery. Intrigued by Asian thought, philosophy, and religion, she began to examine Buddhist doctrine and Taoist poems. Her oil paintings possess deep philosophical meanings, presented in a veneer of pop surreal. She has undergone training in oil painting in both the US and Tibet, China. Her work has been exhibited in the US, Greece, China, and Egypt. Her paintings and sculptures are expressions of the years she spent traveling and the cultures she experienced. Heart painting, 心, anatomical heart artwork, girl with roses painting, pop surrealism portrait, lowbrow art, big eyes art, white roses artwork...
Canvas, Oil
Heavy is the Peace (Portrait, Floral, Dreamy, Surreal, Motion, Pose)
By David Pugh
Located in Kansas City, MO
David K. Pugh Heavy is the Peace From "BE, AND KNOW" Series Photographic Print on Fine Paper mounted on Foamcore 2026 Image Size: 35.94 x 23.94 inches (91.28 x 60.80 cm) Framed Size...
Photography
Leonor Fini, rare original serigraph on Rives paper, circa 1970
By Leonor Fini
Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Rare print handsigned by surrealist artist Leonor Fini, inscreasingly esteemed with the movement of rediscovering art by women. This silkscreen is in perfect condition and from a ver...
Paper
Trio (Portrait, Floral, Dreamy, Surreal, Motion, Pose)
By David Pugh
Located in Kansas City, MO
David K. Pugh Trio From "BE, AND KNOW" Series Photographic Print on Fine Paper mounted on Foamcore 2026 Image Size: 15.75 x 19.625 inches (40.01 x 49.85 cm) Framed Size: 16.5 x 20.5...
Photography
$4,940
Exterior of the Great Hall (Vortex, Swirl, Architectural Fantasy, Surreal)
Located in Kansas City, MO
Jeffrey Tamblyn Exterior of the Great Hall Archival Pigment Print on Premium Rag* Year: 2025 Size: 48 × 36 inches** (121.92 × 91.44 cm) Edition: 12 Signed, dated and numbered by hand...
Archival Pigment
$219Sale Price|20% Off
Botanical Portrait with Red Pioneer Scarf, Limited Edition Print on Dibond
Located in FISTERRA, ES
This surreal botanical portrait print by Natasha Lelenco depicts a frontal figure constructed from layered green leaves and small flowers, wearing a vivid red pioneer scarf and point...
Metal
Tangent - Surreal Still Life - Coffee Table Setting, Oil on Panel
By John Hrehov
Located in Chicago, IL
This painting is John Hrehov’s Tangent, an oil on panel from 2025. In it, a modern red sofa runs straight across the back of the room, set against a grid of tall windows that open on...
Canvas, Oil, Panel
Femme au Cochon, Original Etching, Surrealist, 1969, Signed
Located in OPOLE, PL
Salvador Dali (1904-1989) Femme au cochon (Woman with Pig) Original drypoint etching with roulette and hand-applied watercolor on Japanese paper, from the deluxe edition of Faust. ...
Drypoint, Etching
"My Soul"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
The artwork is print on silk and it is limited edition. My soul is petrified, and the winds, time, and ocean are slowly shaping it into outwardly ideal forms. "My Soul" by Natalia ...
Silk
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
$3,650
"Bunting on Teapot" Contemporary Surrealist painting blue bird, books, framed
Located in New York, NY
This contemporary surrealist painting depicts a blue bird perched atop a blue and white teapot stacked on top of two books and a yellow teacup. framed in a natural wood shadowbox fr...
Watercolor, Archival Paper
Salvador Dali, "Reverence de Grosillier (Gooseberry), " hand signed
Located in Chatsworth, CA
This piece was created in 1969 by Salvador Dali, it is a photolithograph of a original gouache painted on printed illustrations with original engraving. This piece is hand signed and...
Lithograph
$1,495
Surreal Contemporary Figurative Mixed-Media Sculpture Found-Object American
Located in Buffalo, NY
One of a kind mixed-media sculpture by Philip Kuznicki from the Spirit exhibition. Comes in its original frame. Born in Dunkirk NY, Kuznicki started his career working for artists su...
Found Objects, Mixed Media
Vision of Paradise, Original Etching, Surrealist, 1971
Located in OPOLE, PL
Salvador Dali (1904-1989) - Vision of Paradise Etching from 1971. The edition of 265 on Arches paper. Dimensions of work: 28 x 38 cm. Publisher: Editeuropa Anslat/Bergrgruen. Re...
Etching
Jewish Wedding, Surrealist Screenprint by Israel Rubinstein
Located in Long Island City, NY
"Israel Rubinstein (1944 - ) Date: 1980 Screenprint on Arches, signed and numbered in pencil Edition of 350 Image Size: 38.5 x 28.5 inches Size: 47 x 38 in. (119.38 x 96.52 cm)"
Screen
$6,880Sale Price|20% Off
Boxing Glove (red boxing glove surréaliste brown coat oil painting boxer)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
Superbe bold original painting on canvas depicting the vivid portrait of a red boxing glove held by an anonymous figure in a coat. keywords; boxing glove...
Canvas, Oil
$10,976Sale Price|20% Off
La Nuit Des Amoureux À Saint-Paul, Etching, Surrealism, 1969, Excellent
By Marc Chagall
Located in OPOLE, PL
Marc Chagall (1887-1985) - La nuit des amoureux à Saint-Paul Unsigned and Undated. Proof with additions in watercolor from 1969. Unqiue work, project for the etching. On Japan pa...
Watercolor, Etching
Leaf Woman, Original Drypoint Etching, Surrealist, 1969, Signed
Located in OPOLE, PL
Salvador Dali (1904-1989) Femme-feuille (Leaf Woman) Original drypoint etching with hand-applied watercolor on Japanese paper, from the deluxe edition of Venus aux Fourrures. Numbe...
Etching
Sagittarius, Original Etching, Surrealist, 1974, Signed
Located in OPOLE, PL
Salvador Dali (1904-1989) - Sagittarius Etching from 1974. The edition HC IX/L on Guarro paper. Dimensions of work: 35 x 26.2 cm. Hand signed. Publisher: Léon Amiel, Paris - New...
Etching
$4,500
Dali, "The Grand Inquisitor Expels the Savior" from After 50 Years of Surrealism
Located in Chatsworth, CA
This piece is an original etching by Salvador Dali from the "After 50 Years of Surrealism" portfolio, which consists of 12 original etchin...
Etching
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
Bird - Black and White Etching, Surrealist, Signed, 1972, Unframed
By Leo Guida
Located in Roma, IT
Bird is a Contemporary artwork realized in 1972 by the italian Contemporary artist Leo Guida (1992 - 2017). Original black and white etching on ivory-colored cardboard. Hand-si...
Etching
$2,500
Ethereal Woman Figurative Surrealism Original oil Painting, Ready to Hang
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Tigran Hovumyan Figurative Surrealist Oil Painter Artwork Title: Ethereal Woman Medium: Original Oil on Linen Dimensions: 36" x 18" x 0.8" ( 91 x 46 x 2 cm) Year: 2026 Unframed, Str...
Canvas, Oil
Currier & Ives Fire! Fire! Fire!
Located in Hollywood, FL
ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Currier & Ives Fire! Fire! Fire! MEDIUM: Lithograph + Collage SIGNED: Hand Signed PUBLISHER: Phyllis Lucas, New York EDITION NUMBER: 106/250 MEASU...
Lithograph
$1,800
Italian American Surrealist Oil Painting Ivo David Trilogia Chromatic Surrealism
Located in Surfside, FL
Trilogia Homage to Orazio Tanelli (Italian poet) Hand signed middle left and titled extensively and signed and dated verso. 1991 Dimensions: 30 X 24 inches. A painter and poet born ...
Canvas, Oil
Cacciaguida Sees Dante's Exile in God - Woodcut - 1963
Located in Roma, IT
Cacciaguida Sees Dante's Exile in God is a woodcut print realized in 1963 for a series illustrating the Medieval poem of the "Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri. Not signed, as iss...
Woodcut
The Blind of Envy - Woodcut - 1963
Located in Roma, IT
The Blind of Envy 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 n.14 (as...
Woodcut
$960Sale Price|20% Off
Peace Out - 21st Century, Contemporary, Surrealism, African Nature, Fashion
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
This piece explores the complex nature of human emotion through modern portraits. I blend raw feelings with stylized details, often changing normal body shapes by giving my figures l...
Canvas, Acrylic
Joan Miró, "Obra Grafica" - 1982 Exhibition Poster
By Joan Miró
Located in Winterswijk, NL
Explore Joan Miró's Obra Grafica 1982 exhibition poster, a signed-in-print color lithograph in excellent condition. This surrealist poster from Spain, printed on quality photo paper,...
Paper
Muse Woman Figurative Surrealism Original oil Painting, Ready to Hang
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Tigran Hovumyan Figurative Surrealist Oil Painter Artwork Title: Muse Medium: Original Oil on Linen Dimensions: 31" x 23.5" x 0.8" ( 79 x 60 x 2 cm) Year: 2026 Unframed, Stretched o...
Canvas, Oil
$4,160Sale Price|20% Off
Runner (surrealist oil painting wood rocking horse équine relic gold medallion)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
In Runner, Rudolf Kosow transforms a vintage wooden rocking horse into a striking example of contemporary object portraiture, where childh...
Canvas, Oil
$15,100
"The Child", Igor Samsonov, Surrealism, Figurative, Original Oil, 46x37 in.
Located in Dallas, TX
"The Child" by Igor Samsonov is an Original Surrealist Oil painting that measures 46x37 in. Igor paintings are rich with symbolism and tell stories--some well-known, others created ...
Canvas, Oil
Homage to Dali, Large Original Painting on Canvas, Surrealist, Hand Signed
By Ferjo, Fernando de Jesus Oliveira
Located in Aventura, FL
Original oil painting on canvas. Hand signed lower front by Ferjo. Canvas image size 36 x 48 x 1 inches. Canvas is stretched. Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of au...
Canvas, Oil
Figure - Original Mixed Media by Sergio Barletta - 1960s
Located in Roma, IT
Figure is an original drawing in mixed media, ink and tempera on cardboard, realized by Sergio Barletta. In good conditions except for some decoloration along the margins. Applied ...
Mixed Media, Ink, Tempera