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.
$4,726
Salvador Dalí (1904–1989) -Hand-coloured drypoint etching on Arches paper - 1971
Located in Varese, IT
Hand-coloured drypoint etching on Arches paper, edited in 1971. Limited edition of 145 copies, numbered as 89/145 in lower left corner. Hand-signed in pencil by artist in lower righ...
Paper, Etching
$2,351Sale Price|20% Off
Kumo (The weaver spider)
Located in OPOLE, PL
Salvador Dali (1904-1989) - Kumo (The weaver spider) Drypoint etching with stencil from 1974. The edition of XVII/LXXV on Richard de Bas paper. Dimensions of work: 66 x 52 cm. Ha...
Drypoint, Etching
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
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
Getting on Horse 2, florance , Italy
Located in Hudson, NY
These 4 oil on canvas paintings are in a set of 4 for $8000.00. “Friends of Friends” explores a playful world where dreams and reality meld together to create surreal moments. Wh...
Canvas, Oil
Cleopatra – 22-12-18, Drawing, Pencil/Colored Pencil on Paper
By Corne Akkers
Located in Yardley, PA
Cleopatra – 22-12-18 When I saw the reference picture I was inspired to turn the model sitting in a bath with lots of foam around her, into a donkey milk bath with Cleopatra in ...
Pencil
In the Pink, 2024, Hudson Valley NY
By Paddy Cohn
Located in Hudson, NY
"Clouds, from all sides now, 2025" Cohn delves into the enigmatic qualities of clouds—how they symbolize both the fleeting and the eternal. Cloud illusions are a sensory journey t...
Oil, Acrylic
$716Sale Price|20% Off
Jean Lurcat, The Lord Individual, from Eight Drawings, 1933 (after)
By Jean Lurçat
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite heliogravure after Jean Lurcat (1892–1966), titled Le Seigneur Individu (The Lord Individual), from the folio Jean Lurcat Huit Dessins (Jean Lurcat Eight Drawings), or...
Lithograph
Piccarda Donati - Woodcut Print - 1963
Located in Roma, IT
Piccarda Donati from the Series "The Divine Comedy" is a woodcut print realized in 1963. Good conditions. Not signed, as issued. Plate n.3 (as reported on the back of the artwork) ...
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
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
"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
Sichem Removed Dina- Lithograph by Marc Chagall - 1960
By Marc Chagall
Located in Roma, IT
Sichem Removed Dina is an artwork realized by March Chagall, 1960s. Lithograph on brown-toned paper, no signature. Lithograph on both sheets. Edition of 6500 unsigned lithographs...
Lithograph
The Cycles of Life Suite
Located in Hollywood, FL
ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: The Cycles of Life 3 Piece Suite Vigor of Youth One's Identity Reflection MEDIUM: 3 Etchings SIGNED: Each piece is Hand Signed EDITION NUMBER: 182...
Etching
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
$300Sale Price|20% Off
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
Green Jump, Surrealist Lithograph by Robert Beauchamp
Located in Long Island City, NY
Robert Beauchamp, American (1923 - 1995) - Green Jump, Year: circa 1980, Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 200, Size: 25 in. x 32 in. (63.5 cm x 81.28 cm)
Lithograph
$2,059
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
$4,640Sale Price|20% Off
"Au Debut dele Printemps" - "Early Spring" Surreal Figurative Tree Man
Located in Soquel, CA
Surreal figurative abstract depicting a half man, half tree figure on a pedestal in a dream-like, abstracted white and blue space by Bay Area artist Michael Pauker (American, b. 1957...
Canvas, Oil
Cover for Menu (trial proof)
By Marc Chagall
Located in OPOLE, PL
Marc Chagall (1887-1985) - Cover for Menu (trial proof) Lithograph from 1964. Trial proof - unique work. Dimensions of sheet: 45 x 32 cm Dimensions in frame: 53.2 x 43.2 cm Publ...
Lithograph
Surrealist Mediterranean Rocky Figures and Coastal Fantasy Oil Painting
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
Surrealist Mediterranean Rocky Figures and Coastal Fantasy Oil Painting Artist: Antoni Pitxot i Soler (Spanish, 1934–2015) Title: Rocky Figures in a Mediterranean Dreamscape Year: 1...
Oil
Ruine, Surrealist Lithograph by André Masson
By André Masson
Located in Long Island City, NY
André Masson, French (1896 -1987) - Ruine, Year: 1945, Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 10/30, Image Size: 8 x 6.25 inches, Size: 14 x 11 in. (35.56 x...
Lithograph
Vitraux pour Jérusalem - Illustrated Book by M. Chagall, 1962
By Marc Chagall
Located in Roma, IT
"Vitraux pour Jerusalem" is one of the most important books illustrated by Marc Chagall and considered as one of his editorial masterpieces. Th...
Paper, Lithograph
$1,116Sale Price|37% Off
Death is something like Cousin Cynthia (Spies/Leppien 13 IV), Max Ernst
By Max Ernst
Located in Southampton, NY
Photogram from a frottage in black in white on photosensitive paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: A photogram was a...
Photogram
$5,080
Salvador Dali etching with drypoint, 1974, signed and numbered, edition of 120
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Salvador Dalí (1904-1989) Le Chêne et le Roseau, from Le Bestiaire de La Fontaine (Field 74-1K; M&L 664) Etching with drypoint and pochoir printed in colours, 1974 signed in penc...
Etching
$716Sale Price|20% Off
Leonor Fini, Untitled, from Fruits of Passion, 1980 (after)
By Leonor Fini
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite heliogravure, titled Sans titre (Untitled), after Leonor Fini, from the album Fruits de la passion, trente-deux variations sur un theme de Leonor Fini (Fruits of Passi...
Lithograph
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 (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
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
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
$8,600
"Loosening" (2025) Original Photorealist Oil Portrait, Oil Painting on Panel
Located in Denver, CO
This striking oil portrait is framed at 21 x 25 inches, and is ready to hang. Artist Autobiography: Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, 1958, my family moved every two years thereafter from C...
Oil, Panel
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...
Paper
$499Sale 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
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
$5,660
"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
$2,880Sale Price|20% Off
Salvador Dali "Love's Labors Lost" Drypoint
Located in Boston, MA
Artist: Dali, Salvador Title: Love’s Labors Lost Series: Shakespeare II Date: 1971 Medium: drypoint Framed Dimensions: 21.75" x 18.75" Signature: Pencil signed Edition: 128/2...
Drypoint
1950’s French Surrealist Signed Oil Painting Yellow Pink & Blue
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Tristan Fabris, 20th Century French Surrealist artist Abstract Surrealist Figurative study signed and dated verso oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 32 x 26 inches private collection, ...
Canvas, Oil
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
Tryst Acrylic on Board, Surrealist Landscape Painting, 1970s, Framed
Located in London, GB
Fleur Fenton Cowles 'Tryst' Acrylic on board 45 x 61 cm FRAMED DIMENSIONS: 66.8 x 81.7 cm Alongside being an artist Fleur Cowles was a socialite, writer, diplomat and fashion edit...
Acrylic, Board
Le Decameron L'ange Gabriel on Japon Paper
Located in Hollywood, FL
ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Le Decameron L'ange Gabriel MEDIUM: Etching on Japon Paper SIGNED: Hand Signed PUBLISHER: Jean Schneider, Basel/Pamela Verlog EDITION NUMBER: XIX/X...
Etching
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
Multiverse, Giclée Print, 78x78cm, Mexican Op Art, 2024
Located in Ciudad de México, MX
Multiverse, by Pedro Friedeberg - Giclée Print - 78 x 78 cm - Mexican Op Art, c. 2024 Multiverso by Pedro Friedeberg is a remarkable exploration of symmetry, illusion, and archite...
Giclée
Delightful Conversation with Earl Grey
Located in Napa, CA
Largely self-taught, Linda Ridd Herzog’s paintings boast unbelievably detailed animals and objects in fantastical, surreal scenes. Growing up in Utah, Herzog found herself so inspir...
Canvas, Oil
$2,200
Surrealist Dream Lithograph Belgian Master Magritte Pencil Signed by Mourlot
Located in Surfside, FL
Artist: Rene Magritte (after), Belgian (1898 - 1967) Title: (from les Enfants Trouvés) Les Claires-Voies d'un Jeune Regard Embaument La Fête d'un Vieil Arbre Year of original paintin...
Lithograph
$1,350
"Thirst" Black & White Photography 29.5" x 24" in Edition 1/15 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Thirst" Black & White Photography 29.5" x 24" in Edition 1/15 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA issued by t...
Photographic Paper
$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
Untitled - Surrealist Scene - Drawing by Albert Debois - 1973
Located in Roma, IT
Untitled - Surrealist Scene is an original contemporary artwork realized by Albert Debois in 1973. Mixed colored pastel on paper. Hand signed and dated on the lower right margin. ...
Pastel, Pencil
Leo Quasi Bos Comedens Paleas - Lithograph - 1964
Located in Roma, IT
Leo quasi Bos comedens paleas ( The Lion eating straw like the Ox ) is an artwork realized in 1964. It is part of Biblia Sacra vulgatæ editionis published by Rizzoli-Mediolani betwe...
Lithograph
$1,050Sale Price|30% Off
Vintage -- Surrealist Figurative Etching -- "The Visitation"
Located in Soquel, CA
Fantastical and erotic sepia etching titled "The Visitation" by Herbert L. Fink (American, 1921-2006). Titled, signed and dated 1982 lower edge. Unframe...
Ink, Paper
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
Actors, Surrealist Signed Screenprint by John Hultberg
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: John Hultberg, American (1922 - 2005) Title: Actors Year: 1977 Medium: Silkscreen, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 200, AP 30 Image Size: 24 x 36 inches Paper Size: 2...
Screen
$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
Les Songes Drolatiques de Pantagruel Lithograph, Surrealist, 1970s
Located in Naples, Florida
Lithograph in colors on Japon nacré paper From the Les Songes Drolatiques de Pantagruel series Printed by Carpentier Pencil signed lower right This lit...
Paper, Lithograph
Demons - Original China Ink - Mid 20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Demons is an original drawing in china Ink by an anonymous artist in the mid-20th Century. Good conditions. The artwork is depicted through confident strokes in a well-balanced com...
Ink
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
$4,205
"La Bataille de l'Argonne (The Battle of Argonne), " Litho after Rene Magritte
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"La Bataille de l'Argonne (The Battle of Argonne)" is a color lithograph after the original 1959 painting by Rene Magritte. The landscape is shrouded by the mist of twilight. A cresc...
Lithograph
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
$653
Vintage Poster Exhibition Galerie Maeght-Lithograph/Offset after J. Mirò-1978
Located in Roma, IT
Vintage Poster Exhibition Galerie Maeght is a vintage Lithograph and Offset poster realized after Joan Mirò (1893-1983) in 1978. Good conditions. Joan Miró i Ferrà (20 April 1893 –...
Lithograph, Offset
$270Sale Price|20% Off
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
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