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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
The Slothful - Woodcut - 1963
The Slothful - Woodcut - 1963

The Slothful - Woodcut - 1963

By Salvador Dalí­

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. ...

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Woodcut

Sin Titulo, Surrealist Lithograph by Arnold Belkin

Sin Titulo, Surrealist Lithograph by Arnold Belkin

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)

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Saint Peter to Dante - Woodcut - 1963
Saint Peter to Dante - Woodcut - 1963

Saint Peter to Dante - Woodcut - 1963

By Salvador Dalí­

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...

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Woodcut

Jean Cocteau - Poets - Original Lithograph
Jean Cocteau - Poets - Original Lithograph

Jean Cocteau - Poets - Original Lithograph

By Jean Cocteau

Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH

Original Lithograph by Jean Cocteau Title: Poets Signed in the plate Dimensions: 50 x 35 cm Jean Cocteau Writer, artist and film director Jean Cocteau was one of the most influenti...

Category

1950s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

"Rene Magritte"
"Rene Magritte"

"Rene Magritte"

By Kyrylo Bondarenko

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...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Surreal Collage: 'Watching'
Surreal Collage: 'Watching'

Surreal Collage: 'Watching'

By David Barnett

Located in New York, NY

Combining found elements with those fashioned by my own hand, my work encompasses two- and three-dimensional collage as well as sculptural objects. Infused with a rich sense of histo...

Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Mixed Media

Faces, Surrealist Lithograph by André Masson
Faces, Surrealist Lithograph by André Masson

Faces, Surrealist Lithograph by André Masson

By André Masson

Located in Long Island City, NY

André Masson, French (1896 -1987) - Faces, Year: 1962, Medium: Lithograph on Rives, signed in pencil, Image Size: 11 x 8.5 inches, Size: 15 x 11 in. (38.1 x 27.94 cm), Descriptio...

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Piccarda Donati - Woodcut Print - 1963
Piccarda Donati - Woodcut Print - 1963

Piccarda Donati - Woodcut Print - 1963

By Salvador Dalí­

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) ...

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Woodcut

Untitled Micro-Gestalt H4

Untitled Micro-Gestalt H4

By Airom

Located in Santa Monica, CA

Acrylic and ink on canvas

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Ink, Acrylic

LIGHT OF DISCOVERY Hand Drawn Lithograph, Surrealist Landscape, Night Sky, Tree
LIGHT OF DISCOVERY Hand Drawn Lithograph, Surrealist Landscape, Night Sky, Tree

LIGHT OF DISCOVERY Hand Drawn Lithograph, Surrealist Landscape, Night Sky, Tree

By Michael Hasted

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...

Category

1980s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

How Come
How Come

How Come

By Irving Norman

Located in Palm Desert, CA

"How Come" is a Modern surrealist oil on canvas painting by Irving Norman in 1968. The artwork is 90 x 60 inches and 91 1/4 x 61 1/2 x 1 5/8 inches with the fram, weighing less than ...

Category

20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

Crowd #2

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...

Category

1980s Surrealist Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Homage to Pop Art Diptych, Original Oil Painting on Canvas, 48x72 in
Homage to Pop Art Diptych, Original Oil Painting on Canvas, 48x72 in

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...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Terpsichore
Terpsichore

Terpsichore

By Salvador Dalí­

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...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Drypoint, Etching

Le Singe et le Léopard, Salvador Dali
Le Singe et le Léopard, Salvador Dali

Le Singe et le Léopard, Salvador Dali

By Salvador Dalí­

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...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Engraving

Swedish 20th Century watercolour of the water spirit Nack on diamond rocks
Swedish 20th Century watercolour of the water spirit Nack on diamond rocks

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, ...

Category

20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor, Pen

Ruine, Surrealist Lithograph by André Masson
Ruine, Surrealist Lithograph by André Masson

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...

Category

1940s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

El Ultimo viaje del buque fantasma, Plate X
El Ultimo viaje del buque fantasma, Plate X

El Ultimo viaje del buque fantasma, Plate X

By Wifredo Lam

Located in Fairlawn, OH

El Ultimo viaje del buque fantasma, Plate X Color lithograph, 1976 Signed in pencil lower right corner (see photo) From: Gabriel Garcia Marquez, El Ultimo viaie del buque Fantasma (The Last Voyage of the Ghost Ship (1868), 12 illustration by Wilfredo Lam Edition: 99 (6/99) This one of an edition of 99 from the delixe edition of the book of the same title There was an additional edition of 200 books, signed and numbered on the justification page Publisher: Poligrafa, Barcelona Printer: Poligrafa, Barcelona The Gabriel Garcia Marquez/Lam book is an illustrated version of the short story, a man recalls the night during his boyhood when an enormous passenger ship went aground in his small town on the shores of the Caribbean. It is considered a Latin American masterpiece of surrealism and transculturation. (See below analysis of the story) Sheet size: 29 7/8 x 22 inches Condition: Very fresh colors and condition Slight scuffing verso from previous hinges Reference: Lam-Tonneau-Ryckelnck CR360 About the author and the storyline of the book by Marquez: Gabriel García Márquez was born in 1927, he is a famous Colombian writer, novelist, short story writer, screenwriter and journalist. In 1982 he received the Novel Prize for Literature. He is an author sometimes inherently related to magical realism and his best-known work is the novel One Hundred Years of Solitude...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Personne Suite No. 1
Personne Suite No. 1

Personne Suite No. 1

By Dorothea Tanning

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...

Category

Mid-20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

Untitled - Surrealist Scene - Drawing by Albert Debois - 1973
Untitled - Surrealist Scene - Drawing by Albert Debois - 1973

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. ...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Pastel, Pencil

Man at Work - Drawing by Antoine Mayo - Late-20th century
Man at Work - Drawing by Antoine Mayo - Late-20th century

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...

Category

Mid-20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Ink, Pencil

Chroessi Schnell - "Schizophrenic Landscape" - surrealist landscape drawing

Chroessi Schnell - "Schizophrenic Landscape" - surrealist landscape drawing

By Chroessi Schnell

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 ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper

An Undying Wonderment - Original Figurative Mixed Media Surrealist Inspired Art
An Undying Wonderment - Original Figurative Mixed Media Surrealist Inspired Art

An Undying Wonderment - Original Figurative Mixed Media Surrealist Inspired Art

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

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Charcoal, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel

Trio, Surrealist Lithograph by Zina Rothman
Trio, Surrealist Lithograph by Zina Rothman

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...

Category

1980s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Demons - Original China Ink - Mid 20th Century
Demons - Original China Ink - Mid 20th Century

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...

Category

Mid-20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Ink

L'incubo, 2010

L'incubo, 2010

By Gigino Falconi

Located in Atlanta, GA

Gigino Falconi was born in Giulianova (Teramo) in 1933. He began painting at the age of sixteen, and in 1954 he obtained a Liceo Artistico of Pescara. During the early years of his c...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Cover for Menu (trial proof)
Cover for Menu (trial proof)

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...

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

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.