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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
A Surreal “Due Appetti” by Ferruccio Rosini
A Surreal “Due Appetti” by Ferruccio Rosini

A Surreal “Due Appetti” by Ferruccio Rosini

Located in San Francisco, CA

Ready for some self-reflection? Intriguing hints about this striking painting’s origin, handwritten on the reverse, could get you started. “Due Appetiti” di Vita suggests that two ap...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Folklore Dance Abstract Composition
Folklore Dance Abstract Composition

Folklore Dance Abstract Composition

By Malgosia Kiernozycka

Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL

Folklore Dance, acrylic on canvas. Malgosia Kiernozycka was born in Wroclaw, Poland. She graduated high school at the School of Fine Arts and received a scholarship from the Mini...

Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Mod Surrealist 1970's Drawing Watercolor Painting Jungle Fantasy, Unicorn, Lion
Mod Surrealist 1970's Drawing Watercolor Painting Jungle Fantasy, Unicorn, Lion

Mod Surrealist 1970's Drawing Watercolor Painting Jungle Fantasy, Unicorn, Lion

Located in Surfside, FL

Jungle fantasy Scene, Ink, Colored ink and color watercolor surreal fantasy scene, birds, giraffes, alligators, snakes, turtles, storks, unicorn and maiden in a tepee, lions and elephants. Laurence L. Donovan Jr. (1927-2001) was a poet, artist, and English professor at the University of Miami, best known for his poetry, much of which was inspired by Florida’s natural beauty. Donovan grew up in southern Florida. His parents were Ruth and Laurence Donovan...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Ink, Watercolor

MEJOR SOLAS

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 ...

Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Mark Ryden Etching: Tree of Life

Mark Ryden Etching: Tree of Life

By Mark Ryden

Located in Miami, FL

Mark Ryden Tree of Life, 2008 Etching Ed. 19 of 40 28 x 21 in Signed and numbered by the artist. Includes a certificate of authenticity.

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

Personne Suite No. 5
Personne Suite No. 5

Personne Suite No. 5

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

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

The Guardians - Woodcut Print - 1963
The Guardians - Woodcut Print - 1963

The Guardians - Woodcut Print - 1963

By Salvador Dalí­

Located in Roma, IT

The Guardians - from the Series "The Divine Comedy" - Song 8 - Purgatory is a woodcut print realized in 1963 for a series illustrating the Medieval poem of the "Divine Comedy" by ...

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Woodcut

Petite Nus (From Apollinaire) J
Petite Nus (From Apollinaire) J

Petite Nus (From Apollinaire) J

By Salvador Dalí­

Located in Hollywood, FL

ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Petite Nus (From Apollinaire) MEDIUM: Etching SIGNED: Hand Signed PUBLISHER: Editions Argillet, Paris EDITION NUMBER: 86/95 PAPER: Japon Paper ME...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

La Venus aux Fourrures Woman With Crutch
La Venus aux Fourrures Woman With Crutch

La Venus aux Fourrures Woman With Crutch

By Salvador Dalí­

Located in Hollywood, FL

ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: La Venus Aux Fourrures Woman with Crutch MEDIUM: Etching SIGNED: Hand Signed PUBLISHER: Editions Argillet, Paris EDITION NUMBER: 25/145 MEASUREMENTS: 11" x 15" YEAR: 1968 FRAMED: No CONDITION: Excellent AUTHENTICITY: This piece has been certified by The Salvador Dali Archives. The Salvador Dali Archives, located in New York, is a private repository of information about Salvador Dali, established with the approval of the artist by Albert Field over 50 years ago. The Archives, under the direction of Albert Field's successor, Frank Hunter, is able to provide an Authentication Service to owners of Dali prints and other Dali works. The Salvador Dali Archives is used by major Auction Houses, Art Dealers and Collectors to Authenticate works by Salvador Dali. REFERENCE: The Official Catalog of The Works of Salvador Dali by Albert Field page 40...

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

Surrealist Drawings Geometric Colorist Project, France circa 1960
Surrealist Drawings Geometric Colorist Project, France circa 1960

Surrealist Drawings Geometric Colorist Project, France circa 1960

Located in Atlanta, GA

These exceptional original project drawings, painted with colored pencil on translucent tracing paper, are by a French artist, circa the 1960s. The two paintings feature a geometric ...

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper

20th Century British artist Jenny Ogg oil on panel, lady sunbathing
20th Century British artist Jenny Ogg oil on panel, lady sunbathing

20th Century British artist Jenny Ogg oil on panel, lady sunbathing

Located in Petworth, West Sussex

Jenny Ogg (British school, 20th Century) Sunbathing oil on panel signed 'J Ogg' (lower right) and bearing label for Grants Fine Art Gallery Newcastle (to the reverse)

Category

20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Diane de Poitiers
Diane de Poitiers

Diane de Poitiers

By Salvador Dalí­

Located in Hollywood, FL

ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Diane de Poitiers MEDIUM: Etching SIGNED: Hand Signed EDITION NUMBER: LXVI/C MEASUREMENTS: 20" x 25.5" YEAR: 1973 FRAMED: No CONDITION: Excellen...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

Deardorff
Deardorff

Deardorff

By Fanny Brennan

Located in New York, NY

Created by Surrealist Fanny Brennan from 1993-96, Deardorff is an original lithograph in colors on wove paper, hand-monogrammed by the artist in pencil and numbered from the edition ...

Category

Late 20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

After Jean Miró, Pink and Purple Surrealism at Play
After Jean Miró, Pink and Purple Surrealism at Play

After Jean Miró, Pink and Purple Surrealism at Play

By (after) Joan Miró

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...

Category

Mid-20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Femme avec Parapluie from Derriere Le Miroir
Femme avec Parapluie from Derriere Le Miroir

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) ...

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Bacchanale, Surrealist Lithograph by Andre Masson
Bacchanale, Surrealist Lithograph by Andre Masson

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...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Cloud Family, Hudson Vallery, NY

Cloud Family, Hudson Vallery, 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...

Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil, Acrylic

Exclamation
Exclamation

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...

Category

20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Screen

"Gidget's Hideaway" Minimal Surrealist Landscape Painting
"Gidget's Hideaway" Minimal Surrealist Landscape Painting

"Gidget's Hideaway" Minimal Surrealist Landscape Painting

By Scott Woodard

Located in Houston, TX

White and grey structure on a grey sky with a few white clouds, a black palm tree, and bright blue water. Artist signed the work in the bottom right corner, as well as titled and dat...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Acrylic

La Vent

La Vent

By Leonor Fini

Located in Columbia, MO

Leonor Fini was born in Argentina in 1907 but travelled and lived in Europe with her mother from a young age. By 1931, she was in Paris, in the full swing of the Surrealist movement....

Category

20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Ink

Composition Of Diodora - Original Lithograph by Bruno Capacci - 1950

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...

Category

1950s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

UFO CA 1912, Surrealist Lithograph by Edward M. Plunkett
UFO CA 1912, Surrealist Lithograph by Edward M. Plunkett

UFO CA 1912, Surrealist Lithograph by Edward M. Plunkett

Located in Long Island City, NY

Edward M. Plunkett, American (1922 - 201?) - UFO CA 1912 , Year: 1981, Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 300, AP 30, Image Size: 13 x 20 inches, Size: ...

Category

1980s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Allée des Verges
Allée des Verges

Allée des Verges

By Salvador Dalí­

Located in OPOLE, PL

Salvador Dali (1904-1989) - Allée des Verges Etching from 1969. 66/145 on Japan paper. Dimensions of work: 38 x 28 cm. Hand signed. Publisher: Graphik Europa Anstalt. Reference...

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

La Mort

La Mort

By Leonor Fini

Located in Columbia, MO

Leonor Fini was born in Argentina in 1907 but travelled and lived in Europe with her mother from a young age. By 1931, she was in Paris, in the full swing of the Surrealist movement....

Category

20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Ink

Femme au clown (Woman with Clown)
Femme au clown (Woman with Clown)

Femme au clown (Woman with Clown)

By Salvador Dalí­

Located in OPOLE, PL

Salvador Dali (1904-1989) - Femme au clown (Woman with Clown) Drypoint etching with roulette from 1969. The edition 142/145. Dimensions of work: 38 x 28 cm. Hand signed. Publish...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Drypoint, Etching

Vintage Surreal Oil Painting on Canvas c.1940s to 1950s.
Vintage Surreal Oil Painting on Canvas c.1940s to 1950s.

Vintage Surreal Oil Painting on Canvas c.1940s to 1950s.

Located in San Francisco, CA

Vintage Surreal Oil Painting on Canvas c.1940s to 1950s. Classic Surrealism brought to life on canvas by a very talented artist. The painting has no visible signature. Canvas dimen...

Category

Mid-20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Blue Monday - figurative painting
Blue Monday - figurative painting

Blue Monday - figurative painting

By Henryk Laskowski

Located in New York, NY

This landscape painting by Henryk was done in 2022. It will ship from the artists studio in Poland. More about Henryk Laskowska: Henryk Laskowski has been working as a graphic design...

Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Large Museum Scale Surrealist Composition Dalí Circle Catalan Oil Painting art
Large Museum Scale Surrealist Composition Dalí Circle Catalan Oil Painting art

Large Museum Scale Surrealist Composition Dalí Circle Catalan Oil Painting art

By Antoni Pitxot

Located in Sitges, Barcelona

Large Museum Scale Surrealist Composition Dalí Circle Catalan Painting 1987 Artist: Antoni Pitxot Birth–death: Figueres, 1934–2015 Title: Battle of Constantine Series Date: 1987 Technique: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 100 × 100 cm (39.4 × 39.4 in) Signature: Signed and dated “pitxot 87” lower right Condition: Excellent overall condition Frame: Unframed Provenance: Private collection, Barcelona DESCRIPTION Important large-scale surrealist oil painting executed in 1987 by Antoni Pitxot, one of the closest artistic collaborators of Salvador Dalí and a central figure within the visual universe of the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres. This powerful 100 × 100 cm composition belongs to Pitxot’s Battle of Constantine series, one of the artist’s most ambitious narrative cycles. In this work, his unmistakable geological figuration becomes a theatrical surrealist battlefield, where mineral forms, latent human presences, fossil memory and Mediterranean landscape merge into a monumental symbolic construction. Pitxot’s mature paintings are instantly recognizable for their transformation of stones into anthropomorphic figures and metaphysical architectures. Rather than depicting a conventional landscape, the artist creates a stage of petrified forms, suspended between archaeology, sculpture, mythology and dream imagery. The work is especially strong for its museum-scale square format, its dramatic vertical construction and its direct connection with the Dalí circle. Large paintings by Pitxot with this level of compositional complexity are considerably less common than his smaller cabinet-format works and are particularly attractive for collectors of Spanish surrealism, Catalan modernism, European surrealism and artists connected to Salvador Dalí. A major statement piece with exceptional wall presence, ideal for an important private collection, curated interior or collector focused on late twentieth-century European surrealism. ARTIST BIO Antoni Pitxot (Figueres, 1934 – Cadaqués, 2015) was a Catalan painter and one of the most significant artists associated with Salvador Dalí’s late artistic environment. Born into the historic Pichot family, closely linked to the artistic life of Cadaqués, Pitxot studied drawing in San Sebastián under Juan Núñez, who had also been Dalí’s teacher. During the 1950s and early 1960s he exhibited in Barcelona, Madrid, Bilbao and Lisbon before settling permanently in Cadaqués in 1966. From that moment, he developed his mature and highly distinctive pictorial language based on the rock formations of Cap de Creus. Pitxot collected stones from the coast, arranged them in his studio as sculptural constructions, and then transformed them into oil paintings populated by anthropomorphic mineral figures. His friendship and artistic collaboration with Salvador Dalí became central to his career. Dalí dedicated a permanent gallery to Pitxot’s work inside the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres. After Dalí’s death...

Category

1980s Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

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.