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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
Centre Noeuds (Sabatier 393), Roberto Matta
Centre Noeuds (Sabatier 393), Roberto Matta

Centre Noeuds (Sabatier 393), Roberto Matta

By Roberto Matta

Located in Fairfield, CT

Artist: Roberto Matta (1912-2002) Title: Centre Noeuds (Sabatier 393) Year: 1974 Edition: 38/125, plus proofs Medium: Etching on Arches paper Size: 23.875 x 17.5 inches Inscription: ...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

My Artificial Gaze -21st Century, Contemporary, Surrealism, African Nature Woman
My Artificial Gaze -21st Century, Contemporary, Surrealism, African Nature Woman

My Artificial Gaze -21st Century, Contemporary, Surrealism, African Nature Woman

By Akanji Bolaji

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

A portrait can tell a story, my artistic pieces highlight the exploration of the complexity of human identity, space and existence. My imagery embodies the unconventional expression ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Glitter, Acrylic

Joan Miro, Figures, from Cardboards 1959–1965, 1965 (after)
Joan Miro, Figures, from Cardboards 1959–1965, 1965 (after)

Joan Miro, Figures, from Cardboards 1959–1965, 1965 (after)

By Joan Miró

Located in Southampton, NY

This exquisite lithograph and pochoir after Joan Miro (1893–1983), titled Personnages (Figures), from the album Miro, Cartones 1959–1965 (Miro, Cardboards 1959–1965), originates from...

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

original lithograph

original lithograph

By Julio de Diego

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: original lithograph. This lithograph was printed in 1950 for the "Improvisations" portfolio, published by the Artists Equity Association of New York on the occasion of the 19...

Category

1950s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

(after) Kurt Seligmann - pochoir

(after) Kurt Seligmann - pochoir

By Kurt Seligmann

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: pochoir (after the painting). This exquisitely rich impression on black wove paper was published in 1941 by the Nierendorf Gallery, of New York, for the cover of a now quite ...

Category

1940s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Untitled
Untitled

Untitled

By Wifredo Lam

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Wifredo Lam, Cuban (1902 - 1982) Title: Untitled - I Year: 1957 Medium: Crayon and Pastel on Paper, signed and dated l.r. Paper Size: 22 in. x 26.5 in. (55.88 cm x 67.31...

Category

1950s Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Crayon, Pastel

Armando Villagran Original Painting
Armando Villagran Original Painting

Armando Villagran Original Painting

By Armando Villagran

Located in San Francisco, CA

Armando Villagran (Mexican, 1945-1995) Untitled (Figure with Animal), 1991 Oil on canvas, signed and dated lower right Canvas: 55"h x 43.5"w, overall (with frame): 56"h x 44"w Born ...

Category

1990s Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

The Temple of Bacchus - Etching - 1796
The Temple of Bacchus - Etching - 1796

The Temple of Bacchus - Etching - 1796

Located in Roma, IT

Etching on paper published by S. Merigot, London, in 1796. A finely executed late eighteenth-century topographical engraving depicting the celebrated Temple of Bacchus at Baalbek, L...

Category

1790s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

Star-Crossed, Oil Painting
Star-Crossed, Oil Painting

Star-Crossed, Oil Painting

By Keith Thomson

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Two astronauts sit across from each other, the table between them barely separating their bodies as they lean in close. It was a first date, and they had a wond...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

Pablo Picasso, "Face Turned Pitcher, " ceramic
Pablo Picasso, "Face Turned Pitcher, " ceramic

Pablo Picasso, "Face Turned Pitcher, " ceramic

By Pablo Picasso

Located in Chatsworth, CA

This piece is an A.R. turned pitcher created by Pablo Picasso in 1955. It is made with white earthenware clay, decoration in engobes in red and black with glaze inside. It bears the ...

Category

1950s Surrealist Art

Materials

Clay

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

Lithographs II (1045), Surrealist Lithography by Joan Miro

Lithographs II (1045), Surrealist Lithography 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...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Acrobat, Surrealist Etching by James Kearns
Acrobat, Surrealist Etching by James Kearns

Acrobat, Surrealist Etching by James Kearns

By James Kearns

Located in Long Island City, NY

James Kearns, American (1924 - ) - Acrobat, Year: circa 1975, Medium: Etching on Rives, signed, titled and numbered, Edition: 44/50, Image Size: 14.5 x 8.75 inches, Size: 22 x 15 i...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

Miro a l'Encre II, Surrealist Lithograph by Joan Miro
Miro a l'Encre II, Surrealist Lithograph by Joan Miro

Miro a l'Encre II, Surrealist Lithograph by Joan Miro

By Joan Miró

Located in Long Island City, NY

Joan Miro, Spanish (1893 - 1983) - Miro a l'Encre II, Year: 1972, Medium: Lithograph, Image Size: 13.75 x 9.75 inches, Size: 14 x 10 in. (35.56 x 25.4 cm), Frame Size: 21 x 17 inch...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Femme Bleue
Femme Bleue

Femme Bleue

By Henri Matisse

Located in OPOLE, PL

Henri Matisse (1869-1954) - Femme Bleue Lithograph from 1958. Dimensions of work: 35.5 x 26.4 cm. Publisher: Tériade, Paris. First, original edition. The work is in Excellent co...

Category

1950s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Train
Train

Train

Located in Boca Raton, FL

This evocative painting by Mario Perez captures the quiet poetry of a dreamlike nighttime landscape, where a softly illuminated train winds through rolling hills beneath a vast, star...

Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The House at the End of the Road - Original Framed Blue Floral Artwork on Canvas
The House at the End of the Road - Original Framed Blue Floral Artwork on Canvas

The House at the End of the Road - Original Framed Blue Floral Artwork on Canvas

By Carlos Gamez de Francisco

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Carlos Gamez de Francisco’s "The House at the End of the Road" is a striking blend of hyperrealism, figurative surrealism, and imaginative narrative art. This 12-inch round acrylic p...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Priscilla At Dusk - 21st Century, Surrealism, Africa Woman with Guitar, Musical
Priscilla At Dusk - 21st Century, Surrealism, Africa Woman with Guitar, Musical

Priscilla At Dusk - 21st Century, Surrealism, Africa Woman with Guitar, Musical

By Aladejare Ayodeji

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...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Untitled (Surrealist Composiition)
Untitled (Surrealist Composiition)

Untitled (Surrealist Composiition)

By Julio de Diego

Located in Fairlawn, OH

Untitled (Surrealist Composiition) Lithograph with hand coloring, 1945 Signed and dated lower right (see photo) Numbered 10/12 lower left (see photo) fragment from 6X litho In 1945, ...

Category

1940s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Joan Miro, The Spanish Dancer, from Derriere le miroir, 1963
Joan Miro, The Spanish Dancer, from Derriere le miroir, 1963

Joan Miro, The Spanish Dancer, from Derriere le miroir, 1963

By Joan Miró

Located in Southampton, NY

This exquisite lithograph by Joan Miro (1893–1983), titled La danseuse espagnole (The Spanish Dancer), from the folio Derriere le miroir, No. 139–140, originates from the 1963 editio...

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Winter and Summer
Winter and Summer

Winter and Summer

By Salvador Dalí­

Located in Hollywood, FL

ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Winter and Summer MEDIUM: Etching SIGNED: Hand Signed EDITION NUMBER: A/P MEASUREMENTS: 25" x 35.5" YEAR: 1973 FRAMED: No AUTHENTICITY: This pi...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

Untitled (Orange in a Broken Glass) - Oil Paint - 1985
Untitled (Orange in a Broken Glass) - Oil Paint - 1985

Untitled (Orange in a Broken Glass) - Oil Paint - 1985

Located in Roma, IT

A surreal and imaginative composition featuring a paper boat carrying animals and toy-like figures. Bright colors and playful symbolism evoke childhood wonder, while the reflective s...

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.