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.
#Misinformation, Contemporary Print on Truth and Media Culture
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Sean Caulfield’s #Misinformation examines the spread and persistence of false information in contemporary culture. Combining relief printmaking with ink...
Inkjet
If Birds Ruled the World, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Artist Edward McHugh’s affinity for nature is evident in this surreal composition centered on a crow. Inspired by growing understanding of the intelligence of...
Acrylic
Faciamus Hominem Lithograph, Surrealist, Signed, 1964, Unframed
Located in Roma, IT
Faciamus Hominem is a Color lithograph on heavy rag paper realized in 1964. It is part of Biblia Sacra vulgatæ edition is published by Rizzoli-Mediolani between 1967 and 1969. Signe...
Lithograph
Porol-Vua, Signed Surrealist Lithograph by Roberto Matta
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Roberto Matta, Chilean (1911 - 2002) Title: Porol-Vua Year: 1978 Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 97/100 Image Size: 20 x 28.5 inches Size: 22 x 29....
Lithograph
The Accordion Player - Etching by Enrico Benaglia - 1980s
Located in Roma, IT
Color lithograph on wove paper realized by Enrico Benaglia in 1980s. Edition of 99. Hand signed and numbered in pencil. This imaginative lithograph by Enrico Benaglia exudes both ...
Etching
#Infodemic, Contemporary Print on Misinformation by Sean Caulfield
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Selected Works Acquired into Public Collections: McMaster Museum of Art Houghton Library, Harvard University, USA. Carleton College, Minnesota, USA. Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, E...
Inkjet
Frutos Prohibidos
Located in Miami, FL
Ramon Alejandro Frutos Prohibidos, 2021 Acrylic on Canvas 24 x 30 in
Canvas, Acrylic
$76Sale Price|20% Off
Max Ernst 'The King Playing with the Queen' 2003- Surrealist - First Edition
By Max Ernst
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This exhibition poster, featuring Max Ernst’s renowned sculpture The King Playing with the Queen, was produced for the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas. Published with the authoriza...
Offset
Atlas - Original etching handsigned and numbered
Located in Paris, IDF
Pierre-Yves Tremois Atlas Original etching, 1970 Handsigned by the artist Numbered / XXIV copies (total edition of 90 + XXIV) Size 57 x 45 cm (c. 22,4 x 17,7 in) Very good condition...
Etching
Papageno original lithograph limited edition painting
By Karl Hodina
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
Papageno original lithograph limited edition painting Original lithograph signed by hand. Perfect state
Lithograph
$567
I need your wings. Symbolic. Restorative. Spiritual. Christian. Angelic. Small.
Located in Oslo, NO
This surrealist painting “I need your wings”portrays a weary woman sitting on the ground with an invisible weight. Her posture expresses exhaustion and surrender, a quiet moment of ...
Canvas, Acrylic
Central Park View - Architectural Color Drenched Watercolor Painting on Paper
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C. Bernhardsson is a colorful artist who lives and paints in Sweden. Most of her works are influenced by the architecture and geometry of houses. Bernhardsson travels the world...
Paper, Watercolor
La Fille au Flambeau Etching, Surrealist, Signed, 1968, Edition 56/95
Located in Roma, IT
Etching and drypoint realized in 1968. Table from the Series "Les Amours de Cassandre", published by Argillet, Paris. Edition of 56/95 on japanese paper, hand colored. Hand signed...
Etching
$2,835Sale Price|40% Off
Battle of Constantine Surrealist Oil Painting, Signed, 20th Century
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
Title: Battle of Constantine Artist: Antoni Pitxot i Soler (1934–2015) Technique: Oil on board Dimensions (unframed): 9 x 12.6 in Dimensions (framed): 17.3 x 20.9 in Signature: Signed in the lower right corner Period: Second half of the 20th century Provenance: Galeria d’Art Àmbit, Barcelona Description Battle of Constantine is a symbolic and fragmented composition that showcases the dreamlike world so characteristic of Antoni Pitxot. Through an array of rock-like, anthropomorphic forms, the artist constructs a mythical and dramatic landscape that suggests an epic confrontation. The vivid pink sky and tactile textures reinforce the visual tension, evoking ruins, bodies, and reliefs that seem to emerge directly from the earth. In this piece, Pitxot applies his meticulous technique and unmistakable visual language, where ambiguity is a tool for the viewer's imagination. The boundary between figure and landscape blurs, creating a poetic vision that feels both ancient and surreal. About the Artist Antoni Pitxot i Soler (1934–2015) was a prominent Catalan painter born in Figueres, Girona, into a family with a long artistic tradition. He spent much of his life in Cadaqués, where he developed a highly personal style centered on compositions of stone-like forms that resemble human and animal figures, blending nature with mythology and memory. Pitxot was a close friend and collaborator of Salvador Dalí. Their artistic connection led to Pitxot playing a key role in the creation of the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres, where he later served as the museum's lifelong director. After Dalí’s death...
Oil, Board
Boys Diving, Signed Surrealist Etching and Aquatint by John Fenton
By John Fenton
Located in Long Island City, NY
John Nathaniel Fenton is a twentieth century American painter, printmaker and painter who studied at the Art Students League, New York, and at Atelier 17, Paris. He also studied unde...
Etching
Les Marionettes I — Erotic Surrealism, Signed etching, 1969
By Hans Bellmer
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Hans Bellmer, Les Marionettes I, etching with hand coloring, 1969, edition 150. Signed and annotated 'HC' in pencil. A fine impression on brown Roma hand-made laid paper; the full sheet with margins (1 to 2 5/8 inches), in excellent condition. Archivally sleeved, unmatted. Image size 11 13/16 x 11 1/8 inches; sheet size 15 5/8 x 13 1/4 inches. A 'Hors Commerce' impression. From a suite of 11 etchings created by Bellmer to illustrate 'On the Marionette Theatre...
Etching
$1,600
"Shared Dreams", Surreal Portrait, Woman, Flowers, Yellow, Purple, Oil Painting
Located in Franklin, MA
Anita Zotkina’s “Shared Dreams” is a 20 x 16 x 0.7 inch surreal oil painting on gallery-wrapped canvas. The work depicts a woman with luminous golden hair and upward-looking eyes, su...
Canvas, Oil
$3,780
La Génisse, la Chèvre et la Brebis en Société...- Etching by Marc Chagall - 1952
By Marc Chagall
Located in Roma, IT
Etching on Montval paper, realized between 1927 and 1930. Table from "Les Fables de La Fontaine", published in 1952 in and edition of 200. Hand signed in pencil. Very good conditi...
Etching
La Valse Hésitation - 20th Century, Surrealist, Lithograph, Figurative Print
Located in Sint-Truiden, BE
Numbered: 138/275 Color lithograph after the 1950 oil on canvas by René Magritte, printed signature of Magritte and numbered from the edition of 275. The lithograph features the dry...
Lithograph
$560Sale Price|20% Off
Untitled (Outsider Art Surrealist Figural Sculpture)
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Rocco Monticolo (b. 1931). Untitled, 2022. Found antique object, wood, paint. Signed on reverse of face. Monticolo was born in Italy in 1931 and came to America in 1946. He joined ...
Steel
Les Songes Drôlatiques de Pantagruel, Original Lithograph, 1973, Signed
Located in OPOLE, PL
Salvador Dali (1904-1989) - Les Songes Drôlatiques de Pantagruel, Planche XX Lithograph from 1973. Edition 10/250 on Japon paper. Dimensions of work: 76 x 56 cm Publisher: Carpen...
Lithograph
The Elders, Signed Surrealist Etching by John Fenton
By John Fenton
Located in Long Island City, NY
John Fenton is an American Surrealist painter who specializes in depictions of groups of people in absurd situations. In this etching "The Elders", three men, one in a crown, pedal t...
Etching
Overall rhythm. Original painting
Located in Zofingen, AG
The work speaks to a state in which the world ceases to be perceived as something frightening or potentially threatening. A sense of connection, curiosity, and playfulness emerges. I...
Canvas, Acrylic
"Go With The Flow" Fantasy and Surreal Oil on Canvas by acclaimed British artist
Located in Southampton, NY
In continuing with representing fine artists that are connected to the music industry we are please to announce that we are the only gallery in the United States representing the wor...
Canvas, Oil
Le cheval de labeur & Le cheval du printemps, Two Signed Lihographs, 1972
Located in OPOLE, PL
Two original lithographs: 1. Salvador Dali (1904-1989) - Le cheval de labeur Lithograph from 1972. The edition of 187/250. Dimensions of work: 68 x 50 cm On B.F.K Rives paper as...
Lithograph
Couple of Birds III (Couple d'Oiseaux III) - Spanish Surrealism
By Joan Miró
Located in London, GB
This original etching and aquatint is hand signed in pencil by the artist "Miró" at the lower right margin. It is also hand numbered 50 in pencil from the edition of 50, at the lower...
Etching, Aquatint, Wove Paper
$450
Flower Pot 8 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Abstract, Still Life, Nature, Floral
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 Aka...
Canvas, Acrylic
La Femme 100 Têtes - Rare Book Illustrated by Max Ernst - 1929
By Max Ernst
Located in Roma, IT
La Femme 100 Têtes is an original modern rare book illustrated by Max Ernst (1891 - 1976) in 1929, and extraordinary first example of conceptual art Original first edition. Publish...
Paper, Mixed Media
$1,247Sale Price|20% Off
“Lavender breeze” landscape, botanical, naive art. sunsets
Located in Oslo, NO
The “Lavender breeze” painting where the sky is awash in soft shades of gold as the sun begins to set on the horizon. The light is warm and gentle, casting a dreamy glow over an endl...
Canvas, Acrylic
Where Is It? l
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
The world that I live in is uncertain, unstable, but I have to keep going and find something that can comfort me. This work is talking about the uncomfortable moment, but hopeful future, at the same time. This piece is made by layering Korean mulberry paper on a wooden panel with homemade flour glue. Then I apply a glue base. Next, I draw my sketch, and trace it on the paper. Then I paint three or four layers of a background color using pigments and glue base. Lastly, I paint the animal subject in fine detail, which takes most of time. The painting is on a cradled wood panel with finished edges. It comes ready to hang.
About the Artist
Heejin has been been drawing for as long as she can remember. She grew up with a serious illness and spent much of her childhood in the hospital. Drawing served as an outlet for her, bringing her peace and distraction. Heejin says there was no doubt as she grew up that she wanted to be an artist. She studied oriental painting extensively as a college student in South Korea and then went on to study art therapy in graduate school.
Where Is It? l
Heejin Sutton...
Mixed Media
$3,650
Shared Identity 1 (A Land Where Miracles Comes in Twos) - 21st Century, Portrait
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
This painting is a heartfelt tribute to my family's rich cultural heritage. I'm proud to hail from Igbo-Ora, Oyo State, Nigeria - famously known as the 'Twin Capital of the World'. W...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,587Sale Price|20% Off
Crying Violin Oil Painting, Surrealist Style, Unframed, 2010+
Located in Oslo, NO
The gallery presents Slovenian artist Natasha Villone a high professional who has been working in the international art market for many years. In 1991 she got a degree in theater de...
Oil
C. Ballester Sueño Original Surrealism Mixed media paper painting
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
Sueño Original Magical Surrealism Mixed media paper painting. virtual frame Cándido Ballester is a contemporary Mallorcan painter who was born in 1926. As a child he had to emigrate...
Mixed Media, Acrylic
Woman with Clown, from: Faust (Walpurgis Night) - Spanish Surrealism
Located in London, GB
This original hand-coloured etching is hand signed in pencil by the artist "Dalí" at the lower right margin. It is also all hand numbered in pencil from the edition of 145, with Roma...
Etching
Unicorn Pigeon - Original contemporary artwork - surrealistic animal painting
By JJ Galloway
Located in London, Chelsea
We offer complimentary worldwide shipping and cover all tariffs and import taxes for this artwork. This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet C...
Canvas, Oil
$3,600
A Vibrant, Surrealist 1942 Modern Painting, "Classics Aloft" by Hananiah Harari
Located in Chicago, IL
A vibrant, whimsical Surrealist Modern painting, "Classics Aloft" by Notable New York Avant Garde artist, Hannah Harari (Am. 1912-2000). Oil on canvas, dating 1942. Artwork size: ...
Canvas, Oil
Art Brut figurative abstract Philadelphia Artist
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Jesse Soifer (1932-2013). Untitled #03, 1964. Ink on paper, sheet measures 12 x 14 inches. Unsigned. Estate stamp on verso sheet with assignation number. Early Life and Recognit...
Paper, Ink
Homage to Boccaccio Surrealist Oil Painting, Framed, 1975
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
La obra va firmada en la parte inferior (Mario Bedini) En la parte trasera se adjunta etiqueta con el registro de la obra Se presenta enmarcada la pintura El estado de la obra es ...
Oil
$2,796Sale Price|20% Off
Leonor Fini, Untitled, from Parallel, 1969
By Leonor Fini
Located in Fairfield, CT
This exquisite lithograph by Leonor Fini (1907–1996), titled Sans titre (Untitled), from the folio Parallelement (Parallel), Paul Verlaine, illustre de lithographies originales de Le...
Lithograph
$460Sale Price|20% Off
Fashionable Faces, Surrealist Figurative Line Drawing
Located in Soquel, CA
Fun and playful figurative line drawing with three stylized female faces by SusanBrooks (American, b. 1951), 1985. Signed and dated in the lowe...
Paper, Pencil
$590
Dali, Power of Imagination - Original Silver Print Photograph, Signed & numbered
By Marc Lacroix
Located in Paris, IDF
Marc LACROIX (1927-2007) Dali, Power of Imagination, 1971 Original silver print photograph Signed in ink Numbered on 99 copies On silver print paper 57 x 47 cm (c. 22.4 x 18.5 inch)...
Silver Gelatin
A Sunflower in the City - Original Abstract Architectural Watercolor Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C. Bernhardsson is a colorful artist who lives and paints in Sweden. Most of her works are influenced by the architecture and geometry of houses. Bernhardsson travels the world...
Paper, Mixed Media
Desert Dreams, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Beyond the trickster of legend, this young coyote embodies curiosity and wonder. Placing the animal in a bright, abstracted environment elicits a dreamlike qual...
Oil
Les Songes Drôlatiques de Pantagruel, Original Lithograph, 1973, Signed
Located in OPOLE, PL
Salvador Dali (1904-1989) - Les Songes Drôlatiques de Pantagruel, Planche IV Lithograph from 1973. Edition 10/250 on Japon paper. Dimensions of work: 76 x 56 cm Publisher: Carpen...
Lithograph
Memento Mori - Critical Masses
Located in Burlingame, CA
Artist's statement: In my series Critical Masses, I explore the relationship between our species and various small marine creatures to illustrate in symbolic form various narrative...
Canvas, Oil
Hollywood Boulevard - Architectural Colorful Mixed Media Landscape Artwork
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C. Bernhardsson is a colorful artist who lives and paints in Sweden. Most of her works are influenced by the architecture and geometry of houses. Bernhardsson travels the world...
Paper, Mixed Media
$1,280Sale Price|20% Off
"Stray Cat", Surreal, Tree, Night Sky, Blue, Purple, Orange, Oil Painting
Located in Franklin, MA
Anita Zotkina’s “Stray Cat” is a 20 x 16 x 0.7 inch original oil painting on gallery-wrapped canvas. The artwork depicts a glowing cat stretched across a tree branch, bathed in the q...
Canvas, Oil
$1,850
"Pygmalion and Galatea 2" Photograph 31 x 31 in Ltd. Ed. of 7 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Pygmalion and Galatea 2" Photograph 31 x 31 in Ltd. Ed. of 7 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA issued by the a...
Photographic Paper
$1,850
"Euphoria" Black & White Photograph 31" x 31" in Ltd. Ed. 1/15 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Euphoria" Black & White Photograph 31" x 31" in Ltd. Ed. 1/15 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA issues by the ...
Photographic Paper
The Good Dog, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Artist Edward McHugh's affinity for animals shapes this playful composition. A well-behaved dog wearing a crown remains still, even as a nearby door stands slig...
Acrylic
Between the Sun and the Moon
Located in Zofingen, AG
The painting «Between the Sun and the Moon» is a large-scale work created in the style of abstract surrealism. It fills the space with a rich interplay of vivid and pastel colors, fo...
Canvas, Acrylic
Pilgrimage #4, Surrealist Screenprint by Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Clarence Holbrook Carter, American (1904 - 2000) Title: Pilgrimage #4 Year: 1977 Medium: Screenprint, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 200, 30 AP Size: 26 in. x 34 in. ...
Screen
Salvador Dali etching, signed with monogram, Frere Ogrin l’ermite
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Salvador Dalí (Spanish, 1904–1989) Frère Ogrin l’ermite (Brother Ogrin the Hermit) Drypoint etching in colour From the 1970 Tristan and Iseult series, British book edition, printed o...
Etching
Le Feu Vert
By Wifredo Lam
Located in Hollywood, FL
Artist: Wifredo Lam Title: Le Feu Vert Medium: Lithograph Signed: Hand Signed by Wifredo Lam Edition: 82/100 Measurements: Paper: 27.5" x 19.86" Frame: 29" x 27" Publisher: Poli...
Lithograph
Israeli Kibbutz Artist Judaica Shul Torah Ark Surrealist Gouache Painting
By Leo Roth
Located in Surfside, FL
Leo Roth (1914–2002), also known as Lior Roth, was an Israeli painter, born in 1914 in Austria-Hungary. (later Poland) In 1920, Roth moved to Germany and, in 1933, immigrated to Pal...
Paper, Gouache
Art Brut Surrealist figurative abstract Philadelphia Artist
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Jesse Soifer (1932-2013). Untitled #06, 1969. Ink on paper, sheet measures 12 x 18 inches. Unsigned. Estate stamp on verso sheet with assignation number. Early Life and Recognit...
Paper, Ink
Art Brut figurative abstract Philadelphia Artist
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Jesse Soifer (1932-2013). Untitled #07, 1964. Ink on paper, sheet measures 12 x 14 inches. Dated and signed with artist monogram. Estate stamp on verso sheet with assignation numb...
Paper, Ink
Surrealist Large Painting Royal College of Art LGBTQ+ Female Goddess Vulvas
By Isabel Rock
Located in Norfolk, GB
Isabel Rock is a creator of contemporary fairy tales. A graduate of the Royal College of Art in London, her work is an explosion of strange occurrences while a surreal narrative take...
Paint, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Archival Paper, Pen
In The Blooming Season I - Framed Botanical Flowers Still Life Acrylic Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The figurative surrealistic paintings of Carlos Gamez de Francisco are heavily influenced by his Cuban upbringing in a Russian-governed academic setting. This presence exposed Franci...
Canvas, Acrylic
La Maison Rouge - Abstract Warm Tone Color Drenched Landscape Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C Bernhardsson's original artworks are influenced by the architecture and geometry of houses. Born in Sweden, Bernhardsson travels the world photographing and sketching houses ...
Canvas, Mixed Media