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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
Papageno   original lithograph limited edition painting
Papageno   original lithograph limited edition painting

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

Category

20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Nile Jade Harp 1998 Signed Lithograph on Arches Paper Mourlot Paris
Nile Jade Harp 1998 Signed Lithograph on Arches Paper Mourlot Paris

Nile Jade Harp 1998 Signed Lithograph on Arches Paper Mourlot Paris

Located in Rochester Hills, MI

Artist : Nile Jade Title: HARP Year: 1998 Lithograph on Arches Archival Paper Paper Size 29" x 35" inches Signed in pencil and marked 100/299 Printed by Mourlot Paris Nile Jade was...

Category

1990s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Masque De La Mort
Masque De La Mort

Masque De La Mort

By Salvador Dalí­

Located in Miami, FL

TECHNICAL INFORMATION: Salvador Dali Masque De La Mort 1975 Etching Aquatint 26 x 19 3/4 in. Edition of 240 Pencil signed and numbered; certified authentic by Frank Hunter of the Sa...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Aquatint, Etching

Femmes poules (Hen Women)
Femmes poules (Hen Women)

Femmes poules (Hen Women)

By Salvador Dalí­

Located in OPOLE, PL

Salvador Dali (1904-1989) - Femmes poules (Hen Women) Drypoint etching with roulette from 1969. The edition 62/145. Dimensions of work: 38 x 28 cm. Hand signed. Publisher: Pierr...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Drypoint, Etching

New York City Plaza (Plaza Fountain)
New York City Plaza (Plaza Fountain)

New York City Plaza (Plaza Fountain)

By Salvador Dalí­

Located in Hollywood, FL

ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: New York City Plaza (Plaza Fountain) MEDIUM: Etching SIGNED: Hand Signed EDITION NUMBER: 101/125 MEASUREMENTS: 30" x 22" YEAR: 1964 FRAMED: No C...

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

"Faded Jeans + Stuff" - Surrealist Colored Etching #10/20, 1976
"Faded Jeans + Stuff" - Surrealist Colored Etching #10/20, 1976

"Faded Jeans + Stuff" - Surrealist Colored Etching #10/20, 1976

Located in Soquel, CA

"Faded Jeans + Stuff" - Surrealist Colored Etching #10/20, 1976 Surrealist landscape with creatures by James C. Crabb (American, b. 1947). There is a low horizon, with objects that ...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Laid Paper, Pigment, Lithograph

"Mirrors" Black & White Nude Photography 31" x 31" in Ed. 1/7 by Olha Stepanian

"Mirrors" Black & White Nude Photography 31" x 31" in Ed. 1/7 by Olha Stepanian

By Olha Stepanian

Located in Culver City, CA

"Mirrors" Black & White Nude Photography 31" x 31" in Ed. 1/7 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA issued by th...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Photographic Paper

The Old Town - Original Vibrant Abstract Neighborhood Landscape Collage Artwork
The Old Town - Original Vibrant Abstract Neighborhood Landscape Collage Artwork

The Old Town - Original Vibrant Abstract Neighborhood Landscape Collage Artwork

By Maria C. Bernhardsson

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...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Mixed Media

Magritte Portfolio V 20 lithographs- 20th Century, Surrealist, Figurative Print
Magritte Portfolio V 20 lithographs- 20th Century, Surrealist, Figurative Print

Magritte Portfolio V 20 lithographs- 20th Century, Surrealist, Figurative Print

By (after) René Magritte

Located in Sint-Truiden, BE

Complete set of 20 color lithographs in a beautiful burgundy board with ties, plate-signed by Magritte and numbered from the edition of 275. The lithograph features the dry stamps of the Magritte Foundation & ADAGP and is countersigned in pencil by Mr. Charly Herscovici, President of the Magritte Foundation, Chairman of the Magritte Museum and unique representative of the Magritte Succession. A proof of edition is printed on the back of the lithograph, guaranteeing its authenticity. Magritte was a Belgian surrealist artist whose witty and thought-provoking images challenged observers? preconditioned perceptions of reality. Magritte's work frequently displays a juxtaposition of ordinary objects in an unusual context, giving new meanings to familiar things.Magritte grew up in a simple and somewhat tragic household. His father was a modest tailor. His mother, who was mentally unsound, committed suicide in the year 1912. Magritte started drawing at a young age, and his first paintings, produced c. 1915, were Impressionistic in style.Magritte first worked as a draughtsman in a wallpaper factory and, in the year 1922, fell in love with and married Georgette Berger. In 1926, Magritte signed...

Category

20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Surrealist Landscape with Feathered Object in Acrylic, Paper, and Gold Leaf
Surrealist Landscape with Feathered Object in Acrylic, Paper, and Gold Leaf

Surrealist Landscape with Feathered Object in Acrylic, Paper, and Gold Leaf

Located in Soquel, CA

Surrealist Landscape with Feathered Object in Acrylic, Paper, and Gold Leaf Vibrant and colorful surrealist landscape by Oregon artist Hugh Webb (American, b. 1940). The main subject of this piece is a large Y-shaped object that appears to be covered in feathers created out of small ovals of paper. The landscape is comprised of a striped ground, with wispy blue tree-like object emerging from holes in the ground. Squares of pastel blue, teal, and pink float throughout the scene. The background is made of layers of distressed gold leaf. Unsigned, but was acquired from a collection of the artist's work. Board size: 24"H x 32"W Hugh Webb (American, b. 1940) earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Utah and a Master of Fine Arts degree (1969) from the University of Oregon. Webb studied with Demetrios Jameson, Mark Sponenburgh, Gordon Gilkey, and John Rock...

Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Gold Leaf

1966 Exhibition Poster Philadelphia
1966 Exhibition Poster Philadelphia

1966 Exhibition Poster Philadelphia

By (after) Joan Miró

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

An original lithograph exhibition poster by Spanish artist Joan Miro (1893-1983) titled "Graphics: Philadelphia Museum of Art", 1966. Printed by Arte Adrien Maeght in Paris France an...

Category

Mid-20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Il Porto, 2001-02
Il Porto, 2001-02

Il Porto, 2001-02

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

serigraph

serigraph

By Edward McKnight Kauffer

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: serigraph. Printed in 1936 and published in Paris by Arts et Métiers Graphiques. Image size: 7 1/2 x 6 inches (188 x 150 mm). Signed in the plate, not hand-signed.

Category

1930s Surrealist Art

Materials

Screen

Beyond Reach
Beyond Reach

Beyond Reach

Located in Zofingen, AG

Beyond Reach From the series «1000 and 1 Night» In this work, love unfolds as a form of invisible closeness — a presence without touch. The space between two people is not empty; ...

Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Mayor Portrait Surrealism Original oil Painting
Mayor Portrait Surrealism Original oil Painting

Mayor Portrait Surrealism Original oil Painting

By Ashot Yan

Located in Granada Hills, CA

Portrait Figurative Surrealism Original Painting Artist: Ashot Yan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2023 Style: Portrait Surre...

Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Birds of a Feather, Original Painting
Birds of a Feather, Original Painting

Birds of a Feather, Original Painting

By Marie-Eve Champagne

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Artist Marie-Eve Champagne combines collage and surrealist techniques in this piece, using carefully curated imagery to invite reflection on our constructed nar...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Acrylic

original lithograph

original lithograph

By Graham Sutherland

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: original lithograph. Printed in 1979 and published in Barcelona by La Poligrafa in an edition of 1000. Size: 10 x 7 1/2 inches (255 x 188 mm). Not signed.

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

"Femme et Oiseaux dans la Nuit" original pochoir
"Femme et Oiseaux dans la Nuit" original pochoir

"Femme et Oiseaux dans la Nuit" original pochoir

By Joan Miró

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: original pochoir stencil print in four colors. Catalogue reference: Dupin 50. Printed in 1947 in an edition of 1500 by Meriden Gravure and published by Curt Valentin for the ...

Category

1940s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph, Stencil

A Large, Bold and Intimate Mid-century Painting by Larsen
A Large, Bold and Intimate Mid-century Painting by Larsen

A Large, Bold and Intimate Mid-century Painting by Larsen

Located in San Francisco, CA

On offer is a large, framed original acrylic painting by Larsen. Highly stylized and even surreal, this mid-century work jumps out with bold colors and exaggerated forms, depicting a...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Avant Garde Surrealist Abstract Female Nude Signed Limited Edition Lithograph
Avant Garde Surrealist Abstract Female Nude Signed Limited Edition Lithograph

Avant Garde Surrealist Abstract Female Nude Signed Limited Edition Lithograph

By Wilhelm Freddie

Located in Cotignac, FR

Avant-garde female nude lithograph on paper by Danish artist Wilhelm Freddie. Number 80 from an edition of 170. Signed, dated and titled in pencil bottom left, numbered in pencil bot...

Category

Late 20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Lithograph

The Joko Portrait Surrealism Original oil Painting
The Joko Portrait Surrealism Original oil Painting

The Joko Portrait Surrealism Original oil Painting

By Ashot Yan

Located in Granada Hills, CA

Portrait Surrealism Original Painting Artist: Ashot Yan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2023 Style: Portrait Surrealism, Tit...

Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Path in Central Park. Negative Color

Path in Central Park. Negative Color

By Mitchell Funk

Located in Miami, FL

Mitchell Funk is a pioneer of more the 10 different styles of Color Photography. This very early experimentation with negative color combined with colored filters yields a romantica...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Photographic Paper

Composition, Variations sur l'imaginaire, Félix Labisse
Composition, Variations sur l'imaginaire, Félix Labisse

Composition, Variations sur l'imaginaire, Félix Labisse

By Felix Labisse

Located in Southampton, NY

Lithograph on vélin de Rives paper. Inscription: hand signed and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition. Notes: From the folio, Variations sur l'imaginaire, 1972. Published by Philipp...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Three Stories, Portrait Surrealism Original oil Painting
Three Stories, Portrait Surrealism Original oil Painting

Three Stories, Portrait Surrealism Original oil Painting

By Ashot Yan

Located in Granada Hills, CA

Figurative Surrealism Original Painting Artist: Ashot Yan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2023 Style: Figurative Surrealism, ...

Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Surrealist Painting on Paper, 'Godot', Artefacts of Civilisations Lost
Surrealist Painting on Paper, 'Godot', Artefacts of Civilisations Lost

Surrealist Painting on Paper, 'Godot', Artefacts of Civilisations Lost

Located in Cotignac, FR

A late 20th century watercolour, gouache and acrylic on paper by British artist Derek Carruthers. Signed to the bottom right and dated 1985 and titled, 'Godot' to the reverse. A charming and slightly satirical painting of thousand year old figures which have been humanised. The Egyptian basalt figures are looking around the space clearly waiting for something or someone (hence the title taken from the play, 'Waiting for Godot' in which someone is expected to arrive but never does). The African tribal figures...

Category

Late 20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Acrylic, Watercolor, Gouache

Pink Composition - Lithograph by Max Ernst - 1974

Pink Composition - Lithograph by Max Ernst - 1974

By Max Ernst

Located in Roma, IT

Color lithograph realized by Max Ernst in 1974. Not signed. as issued. Printed by  Atelier Pierre Chave in Vence, France. Excellent condition.  This lithograph was realized  by th...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

"Pablo picasso caravel"
"Pablo picasso caravel"

"Pablo picasso caravel"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

In the process of creating this work, my brushes, working with acrylic paints, wove a surreal odyssey. A vibrant journey unfolds, metaphysical in nature and rich in symbolism, where...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Surrealist Pipe Smoker - Original Oil on Canvas, SIGNED
Surrealist Pipe Smoker - Original Oil on Canvas, SIGNED

Surrealist Pipe Smoker - Original Oil on Canvas, SIGNED

Located in Paris, IDF

Antonio GUANSE (1926-2008) Pipe Smoker, 1977 Oil on canvas Signed and dated Countersigned and dated on the back On canvas 61 x 50 cm Presented with the wooden frame 62.5 x 51 cm Ve...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

LOVE AT FIRST PIPE

LOVE AT FIRST PIPE

By Yuri Martinez Ramos

Located in Los Angeles, CA

YURI MARTINEZ RAMOS "LOVE FIRST PIPE" OIL ON CANVAS, SIGNED CUBAN-AMERICAN, C.2006 20 X 16 INCHES Yuri Martinez Ramos was born in Havana, Cuba on November 24, 1964. He studied at the Elemental School of Plastic Arts from 1975 – 1979 and the National School of the Arts from 1979 – 1983. Martinez’ figurative paintings have been compared to Botero because of his satirical social commentary. His style, however, is uniquely his own with typically vibrant Latin colors and use of expressive magical realism. His paintings tell his story and the story of the Cuban dilemma. Martinez was granted permission by the US Justice Department after much effort with Cuban authorities to come to the US with his family and pursue his career outside Cuba. He now lives and works in Texas. Papillon Gallery...

Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Joan Miro, Untitled, from Miro, Recent Unpublished Work, 1964
Joan Miro, Untitled, from Miro, Recent Unpublished Work, 1964

Joan Miro, Untitled, from Miro, Recent Unpublished Work, 1964

By Joan Miró

Located in Southampton, NY

This exquisite lithograph by Joan Miro (1893–1983), titled Sans titre (Untitled), from the album Miro, Obra Inedita Recent (Miro, Recent Unpublished Work), originates from the 1964 e...

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Joan Miro, Untitled, from Miro, Recent Unpublished Work, 1964
Joan Miro, Untitled, from Miro, Recent Unpublished Work, 1964

Joan Miro, Untitled, from Miro, Recent Unpublished Work, 1964

By Joan Miró

Located in Southampton, NY

This exquisite lithograph by Joan Miro (1893–1983), titled Sans titre (Untitled), from the album Miro, Obra Inedita Recent (Miro, Recent Unpublished Work), originates from the 1964 e...

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Joan Miro, Untitled, from Miro, Recent Unpublished Work, 1964
Joan Miro, Untitled, from Miro, Recent Unpublished Work, 1964

Joan Miro, Untitled, from Miro, Recent Unpublished Work, 1964

By Joan Miró

Located in Southampton, NY

This exquisite lithograph by Joan Miro (1893–1983), titled Sans titre (Untitled), from the album Miro, Obra Inedita Recent (Miro, Recent Unpublished Work), originates from the 1964 e...

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.