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.
$600
Lithograph Belgian American Surrealism WPA Modernist Karl Fortess Surrealist Art
By Karl Fortess
Located in Surfside, FL
Karl Eugene Fortess (1907-1993) Original color lithographs on BFK Rives paper, 1966, Hand signed and numbered 29/36 in pencil, Sheet size 20.5 x 15 inches. Karl E. Fortess (1907-...
Lithograph
$3,072Sale Price|35% 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
$716Sale Price|20% Off
Andre Masson, Untitled, from Albert Camus, oeuvres completes, 1962
By André Masson
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph by Andre Masson (1896–1987), titled Sans titre (Untitled), originates from the 1962 album Albert Camus, oeuvres completes, essais philosophiques, Le mythe d...
Lithograph
$1,036Sale Price|20% Off
Joan Miro, Limestone Fault, from Memories and Portraits of Artists, 1972
By Joan Miró
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph by Joan Miro (1893–1983), titled Faillie du calcaire (Limestone Fault), originates from the 1972 edition published by Editions A. C. Mazo et Cie., Paris, in...
Lithograph
À deux mains
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - À deux mains Etching from 1997. Pour Raymond, cordialement. Dimensions of work: 76.5 x 60 cm. Hand signed. Referece: Alechinsky. 50 ans d'Imprimerie""...
Etching
$1,996Sale Price|20% Off
Salvador Dali, Untitled, from The Three-Cornered Hat, 1958
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite engraving by Salvador Dali (1904–1989), titled Sans titre (Untitled), from the folio Le Tricorne (The Three-Cornered Hat), originates from the 1958 edition published b...
Engraving
$600
Lithograph Belgian American Surrealism WPA Modernist Karl Fortess Surrealist Art
By Karl Fortess
Located in Surfside, FL
Karl Eugene Fortess (1907-1993) Original color lithographs on BFK Rives paper, 1966, Hand signed and numbered 29/36 in pencil, Sheet size 20.5 x 15 inches. Karl E. Fortess (1907-...
Lithograph
$472Sale Price|20% Off
Somewhere in time, Figurative Surrealist print, Portrait, Polish art master
Located in Warsaw, PL
Vibrant giclee limited edition print by worldwidely established Polish artist Rafal Olbinski. Figurative surrealistic print with woman and man on the stairway to her mind. There is w...
Paper, Color
original lithograph
By Joan Miró
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. Catalogue reference: M 236. Printed by Mourlot in 1956 and published in Paris by Maeght for the Jacques Prevert catalogue. Size: 9 x 7 3/4 inches (228 x ...
Lithograph
"Nesting Swan" Contemporary Surrealist, Large scale Watercolor painting
Located in New York, NY
large scale contemporary surrealist watercolor painting depicting a graceful white swan on a green leather armchair, with a stack of books piled high to its side. A silver designer mid-century modern pole...
Watercolor, Archival Paper
Beach Houses - Original Watercolor Abstracted Colorful Red Cityscape
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
$35,000
Marcel Duchamp - Rrose Sélavy in Wilson-Lincoln System Lenticular print Signed/N
Located in New York, NY
Marcel Duchamp and by Takiguchi Rrose Sélavy (Marcel Duchamp) in Wilson-Lincoln System (Schwarz, 344), 1967 Lenticular print on thin white board. Hand signed by Marcel Duchamp. Date,...
Plastic, Mixed Media, Board, Pencil, Lenticular
Stallion. X One of a Kind Framed Abstract Horse, Mixed Media on Paper
By Sia Aryai
Located in Yardley, PA
The history of the horse in China dates back over many centuries. The sixth animal in the Chinese zodiac is the horse. Power, beauty, and freedom symbolize the horse in Chines...
Mixed Media
$1,654Sale Price|24% Off
Antoni Pitxot Mixed Media Abstract Composition Oil and Ink on Board 2003 dali
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
Artist Antoni Pitxot Soler (Figueres, 1934 – 2023) Title Abstract Composition Date 2003 Medium Mixed media on board (oil, ink and linear drawing) Dimensions 19 × 23 cm (7.48 × 9....
Mixed Media
Divine Comedy : The punishment of hypocrites - Etching - 150ex
Located in Paris, IDF
Salvador Dali The punishment of hypocrites (1960) Heliogravure reworked with drypoint Printed signature in the plate On BFK Rives Vellum paper Size 32.8 x 26.4 cm (c. 13 x 10") Ref...
Etching
$956Sale Price|20% Off
Joan Miro, Untitled, from Album 19, 1963
By Joan Miró
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph by Joan Miro (1893–1983), titled Sans titre (Untitled), from the album Joan Miro, Album 19, originates from the 1963 edition published by Sala Gaspar, Barce...
Lithograph
$716Sale Price|20% Off
Joan Miro, Lithograph V, from Lithographs II, 1975
By Joan Miró
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph by Joan Miro (1893–1983), titled Lithograph V, from the album Joan Miro Lithographs, Volume II, originates from the 1975 edition published by Leon Amiel, Ne...
Lithograph
$560Sale Price|20% Off
'Blue Eyes' — Erotic Surrealism
By Hans Bellmer
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Hans Bellmer, 'Blue Eyes', engraving and drypoint, edition 99, 1971. Flahutez 89. Signed and numbered '74/99' in pencil. A fine impression, on Arches cream wove paper; the full sheet...
Engraving, Drypoint
"George Dyer Squatting" lithograph
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: lithograph (after the painting). Printed in 1966 for Derriere le Miroir (issue number 162) and published in Paris by Maeght. This lithograph was done after the Francis Bacon ...
Lithograph
Acrylic Collage Painting, "The Apple does not fall far from the Tree"
By John Baker
Located in Franklin, MA
John Baker’s “The Apple does not fall far from the Tree” is an acrylic painting on canvas with collage 26 x 25 inches in greens, blues, pinks and greys. Whether born alive or from an...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Surreal French Lithograph of a Dental Tool “Circus”
Located in San Francisco, CA
Raise your hand if you love going to the dentist. Well, imagine being one. The hours on your feet, the aroma of your patients’ ailing teeth, their complaints about their wife/kids/mother-in-law/politics—and their unbearable pain, ad infinitum. Oh, and the sameness of the problems you are asked to solve day in and day out in the endless battle against dental decay. Brain cell death could be an occupational hazard. Unless you have imagination. The artist of this wonderfully surreal original lithograph, David Solot...
Lithograph
Le Chien aboyant a la lune, Surrealist Lithograph by Joan Miro
By Joan Miró
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Joan Miro, Spanish (1893 - 1983) Title: Le Chien aboyant a la lune from «Verve», Vol. VII, nn. 27/28 Year: 1952 Medium: Lithograph, signed in the plate Size: 14.5 x 21 in. (3...
Lithograph
Adam, Eve and the Forbidden Fruit - Lithograph by Marc Chagall - 1960
By Marc Chagall
Located in Roma, IT
Color lithograph realized by Marc Chagall in 1960 to illustrate "The Bible". Edition of 6500, published by Tériade in no. 33 and 34 of the Art Magazine Verve. Printed by Mourlot a...
Lithograph
Salvador Dali "Julius Caesar"
Located in Boston, MA
Artist: Dali, Salvador Title: Julius Caesar Series: Much Ado About Shakespeare Date: 1968 Medium: original drypoint engraving on Rives Unframed Dimensions: 17.7" x 12.5" Framed...
Drypoint
$716Sale Price|20% Off
Abraham Rattner, Autumn, from Verve, Revue Artistique et Litteraire, 1938
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph by Abraham Rattner (1895–1978), titled L'automne (Autumn), from Verve, Revue Artistique et Litteraire, Vol. I, No. 3, originates from the 1938 issue publish...
Lithograph
French Contemporary Art By Helen Uter - La Muleta
By Helen Uter
Located in Paris, IDF
Oil on canvas with knife Helen Uter is an established Franco-American painter born in 1955 who lives and works in Donnery, near Orléans, France. Heavily influenced by Edward Hopper...
Canvas, Oil
$1,996Sale Price|20% Off
Salvador Dali, Untitled, from The Three-Cornered Hat, 1958
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite engraving by Salvador Dali (1904–1989), titled Sans titre (Untitled), from the folio Le Tricorne (The Three-Cornered Hat), originates from the 1958 edition published b...
Engraving
Water Track, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
The artwork presents a surreal interpretation of Venice, Italy, blending modern geometric buildings with everyday life along the canal. The perspective guides t...
Oil
Promenade, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Part of his Water City World series, artist Benjamin Xu presents a contemplative exploration of architectural harmony and the quiet flow of passage through a su...
Oil
Swaying, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Artist Benjamin Xu presents a striking, minimalist exploration of architectural form and organic movement. A stark grey building frames a lone, slender tree, cr...
Oil
"Music of wind"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Music of the Wind is a surrealist silk print by Natalia Kolpakova, portraying a wind-warped cityscape where serpents, faces, wings, and swirling forms animate architecture in a dance...
Silk
Ancient Town with Waterway, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
The painting explores a poetic intersection of historical architecture and fluid natural pathways. It reimagines a traditional, winding canal village through a ...
Oil
Shiny Grey, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
The painting presents a geometric view of an ancient coastal town, blending traditional architecture with modernist sensibilities. A large slanting grey wall do...
Oil
Side by Side, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
The painting presents a tightly cropped geometric scene that explores the quiet relationship between architecture and nature. The close-up focus of a wall, tree...
Oil
Henry V from Much Ado About Shakespeare
Located in Columbia, MO
Salvador Dalí (1904–1989) was one of the most recognizable figures of 20th-century art, known for his eccentric persona and for pushing Surrealism into the cultural mainstream. A pai...
Color, Drypoint, Etching
Les Amies - Rare Book by Jean Gabriel Daragnès - 1919
Located in Roma, IT
Edition of 280 copies. Copy on papier d'Arches, including 6 original woodcuts by Daragnès. Hard cover on marble cardboard. Perfect conditions and uncut.
Paper
$2,245
Magritte's original poster for the 1965 Salon de Mai - Musée d'art Moderne Paris
Located in PARIS, FR
Magritte's original poster for the 1965 Salon de Mai is an iconic piece of art that reflects the ingenuity and surrealist aesthetic of renowned Belgian artist René Magritte. Created ...
Paper, Lithograph
Untitled - Lithograph by J. Hérold - 1974
Located in Roma, IT
Original artwork realized by Jacques Hérold in 1974. Colored lithograph. Not signed, as issued. Printed by Mourlot , France. Excellent condition. This lithograph was realized b...
Lithograph
Moses and Aaron - Etching by Marc Chagall - 1956
By Marc Chagall
Located in Roma, IT
Etching on Montval wove paper, realized by Marc Chagall in 1931-39 and published by Tériade in 1956. Belongs to the series "The Bible". Edition of 275+30 out of commerce copies. N...
Etching
"Terres de Grand Feu" original lithograph
By Joan Miró
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. Printed in 1956 for the art revue Derriere le Miroir (issue number 87-88-89) and published in Paris by Maeght. Size: 15 x 21 3/4 inches (380 x 555 mm). T...
Lithograph
Atlantis, Psychedelic Lithograph by Isaac Abrams
Located in Long Island City, NY
Atlantis by Isaac Abrams, American (1939) Date: 1979 Lithograph, Signed and Numbered in Pencil Edition of 250, AP 40 Image Size: 15.5 x 22.5 inches Size: 23 in. x 29 in. (58.42 cm x ...
Lithograph
L'Âge d'Or - Surrealist Lithograph, E.A., Framed, 1950s
Located in Naples, Florida
Color lithograph on paper Artist’s proof (E.A.) Pencil signed (lower right) and numbered E.A. (lower left) In L’Âge d’Or, Dalí reflects on the notion of a...
Paper, Lithograph
Le Lézard aux Plumes d’Or - LIthograph by Joan Mirò - 1971
By Joan Miró
Located in Roma, IT
Le Lézard aux Plumes d'Or is a beautiful colored lithograph on mother-of-pearl Japan paper from the series realized by Joan Miró in 1971. Signed on the lower right corner. Printed by...
Lithograph
Masque De La Mort
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...
Etching, Aquatint
Spring is here. Original floral painting . Small .Square.Acrylic on canvas
Located in Oslo, NO
The painting “Spring is here” depicts a bouquet of crocuses and dark purple violets. The main thing in this picture is not the flowers themselves, but the combination of colors. "Th...
Canvas, Acrylic
$520Sale Price|20% Off
Beauty Will Save the World, limited edition, Surreal, Established Polish artist
Located in Warsaw, PL
Size of sheet is ca. 21 x 29.5 cm (A4) Contemporary figurative giclee print by Polish artist Rafal Olbinski. Print is signed, numbered and has a stamp of an artist's atelier. It com...
Paper, Color
$1,975
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 ...
Paper, Charcoal, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
serigraph
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.
Screen
$1,800
Quiet Strength -21st Century Contemporary Figurative Portrait, Bold Africa Women
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
In a world where voices are loud and expectations scream, she is a gentle breeze on a summer day. Her Afro hair, a crown of resilience, tells stories of ancestors and traditions. As ...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,996Sale Price|20% Off
Salvador Dali, Untitled, from The Three-Cornered Hat, 1958
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite engraving by Salvador Dali (1904–1989), titled Sans titre (Untitled), from the folio Le Tricorne (The Three-Cornered Hat), originates from the 1958 edition published b...
Engraving
Red Hair Girl in Fire - Original handsigned etching - 150ex
By Hans Bellmer
Located in Paris, IDF
Hans BELLMER Red Hair Girl in Fire Original etching Handsigned in pencil Numbered on 150 copies On Arches vellum 65 x 50 cm (c. 26 c 20in) Excellent ...
Etching
$1,036Sale Price|20% Off
Joan Miro, Iran, from Miro as Sculptor, 1974
By Joan Miró
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph by Joan Miro (1893–1983), titled Iran, from Miro escultor (Miro as Sculptor), originates from the 1974 edition published by Art Conseil, Paris, and printed ...
Lithograph
She, 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: Portrait Surrealism, T...
Canvas, Oil
French Surrealist Colorful Futurist Abstract Painting Composition IV
Located in Surfside, FL
actual image measures 7.5X11.25, titled Composition III on French Arches Mould made paper. Georges DUSSAU est né le 14 Mars 1947, à Chalon-sur-Saône (France) Il vit et travaille à ...
Acrylic, Gouache, Handmade Paper
(after) Marino Marini - "Composition" pochoir
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: pochoir (after the lithograph). Printed by the atelier of Daniel Jacomet, and published in Paris in 1955 by Heinz Berggruen. The image measures 5 x 3 1/2 inches (130 x 90 mm)...
Lithograph, Stencil
Homenaje a Boccaccio - Óleo sobre tela - Año 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
Homenaje a Boccaccio - Óleo sobre tela - Año 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
Ma fille! Monsieur Cabanel - Drypoint by Félicien Rops - 1850s
Located in Roma, IT
Etching Héliogravure and drypoint. Signed with artist's monogram. Hand titled. Second state. Good condition. Ref. Rouir 905; Exteens 411.
Drypoint
Salvador Dali "Untitled 20 (Les Songes)"
Located in Boston, MA
Artist: Dali, Salvador Title: Untitled 20 (Les Songes) Series: Les Songes Drolatiques de Pantagruel Date: 1973 Medium: Lithograph with color backgrounds Unframed Dimensions: 25....
Lithograph
Nature Morte
Located in New York, NY
Serge Clement Nature Morte, 1963 Signed lower right Clement 1963 Oil on canvas, still life. (Frame) H 25" x W 28.75" (Sight) H 18" x H 21"
Canvas, Oil