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Surrealist Art

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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
Tramp (pet dog, beagle, troubadour guitare, animal portrait, surrealist painting
Tramp (pet dog, beagle, troubadour guitare, animal portrait, surrealist painting

Tramp (pet dog, beagle, troubadour guitare, animal portrait, surrealist painting

By Rudolf Kosow

Located in Quebec, Quebec

"Tramp," by Rudolf Kosow, is a whimsical painting that delights in its surreal juxtaposition of scale and serenity. At the center is a beagle's face, depicted with lifelike detail and expressiveness, eyes glistening with a calm intelligence that beckons the viewer into a state of contemplation. Positioned against the backdrop of the dog's vast visage, a small, solitary figure strums a guitar. The musician, dressed in casual attire, appears as a wandering troubadour, his music resonating with the quietude of the scene. This miniature man, though diminutive in size, plays a significant role in the narrative, providing a sense of companionship and shared experience. The painting's title, "Tramp," suggests a free spirit, both in the itinerant musician and the beagle, known for its adventurous and exploratory nature. Kosow's piece is an ode to the wandering souls and the moments of unexpected harmony they encounter. Through "Tramp," we are reminded of the melodies that score our journeys and the silent kinship we find along the way. It is an invitation to embrace the music of life, to find connection in the tranquility of existence, and to acknowledge the symphonies that unfold in the presence of kindred spirits, regardless of their size or form. keywords; painting on canvas, surrealist painting, animal vs human, americana, nature, man, man vs nature, surrealism, giant animal...

Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Opera"
"Opera"

"Opera"

By Natalia Kolpakova 1

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Opera is a fantastical silk print by Natalia Kolpakova, featuring a regal Saint Bernard and fox in Chinese opera garb amid pagodas, optical illusions, and celestial motifs on vibrant...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Silk, Mixed Media, Digital

Les Chiens Ont Soif VII, Surrealist Lithograph by Max Ernst
Les Chiens Ont Soif VII, Surrealist Lithograph by Max Ernst

Les Chiens Ont Soif VII, Surrealist Lithograph by Max Ernst

By Max Ernst

Located in Long Island City, NY

Max Ernst, German (1891 - 1976) - Les Chiens Ont Soif VII, Portfolio: Les Chiens Ont Soif, Year: 1964, Medium: Lithograph, Edition: 165/320, Size: 17 x 24.5 in. (43.18 x 62.23 c...

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

original lithograph

original lithograph

By Jorge Camacho

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

Faust Chevalier a Genou
Faust Chevalier a Genou

Faust Chevalier a Genou

By Salvador Dalí­

Located in Hollywood, FL

ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Faust Chevalier a Genou MEDIUM: Etching SIGNED: Hand Signed EDITION NUMBER: 9/95 MEASUREMENTS: 15.3" x 11.4" YEAR: 1969 FRAMED: No CONDITION: Ex...

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

Woman Standing, Surrealist Woodcut by Ponce
Woman Standing, Surrealist Woodcut by Ponce

Woman Standing, Surrealist Woodcut by Ponce

Located in Long Island City, NY

Ponce - Woman Standing, Year: 1981, Medium: Woodcut on Arches, signed, numbered and dated in pencil, Edition: 1/15, Image Size: 11.25 x 7 inches, Size: 15 x 11 in. (38.1 x 27.94...

Category

1980s Surrealist Art

Materials

Woodcut

1970’s French Surrealist Signed Oil Painting Abstract Cubist Shapes Patterns
1970’s French Surrealist Signed Oil Painting Abstract Cubist Shapes Patterns

1970’s French Surrealist Signed Oil Painting Abstract Cubist Shapes Patterns

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Tristan Fabris 1970's, French Surrealist artist Abstract Surrealist Figurative study signed & dated oil on canvas, unframed inscribed verso canvas: 32 x 25.5 inches private collectio...

Category

Late 20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Les Songes Drolatiques de Pantagruel
Les Songes Drolatiques de Pantagruel

Les Songes Drolatiques de Pantagruel

By Salvador Dalí­

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist: Salvador Dali (Spanish surrealist, 1904-1989) Title: Les Songes Drolatiques De Pantagruel Year: 1973 Medium: Lithograph Edition: Inscribed E.A (Epreuve d' Artiste) i...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Spirit of 76

Spirit of 76

By Martha Hamlin Visser't Hooft

Located in Buffalo, NY

A whimsical gouache painting by American female surrealist Martha Visser't Hooft depicting a butterfly in a patriotic color scheme. Martha Visser't Hooft was born in Buffalo in 19...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Gouache

Algun Dia - figurative painting, landscape painting
Algun Dia - figurative painting, landscape painting

Algun Dia - figurative painting, landscape painting

By Mauricio Vergara

Located in New York, NY

This beautiful surrealist painting by Mauricio comes rolled in a tube and needs to be stretched when received. In his pieces, Mauricio combines his figurative expertise along with su...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

And a good handsome shape it is.

And a good handsome shape it is.

By Maggie Taylor

Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA

In 1981 Maggie Taylor (b. 1961) began to photograph while she was a student at Yale University majoring in philosophy. She primarily took photographs of suburban landscapes and stran...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Digital Pigment

Lithographs II (1046), Surrealist Lithography by Joan Miro

Lithographs II (1046), 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

Fantomes Le Soupirant
Fantomes Le Soupirant

Fantomes Le Soupirant

By Salvador Dalí­

Located in Hollywood, FL

ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Fantoms Le Soupirant MEDIUM: Etching SIGNED: Hand Signed PUBLISHER: Editions Argillet, Paris EDITION NUMBER: 51/100 MEASUREMENTS: 14.9" x 11" YEA...

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

"Studio Gothic" (2025) Oil Painting on Panel
"Studio Gothic" (2025) Oil Painting on Panel

"Studio Gothic" (2025) Oil Painting on Panel

By Heather Neill

Located in Denver, CO

This incredible photorealist oil painting by renowned American painter Heather Neill is framed at 33 x 21 inches, and is ready to hang. Artist Autobiography: Born in Honolulu, Hawai...

Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

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

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

Dancing Lovers
Dancing Lovers

Dancing Lovers

Located in Zofingen, AG

In this oil painting, I've blended abstract, figurative, and surreal elements to capture the fluid motion and raw emotion of an intimate dance. The intertwining forms, awash in shade...

Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

"Hombre contemplando la luna" original etching
"Hombre contemplando la luna" original etching

"Hombre contemplando la luna" original etching

By Rufino Tamayo

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: original etching and aquatint. Printed in 1947 on Velin de Hollande paper and published in New York by the Quadrangle Press as the frontispiece of the deluxe edition of Rober...

Category

1940s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

"L'été"

"L'été"

By Joan Miró

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: lithograph and pochoir. Catalogue reference: Dupin 1310, Benhoura 396. This lithograph was printed in 1938 at the atelier Mourlot and published in Paris by Teriade for the ar...

Category

1930s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Musicians. By Constantin Selihanov. Bronze.
Musicians. By Constantin Selihanov. Bronze.

Musicians. By Constantin Selihanov. Bronze.

Located in Riga, LV

Konstantin Vladimirovich Selikhanov (born June 18, 1967, Minsk) is a Belarusian sculptor, artist, and graphic artist, the grandson of sculptor S. I. Selikhanov. The alley leading to ...

Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Art

Materials

Bronze

Joan Miro, Overweavings, from Derriere le Miroir, 1973
Joan Miro, Overweavings, from Derriere le Miroir, 1973

Joan Miro, Overweavings, from Derriere le Miroir, 1973

By Joan Miró

Located in Fairfield, CT

Artist: Joan Miro (1893–1983) Title: Overweavings (Sobreteixims) Year: April 1973 Medium: Lithograph on velin paper Paper Size: 15 x 11 inches (38.1 x 27.94 cm) Condition: Well preserved, consistent with age and medium Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued Publisher: Maeght Editeur, Paris Printer: Imprimerie Arte, Paris Catalogue raisonne reference: Miro, Joan, et al. Joan Miro Lithographe. Maeght, 1972–1992, illustration 889-891; Cramer, Patrick. Joan Miro: The Illustrated Books: Catalogue Raisonne. Patrick Cramer, 1989, illustration 167 Notes: This exquisite lithograph by Joan Miro (1893–1983), titled Sobreteixims (Overweavings), originates from the April 1973 folio Derriere le Miroir, No. 203, published by Maeght Editeur, Paris, under the direction of Aime Maeght, and printed by Imprimerie Arte, Paris, 1973. The composition reflects Miro’s late exploration of materiality, sign, and gesture, where dense textures and symbolic forms converge into a powerful synthesis of abstraction, surface, and poetic invention. Derriere le Miroir (translated as "Behind the Mirror") was an iconic French art periodical published from 1946 to 1982 by Maeght Editeur, one of the most influential art publishers of the twentieth century. Founded by Aime Maeght in Paris, the publication was conceived as a visual and literary collaboration between leading modern artists, poets, and critics. Each issue functioned simultaneously as an exhibition catalogue and as an autonomous work of art, featuring original lithographs printed directly from the artists stones or plates alongside essays, poems, and critical texts. Over more than three decades, Derriere le Miroir produced over 250 issues and presented an extraordinary range of artists including Henri Matisse, Marc Chagall, Georges Braque, Alexander Calder, Fernand Leger, Pierre Bonnard, Alberto Giacometti, Eduardo Chillida, Ellsworth Kelly, Francis Bacon, Antoni Tapies, Pierre Alechinsky, Pol Bury, Bram van Velde, and many others. Printed by master ateliers such as Mourlot and Arte, the series established new standards of excellence in modern lithography and graphic design. Closely linked to exhibitions at Galerie Maeght, each issue served as a lasting document of postwar modernism, uniting image, text, and philosophy into a uniquely influential publication that remains among the most important and collectible achievements in twentieth century art publishing. JOAN MIRO (1893–1983) was a Catalan painter, sculptor, printmaker, and ceramicist whose visionary imagination and lyrical abstraction made him one of the most influential and beloved artists of the twentieth century. Born in Barcelona, Miro drew inspiration from Catalan folk art, Romanesque frescoes, and the luminous landscapes of Mont-roig del Camp, developing a deep connection to nature that infused his work with vitality and symbolism. After formal training at the Escola d'Art in Barcelona, he absorbed the lessons of Post-Impressionism and Cubism before moving to Paris in the early 1920s, where he became a leading figure in the Surrealist movement. There, Miro forged a personal visual language of biomorphic shapes, floating symbols, and radiant color harmonies that reflected both spontaneity and spiritual depth. In creative dialogue with peers such as Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Salvador Dali, Wassily Kandinsky, Marcel Duchamp, and Man Ray, he helped revolutionize modern art by dissolving the boundaries between abstraction and dream imagery. Miro's inventive approach extended far beyond painting, embracing sculpture, ceramics, and monumental public commissions that redefined how art could interact with space and emotion. His expressive freedom and gestural abstraction profoundly influenced later artists including Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Alexander Calder, Jean Dubuffet, Antoni Tapies, and Joan Mitchell, inspiring generations who sought to merge instinct, color, and imagination. Today, Miro's work remains a cornerstone of modernism, prized by collectors and celebrated in major museums worldwide. His highest auction record was achieved by Peinture (Etoile Bleue) (1927), which sold for approximately 37 million USD at Sothebys London on June 19, 2012. Joan Miro Sobreteixims...

Category

1970s 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.