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.
Noah's ark. By Sergej Malishevsky. 2004. Oil on canvas. 70/85 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Sergei Malishevsky (1956–2020) was a Belarusian painter renowned for his distinctive surrealist style and vivid artistic voice. He was in Moscow to Algirdas Malishevsky, the eminent ...
Canvas, Oil
La Fille de Minos Woodcut Print, Surrealist, Signed, 1978 Edition
Located in Roma, IT
La Fille de Minos (The Daughter of Minos) is a woodcut print on Arches Paper realized in 1978 to illustrated "L'Art d'Aimer" (The Art of Love) by Ovid. Hand signed and numbered in ...
Woodcut
$2,250
El Siglo de Pericles, Hand Signed Serigraph, Custom Framed, Edition 5/42
Located in Aventura, FL
Serigraph in colors on paper. Hand signed lower right by Pedro Friedberg. Hand numbered 5/42 lower left. Framed as pictured in the signature Friedeberg striped gold leaf frame. S...
Paper, Screen
"Disappearing" Photography 31" x 31" in Edition 1/7 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Disappearing" Photography 31" x 31" in Edition 1/7 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA issues by the artist Not ...
Photographic Paper
Lono's Fighting Chair
Located in Hollywood, FL
Artist: Ralph Steadman Title: Lono's Fighting Chair Medium: One color silkscreen on White Rising Stonehenge Deckle Edge Paper Size: 22 x 30 Inches Edition: of 250 Year: 2006 Notes: ...
Screen
Algun Dia - figurative painting, landscape painting
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...
Canvas, Oil
$1,856Sale Price|20% Off
Surrealist Female Nude with Cosmic Orbs and Biomorphic Landscape oil canvas art
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
Surrealist Female Nude with Cosmic Orbs and Biomorphic Landscape Artist: Ángel Preciados Vega Title: Surrealist Nude Vision with Cosmic Orbs, Spanish Oil Painting, 1987 Date: 1987 M...
Oil
$1,180Sale Price|50% Off
Ciudad de Medio Millon y 25 Huevos Duros Giclée Print, Surrealist Art
Located in Cuauhtemoc, Ciudad de México
-Pedro Friedeberg signed print featuring a fantastical surrealistic scene. Includes whimsical figures, optical art elements, and surreal details. framed in a hand-painted black and g...
Giclée
Amen - Lithograph - 1965
Located in Roma, IT
Amen - From "Pater Noster" is an original lithograph by Salvador Dalí, from the volume "Pater Noster" published by Rizzoli Editore, Milan, 1966. This beautiful and peaceful print re...
Lithograph
$98Sale Price|34% Off
Untitled III (Jörg Remé, Jörg Krichbaum, ~34% OFF)
By Jörg Remé
Located in Kansas City, MO
Joerg Reme Untitled III from "von den Stunden" Folio Color Lithograph on handmade paper with deckled edges 1972 Size: 11.75 x 8.325 inches (29.8 × 21.1 cm) Edition: 31 of 250 Signed ...
Lithograph
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...
Lithograph
$10,500
Bullfight No. 5 original signed limited edition lithograph by Salvador Dali
Located in Paonia, CO
Bullfight No. 5 is a signed limited edition ( 4/300 ) original lithograph by Salvador Dali from the Taureaumachie Suite of five original lithographs. Published by Phyllis Lucas...
Lithograph
Skyscrapers - Architectural Colorful Still Life Mixed Media Collage 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, Mixed Media
$2,956Sale Price|20% Off
Leonor Fini, Untitled, from Satiricon, 1970
By Leonor Fini
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph by Leonor Fini (1907–1996), titled Sans titre (Untitled), from the album Satiricon, originates from the 1970 edition published by Ariane Lancell, Editeur, P...
Lithograph
$1,950
My Imperfection Gaze - 21st Century, Contemporary, Surrealism, African Woman
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 ...
Glitter, Acrylic
"Let's Try This Water Together" (2024) By Nadezda, Original Oil Painting
By Nadezda
Located in Denver, CO
Nadezda's beautiful new oil on panel painting "Let's Try This Water Together" (2024) is a surrealist portrait of three small creatures in a dark forest. Nadezda is a painter, sculpt...
Oil, Panel
Passiflora Laurigera, Signed Surrealist Photolithograph by Salvador Dali
Located in Long Island City, NY
Salvador Dalí was born in May 11, 1904 in the small agricultural town of Figueres, Spain. Figueres is located in the foothills of the Pyrenees, only sixteen miles from the French bor...
Paper, Photo-lithograph
Random Access, Surrealist Oil Painting by Mark Kostabi
By Mark Kostabi
Located in Long Island City, NY
Random Access Mark Kostabi, American (1960) Date: 1988 Oil on Canvas, signed and dated lower right, signed, title and dated on verso Size: 42 x 30 in. (106.68 x 76.2 cm)
Oil
Plate VI, Le Cocu Magnifique
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Plate VI, Le Cocu Magnifique etching & aquatint, 1968 Unsigned as usual From the unsigned edition of 200 impressions printed on Rives BFK paper There is also a signed edition of 30 i...
Etching, Aquatint
Surrealist Still Life with a Guitar
Located in San Francisco, CA
When you enter visually into the sumptuous scene captured in this painting, the unknown artist is playing with you. They are teasing you to slightly suspend your careful awareness of...
Canvas, Oil
$5,162
Surrealist Painting Royal College of Art LGBTQ+ artist Blue Fountain Pink Poodle
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 takes the audience on a journey into the imagination. In October 2023 Isabel won the Evelyn Williams Drawing Award at the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize. Known as the UK’s most prestigious annual open exhibition for drawing; part of the prize is a solo show at Hastings Contemporary, scheduled for 2024. Whilst Isabel always has a tale to tell for each of her images, you may or may not choose to go on the journey with her or you may indeed have a different story, one of your own that jumps off the page at you and you decide to follow. Artwork Details: Isabel Rock , 'Just another Day in Paradise', mixed media on best archival paper, 85cm x 140cm, unframed, 2022 In Rock's own words, 'It was just another day in Paradise for the Pink Poodle People of the Everlasting Fountain of Eternal Joy. Since every day was Paradise it was just another normal day filled with love, ecstasy and wonder. It started slowly at first, things began to appear in paradise, strange objects that the Pink Poodle People did not know what to do with. Some had sharp edges, others were so and smelt strange, bad strange. Some things glittered and shone. Every day more of these objects would arrive in Paradise. ' If this happens every day then soon Paradise will be full of these strange objects. Some of them are nice but many are bad and smelly. One day there will be no Paradise, only bad, sharp and smelly things.' But the Pink Poodle People did not know what to do with the objects and every day more arrived.' Artwork Provenance: from the Artist Studio A certificate of authentication comes from Gallery Art 1821 photo credits, Isabel working, black and white shots, James Brown About Isabel Rock and her work: Taking inspiration from Japanese woodblock prints and Indian miniature painting Rock has developed a unique collage technique that combines bold structures with large-scale woodblock prints and intricate detailing. The subject is a grand mixture of humour, drama, hidden morals, fanciful characters, modern culture, mythical beings and fantastical situations. Rock creates a world that pulls you in and demands your attention. Quality of line is paramount, the drawings are created using a dipping pen and acrylic ink. An essential tool is a squirrel...
Paint, Mixed Media, Archival Paper, Pen
$200Sale Price|20% Off
'L'Empire des Lumieres' 1998 Offset Poster, Vintage, Large
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Rene Magritte (1898 – 1967) was a Belgian surrealist artist. He became well known for creating a number of witty and thought-provoking images. Often depicting ordinary objects in an ...
Offset
Signed 1970 Surrealist Lithograph: The Death of Carmen, Edition 67/125
Located in Roma, IT
Color lithograph on Arches paper. Hand signed and numbered in pencil. Edition of LXVII/CCXXV (67/125). Ref. Michler-Lopsinger 1328b. Carmen's Death is the last original colored l...
Lithograph
Surreal Dreamlike Village Scene with Figures, Dog & Moonlit Sky - British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Surreal Dreamlike Village Scene with Figures, Dog & Moonlit Sky by British Artist, John Charlesworth (British, b. 1947) Art measures 7 x 5 in (17.8 x 12.7 cm) Fram measures 10 x 8 i...
Oil, Board
Miro a l'Encre I (Cramer 161), Surrealist Lithograph by Joan Miro
By Joan Miró
Located in Long Island City, NY
Joan Miro, Spanish (1893 - 1983) - Miro a l'Encre I (Cramer 161), Year: 1972, Medium: Lithograph on Wove Paper, signed in the plate, Size: 13.5 x 10 in. (34.29 x 25.4 cm), Frame S...
Lithograph
Florals Water-Hybiscus Swan
Located in Hollywood, FL
ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Florals Water-Hybiscus Swan MEDIUM: Etching SIGNED: Hand Signed by Salvador Dali PUBLISHER: Editions Graphiques Internationals EDITION NUMBER: 62/35...
Etching
$31,911
Marc Chagall (1887–1985) - Sirène et Poisson - Lithograph on Arches paper - 1967
By Marc Chagall
Located in Varese, IT
Color lithograph on Arches paper, edited in 1967. by Charles Sorlier after Marc Chagall Limited edition, numbered XLII/LXXV in lower left corner. Hand-signed by artist in pencil in...
Paper, Lithograph
$3,000
Sparire I Enzo Cucchi large scale abstract dream scape etching with screeprint
By Enzo Cucchi
Located in New York, NY
Sparire means "to disappear" in Italian. This large-scale, dreamlike print spans almost ten feet. Enzo Cucchi Sparire 1, 1988 Color etching, aquatint and silkscreen 30 1/2 × 118 in ...
Etching, Aquatint, Screen
Pair of Surreal Miniature Wooden Hand and Foot Chair Sculptures
Located in Houston, TX
Dimensions listed are for each individual hand and the price is for the pair. Artist Biography: Artist and designer Pedro Friedeberg is known for his surrealist paintings, prints, a...
Wood
$1,996Sale Price|20% Off
Joan Miro, Graphisms, from Derriere le Miroir, 1961
By Joan Miró
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph by Joan Miro (1893–1983), titled Graphismes (Graphisms), originates from the April 1961 folio Derriere le Miroir, No. 125-126, published by Maeght Editeur, ...
Lithograph
In Memoriam, Signed Landscape Screenprint by Antonio Barrera
Located in Long Island City, NY
"In Memoriam" is a screenprint on Arches by Colombian artist Antonio Barrera, from the Graficario de la Lucha Popular en Colombia -- a 1977 portfolio of 32 works by 32 Colombian arti...
Screen
$2,065Sale Price|20% Off
Huge 1970's British Surrealist Abstract Signed Oil Male Figures through Window
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist/ School: British, circa 1970's, signed and inscribed verso Title: 'Reflections' Medium: oil on canvas, framed Framed: 37.5 x 25.5 inches Canvas : 36 x 24 inches Provenanc...
Oil
$4,890
Surrealist Large Painting Royal College of Art LGBTQ+ Female Blue Green Water
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
New moon.
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...
Digital Pigment
$500
Andre Lanskoy Dada Lithograph Mourlot Calligraphic French Poetry Brut Abstract
Located in Surfside, FL
ANDRE LANSKOY (French / Russian 1902-1976) 1966 Original color lithograph on watermarked Arches paper The title sheet was hand signed in pencil on the justification page by the arti...
Lithograph
L'Ane et le Chien (The Ass and the Dog) - Etching by Marc Chagall - 1952
By Marc Chagall
Located in Roma, IT
Etching on Montval paper, hand colored, realized between 1927 and 1930. Table from "Les Fables de La Fontaine", published in 1952 by Tériade in and edition of 200. Hand signed in p...
Etching
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...
Etching
Dali’s Inferno, Signed Surrealist Lithograph by Salvador Dali
Located in Long Island City, NY
Dali’s Inferno by Salvador Dali, Spanish (1904–1989) Portfolio: Dali's Inferno Date: 1978 Lithograph on Arches, signed and numbered in pencil Edition of 2...
Lithograph
Resistance of the earth
Located in Zofingen, AG
This painting belongs to the series of paintings "Blue." Long before 2022, a process of spiritual transformation took place in my life, in particular, a rethinking of the feminine pr...
Acrylic, Archival Paper
$24,796Sale Price|20% Off
Salvador Dali, Apparition of Dulcinea, from Don Quichotte de la Manche, 1957
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph by Salvador Dali (1904–1989), titled Apparition de Dulcinee (Apparition of Dulcinea), from the folio Pages choisies de Don Quichotte de la Manche (Selected ...
Lithograph
Travel : Boat on the Sea - Original etching with aquatint
Located in Paris, IDF
Pierre Alechinsky Travel : Boat on the Sea, 1998 Original etching with aquatint Unsigned On BFK Rives vellum 63 x 92 cm (c. 25 x 37 in) Authenticated with the blind stamp of chalcog...
Etching, Aquatint
$2,339Sale Price|20% Off
Hanasakaji san (The old man who made trees blossom)
Located in OPOLE, PL
Salvador Dali (1904-1989) - Hanasakaji san (The old man who made trees blossom) Drypoint etching with stencil from 1974. The edition of XVII/LXXV on Richard de Bas paper. Dimensio...
Drypoint, 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
(after) Marino Marini - "Cavalier et cheval, orange et jaune" 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 3/4 inches (130 x 97 mm)...
Lithograph, Stencil
$1,800
"Spring in Februrary" (2015), Original Female Portrait, Oil Painting on Panel
Located in Denver, CO
"Spring in February" (2015), is a masterful realist bust portrait of a woman wearing an intricate flower crown, standing confidently, eyes locked with the viewer. This piece is fram...
Oil, Panel
$150,000
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...
Paper, Crayon, Pastel
$60Sale Price|20% Off
L'Ange du Foyer Surrealist Offset Print, Late 20th Century, Unframed
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This original exhibition poster features L'Ange du Foyer, one of the most iconic and recognized images by the surrealist master Max Ernst. Created for the Max Ernst exhibition at the...
Offset
$928
Italy : View on Rome at the Sunset - Original Oil on Canvas, Handsigned
Located in Paris, IDF
Pierre Yves LELARGE (1935-2016) View on Rome at the Sunset, c. 1995 Original Oil on canvas Handsigned on the lower right corner Signed and titled on the back On canvas 50 x 65 cm (...
Oil
We Are Stardust
Located in Burlingame, CA
Marie Cameron is a realist painter and mixed media assemblage artist whose work explores hope, awe, and loss in the age of the Anthropocene. Her paintings often consider the fragile ...
Gold Leaf
$2,240Sale Price|20% Off
Priscilla At Dusk - 21st Century, Surrealism, Africa Woman with Guitar, Musical
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...
Canvas, Oil
Jean COCTEAU and Raymond MORETTI : A memory - Original Hansigned Lithograph
By Jean Cocteau
Located in Paris, IDF
Jean Cocteau and Raymond Moretti A Memory Original lithograph Printed signature in the plate, handsigned by Raymond Moretti Numbered 1/79 - Very look for proof bearing n°1 On Arches...
Lithograph
The Posters of Picasso, 1957 first printing; J.K. Forster, Crown Publishers
Located in Spokane, WA
The Posters of Picasso 1957 — A Complete Visual Archive Own a piece of art history with this rare 1957 first edition of "The Posters of Picasso," one of the most sought-after collec...
Offset
$716Sale Price|20% Off
Joan Miro, Untitled, from Sculptures of Miro, 1973
By Joan Miró
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph by Joan Miro (1893–1983), titled Sans titre (Untitled), originates from the 1973 album Sculptures de Miro, Ceramiques de Miro, et Llorens Artigas (Sculpture...
Lithograph
Salvador Dali "Tristan and the Dragon" Drypoint Print
Located in Boston, MA
Artist: Dali, Salvador Title: Tristan and the Dragon Series: Tristan et Iseult Date: 1970 Medium: drypoint printed in color Unframed Dimensions: 17.7" x 13" Framed Dimensions:...
Drypoint
$4,640Sale Price|20% Off
Ya te Olvide - figurative painting, landscape painting, surreal painting
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...
Canvas, Oil
La Licorne (The Unicorn), Surrealist Lithograph by Salvador Dali
Located in Long Island City, NY
A woman with flowing gold hair kneels before a unicorn. The horse theme was frequently used by Dali throughout his career. The horse is seen as a symbol of beauty and elegance as wel...
Lithograph
Mirò Album 19 - Vintage Catalogue of the Exhibition Sala Gaspar - 1963
Located in Roma, IT
Includes 4 original lithographs by J. Mirò, one of which in double page. Vol in-4°. Original editorial cover on paper, with a lithograph by Mirò as wel...
Paper
Snail. By Constantin Selihanov. Bronze. 19x29x10 cm
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 ...
Bronze
"Dile Que No", Surrealist Oil Painting on Canvas, Unframed, 2010+
Located in San Diego, CA
This is a one of a kind original oil and resin painting by San Diego artist, Julia San Roman. Its dimensions are 36" x 60" It is unframed. A certificate of authenticity will follow d...
Canvas, Oil
Winter and Summer
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...
Etching