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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
Femme Bleue
Femme Bleue

Femme Bleue

By Henri Matisse

Located in OPOLE, PL

Henri Matisse (1869-1954) - Femme Bleue Lithograph from 1958. Dimensions of work: 35.5 x 26.4 cm Publisher: Tériade, Paris. First, original edition. The work is in Excellent con...

Category

1950s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

French Surrealist Figurative Male Nudes Seascape Oil Painting on Board
French Surrealist Figurative Male Nudes Seascape Oil Painting on Board

French Surrealist Figurative Male Nudes Seascape Oil Painting on Board

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Title French Surrealist Figurative Male Nudes Seascape Oil Painting on Board Key Details Artist: French School Subject: Surrealist figurative scene with male nudes and seascape Mediu...

Category

20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

"Music is Eternal" Black & White Photography 16x16 in Ed of 24 by Olha Stepanian
"Music is Eternal" Black & White Photography 16x16 in Ed of 24 by Olha Stepanian

"Music is Eternal" Black & White Photography 16x16 in Ed of 24 by Olha Stepanian

By Olha Stepanian

Located in Culver City, CA

"Music is Eternal" Black & White Photography 16x16 in Ed of 24 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA issued by ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Photographic Paper

1970's Large French Surrealist Oil Painting Figures on the Beach
1970's Large French Surrealist Oil Painting Figures on the Beach

1970's Large French Surrealist Oil Painting Figures on the Beach

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Surrealist composition French School, dated 1975 verso oil on canvas, framed framed: 33.5 x 27 inches canvas: 32 x 25.5 inches inscribed verso provenance: private collection, France ...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

The Kite Festival, Original Painting
The Kite Festival, Original Painting

The Kite Festival, Original Painting

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
This acrylic painting by artist Edward McHugh is based on his own photograph taken at the Long Beach Kite Festival on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State....

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Israeli Large Vibrant Surrealist Flowers Oil Painting
Israeli Large Vibrant Surrealist Flowers Oil Painting

Israeli Large Vibrant Surrealist Flowers Oil Painting

By Milia Laufer

Located in Surfside, FL

Milia Laufer, born Romania. From 1951 lived and worked in Safed. Together with her husband opened one of the earliest galleries in Israel, in Tiberias. Worked in watercolors and oils...

Category

1950s Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Joan Miro, The Black Sun, from Derriere le miroir, 1965
Joan Miro, The Black Sun, from Derriere le miroir, 1965

Joan Miro, The Black Sun, from Derriere le miroir, 1965

By Joan Miró

Located in Southampton, NY

This exquisite lithograph by Joan Miro (1893–1983), titled Le Soleil Noir (The Black Sun), from the folio Derriere le miroir, No. 151–152, originates from the 1965 edition published ...

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Dante and Beatrice - Woodcut - 1963
Dante and Beatrice - Woodcut - 1963

Dante and Beatrice - Woodcut - 1963

By Salvador Dalí­

Located in Roma, IT

Dante and Beatrice -  "The Divine Comedy" - Song 29 -  Purgatory is a woodcut print realized in 1963 for a series illustrating the Medieval poem of the "Divine Comedy" by Dante Aligh...

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Woodcut

La Quete du Graal The Pass of Gadalore
La Quete du Graal The Pass of Gadalore

La Quete du Graal The Pass of Gadalore

By Salvador Dalí­

Located in Hollywood, FL

ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: La Quete du Graal The Pass og Gadalore MEDIUM: Etching EDITION NUMBER: XV/XXV SIGNED: Hand Signed by Salvador Dali PUBLISHER: Pamela Verlog MEASUR...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

Five Red Tulips - Framed Pink Original Whimsical Floral Artwork on Canvas
Five Red Tulips - Framed Pink Original Whimsical Floral Artwork on Canvas

Five Red Tulips - Framed Pink Original Whimsical Floral Artwork on Canvas

By Carlos Gamez de Francisco

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Carlos Gamez de Francisco’s "The House at the End of the Road" is a striking blend of hyperrealism, figurative surrealism, and imaginative narrative art. This 12-inch round acrylic p...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Ba Ba Ba Ma Tri dom

Ba Ba Ba Ma Tri dom

By Valton Tyler

Located in Dallas, TX

In The New York Times Arts in America column, Edward M. Gomez writes of Valton Tyler, "visionary seems the right word for describing his vivid, unusual and technically refined painti...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Tristan and Isolde
Tristan and Isolde

Tristan and Isolde

By Leonor Fini

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork titled "Tristan and Isolde" 1978 is an original color lithograph on Arches wove paper by noted Italian/Argentinian artist Leonor Fini, 1907-1996. It is hand signed and n...

Category

Late 20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Spanish signed limited edition original art print engraving 21x15 in. n22

Spanish signed limited edition original art print engraving 21x15 in. n22

Located in Miami, FL

Andrés Barajas (Spain, 1941) 'Untitled from Portfolio "Los Deseos"', ca.1990-1999 mixed media on paper 20.9 x 15 in. (53 x 38 cm.) Edition of 200 ID: BAR1017-022-200 Hand-signed by a...

Category

20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Engraving, Screen

Tristan & Isolde
Tristan & Isolde

Tristan & Isolde

By Salvador Dalí­

Located in Hollywood, FL

ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Tristan & Isolde MEDIUM: Lithograph on Rowlux with added color SIGNED: Hand Signed on seperate certificate with corresponding number PUBLISHER: Nabus Fine Art EDITION NUMBER: 307/500 MEASUREMENTS: 25" x 25" Framed: 36" x 40" YEAR: 1972 FRAMED: Yes, museum quality gold...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Antonio Monasterio – Woman with a Large Hat and Table with Vase. Nr.2
Antonio Monasterio – Woman with a Large Hat and Table with Vase. Nr.2

Antonio Monasterio – Woman with a Large Hat and Table with Vase. Nr.2

Located in Firenze, IT

Antonio Monasterio – Woman with a Large Hat and Table with Vase. Nr.2 • Technique: Mixed media on paper (pastels, wax, and red pen) • Dimensions: 56 x 44 cm • Signature: Lower ri...

Category

Late 20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Crayon, Wax Crayon, Wax, Pen

"Recall, " Oil Painting
"Recall, " Oil Painting

"Recall, " Oil Painting

Located in Denver, CO

Alla Bartoshchuk's "Recall" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a nude female figure in the company of laughing blue and purple women, wher...

Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

"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

Rene Magritte, The Beautiful Captive, 1968 (after)
Rene Magritte, The Beautiful Captive, 1968 (after)

Rene Magritte, The Beautiful Captive, 1968 (after)

By René Magritte

Located in Southampton, NY

This exquisite lithograph after Rene Magritte (1898–1967), titled La Belle Captive (The Beautiful Captive), from the folio Les Enfants Trouves de Magritte (The Found Children of Magritte), 1968, originates from the edition published by A.C. Mazo et Cie, Paris, and printed by Mourlot Freres, Paris, on November 20, 1968. The work embodies Magrittes sustained inquiry into semiotics and visual epistemology, translating his characteristic strategies of displacement, symbolic inversion, and conceptual ambiguity into an image that operates as both a poetic metaphor and a philosophical proposition concerning the instability of meaning. Executed as a lithograph on grand velin dArches paper, this work measures 17.5 x 23.5 inches (44.5 x 59.7 cm). Signed in the plate by the artist; hand signed by Fernand Mourlot, Editeur. The edition exemplifies the technical mastery of the Mourlot atelier. Artwork Details: Artist: After Rene Magritte (1898–1967) Title: La Belle Captive (The Beautiful Captive), from the folio Les Enfants Trouves de Magritte (The Found Children of Magritte) Medium: Lithograph on grand velin dArches paper Dimensions: 17.5 x 23.5 inches (44.5 x 59.7 cm) Inscription: Signed in the plate by the artist; hand signed by Fernand Mourlot, Editeur Date: 1968 Publisher: A.C. Mazo et Cie, Paris Printer: Mourlot Freres, Paris Catalogue Raisonne: Magritte, Rene, et al. Rene Magritte: Catalogue Raisonne, Vol. 3. Menil Foundation; Philip Wilson Publishers; Distributed in the USA and Canada by Rizzoli International, 1992, nos. 791–792 and 1056; vol. 5, p. 218, Bibliography entry 68.28. Condition: Well preserved, consistent with age and medium Provenance: From the folio Les Enfants Trouves de Magritte, 1968 Notes: Excerpted from the folio (translated from French), Finished printing in Paris on November 20, 1968, on the presses of Mourlot, for the lithographs. The unpublished text by Louis Scutenaire was composed in Elzevir Casion corps 28 and printed by Fequet et Baudier, typographers. The unpublished compositions numbered from I to IV were specially made by Rene Magritte for this album. The compositions of the Enchanted Domain, are the renderings of the eight paintings of the mural of the Casino de Knokke. They were printed with the benevolent authorization of Mr. Gustave J. Nellens. Justification of the draw, this album was taken from CCCL examples on grand velin dArches numbered from I to CCCL, plus a few examples for collaborators and assistants. About the Publication: Les Enfants Trouves de Magritte (The Found Children of Magritte), published in 1968 by A.C. Mazo et Cie, Paris, represents one of the most significant late life print projects devoted to Rene Magrittes work. Conceived as both a literary and visual tribute, the folio pairs texts by the Belgian writer Louis Scutenaire, Magrittes close friend and fellow Surrealist, with lithographic interpretations produced at the Mourlot atelier, the premier lithographic workshop of twentieth century France. The album includes compositions by Magritte alongside lithographic renderings of the celebrated Enchanted Domain mural from the Casino de Knokke, printed with the authorization of Gustave J. Nellens, who commissioned the original mural. Issued in a single edition of CCCL examples on grand velin dArches, the folio stands as a testament to the collaboration between artist, writer, publisher, and master printer, and remains one of the most culturally important Surrealist print albums of the post war era. About the Artist: Rene Magritte (1898–1967) was a Belgian Surrealist painter whose visionary, intellectual, and poetic imagery redefined twentieth century art and forever changed how the world perceives reality and illusion. Celebrated for his calm precision and thought provoking juxtapositions of ordinary objects in extraordinary contexts, Magritte used painting as a philosophical tool, transforming the everyday into visual paradoxes that challenged the boundaries between what is seen and what is known. Born in Lessines, Belgium, and trained at the Academie Royale des Beaux Arts in Brussels, he absorbed early influences from Cubism, Futurism, and Symbolism before embracing Surrealism, where he found his true voice. In Paris, he became part of the avant garde circle that included Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Wassily Kandinsky, Marcel Duchamp, and Man Ray—all artists whose radical ideas helped him forge his distinctive synthesis of logic and mystery. Unlike Dalis dream...

Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Man Ray, Illustration for the Novel, Aurelien, 1980 (after)
Man Ray, Illustration for the Novel, Aurelien, 1980 (after)

Man Ray, Illustration for the Novel, Aurelien, 1980 (after)

By Man Ray

Located in Southampton, NY

This exquisite heliogravure after Man Ray (1890–1976), titled Illustration for the Novel, Aurelien, by Louis Aragon, originates from the 1980 folio Man Ray, Electa Editrice Portfolio...

Category

1980s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Gleaning, Oil Painting
Gleaning, Oil Painting

Gleaning, Oil Painting

By Michael Wedge

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Part of artist Michael Wedge's series exploring the contrasts between various periods with urban scenes and rural environments. This piece shows two figures g...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

Purple Leaves - Large Colorful Surrealist Figurative Feminine Portrait Painting
Purple Leaves - Large Colorful Surrealist Figurative Feminine Portrait Painting

Purple Leaves - Large Colorful Surrealist Figurative Feminine Portrait Painting

By Carlos Gamez de Francisco

Located in Los Angeles, CA

The figurative surrealist paintings of Carlos Gamez de Francisco are heavily influenced by his Cuban upbringing. This presence exposed Francisco to the world of figurative arts while...

Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Watercolor

For Alberti, For Spain! - Etching by Joan Mirò - 1975
For Alberti, For Spain! - Etching by Joan Mirò - 1975

For Alberti, For Spain! - Etching by Joan Mirò - 1975

By Joan Miró

Located in Roma, IT

For Alberti, For Spain!  it's an original artwork realized by Joan Mirò in 1975. Etching,  90 x 66 cm.  Hand signed. Edition 50/90. Reference: Dupin 926 Printed on Fabriano paper...

Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

Rene Magritte, Gemstones, 1968 (after)
Rene Magritte, Gemstones, 1968 (after)

Rene Magritte, Gemstones, 1968 (after)

By René Magritte

Located in Southampton, NY

This exquisite lithograph after Rene Magritte (1898–1967), titled Pierreries (Gemstones), from the folio Les Enfants Trouves de Magritte (The Found Children of Magritte), 1968, origi...

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.