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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
Hopeful (black labrador, dog pet, woman, vintage, animal, surrealist painting)
Located in Quebec, Quebec
In this moving piece by Rudolf Kosow, the canvas captures a tender and intimate moment between species. The focus is a deeply expressive black dog, portrayed with a level of detail t...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Tip-Toe Cat
Located in Columbia, MO
LEONOR FINI Tip-Toe Cat 1973 Color lithograph Ed. 157/230 12.5 x 9 inches
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Baignoire à tornade liquide (Michler/Löpsinger 822-831; Field 75-13)
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Salvador Dali (1904-1989) Title: Baignoire à tornade liquide (Michler/Löpsinger 822-831; Field 75-13), Imaginations et Objets du Futur (Liquid tornado bathtub, Imaginations a...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Mixed Media, Lithograph, Drypoint, Screen

Obra Inèdita Recent V
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Joan Miró is one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. He is renowned internationally as a painter, sculptor, printmaker, and ceramicist. Miró’s works, which were at the int...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Drift.
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

Unknown
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork "Untitled" is a color lithograph by acclaimed Iranian artist Mahmoud Farshchian, born 1930. It is hand signed and numbered 217/250 in p...
Category

Late 20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Silu Niu Animal Original Acrylic On Canvas "Waitting - Blue"
Located in New York, NY
Title: Waitting - Blue Medium: Oil on canvas Size: 39 x 31 inches Frame: Framing options available! Condition: The painting appears to be in excellent condition. Note: This pai...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Acrylic

The listening room.
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

Surrealist painting on board, bright colors and green shadows, diptych
Located in Carballo, ES
Ventura A. Pérez (1992) is one of the most seductive artists on the contemporary Spanish scene. After earning a doctorate in contemporary art from the University of Vigo, he moved to...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Tristan and Isolde
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

Max Ernst 'Ursachen Der Sonne, The Sun' 1989- Surrealist Vintage
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This rare exhibition poster features Max Ernst's Ursachen ("Causes"), part of the acclaimed "Collection of European Masters" series published by Achenbach Editions for the Kunstsamml...
Category

1980s Surrealist Art

Materials

Offset

Le Taureau Blanc IV, Surrealist Etching by Lucien Coutaud
Located in Long Island City, NY
Lucien Coutaud, French (1904 - 1977) - Le Taureau Blanc IV, Year: 1957, Medium: Etching, Image Size: 7.75 x 5 inches, Size: 13 x 10 in. (33.02 x 25.4 cm), Description: From the col...
Category

1950s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

Le Cirque Chinois
Located in Hollywood, FL
ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Le Cirque Chinois MEDIUM: Etching SIGNED: Hand Signed EDITION NUMBER: 166/175 MEASUREMENTS: 26.25" x 21" YEAR: 1965 FRAMED: No CONDITION: Excel...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

Hatted Cats
Located in Columbia, MO
LEONOR FINI Hatted Cats 1973 Color lithograph Ed. 157/230 12.5 x 9 inches
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Francis Bacon (1909–1992) - Color etching and aquatint on Guarro laid paper
Located in Varese, IT
Color etching and aquatint on Guarro laid paper, edited in 1981. Limited edition, numbered as: 24/99 Signed in pencil by artist in lower right corner. Very good conditions. Plate si...
Category

1980s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching, Paper

Saul Steinberg lithograph 1970s (Saul Steinberg prints)
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Saul Steinberg Lithograph c. 1970 from Derrière le miroir: Lithograph in colors; 15 x 22 inches. Very good overall vintage condition; center gold-line as originally issued. ...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Adam and Eve - Héliogravure by Marc Chagall - 1960
Located in Roma, IT
Héliogravure on brown-toned paper, so signature. On bot sheets, recto and verso. Edition of 6500 unsigned copies. Printed by Mourlot and published by Tériade, Paris. Ref. Mourlot,...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Photogravure

Quarter past five.
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

Sans titre II (Cramer 230; Mourlot 1114), Joan Miró Lithographs
Located in Southampton, NY
Lithograph on vélin paper. Paper Size: 12.5 x 9.625 inches. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Catalogue raisonné references: Cramer, Patrick, and Joan Miró. Joan Miró,...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Trapped in Shimmering Blue, Surreal Landscape, Fauvist Northern Lights on Paper
Located in Barcelona, ES
This is a beautiful landscape painting by Alexandra Czierpka. By reducing color and form to their essentials, she invites the observer to contemplate the harmony between humans and n...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Acrylic, Paper, Oil Crayon

Abra Cadabra - Original Whimsical Abstract Still Life Collage Artwork 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...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Mixed Media

Bucéphale
Located in OPOLE, PL
Salvador Dali (1904-1989) - Bucéphale Lithograph from 1972 The edition of 187/250.. Dimensions of work: 68 x 50 cm On B.F.K Rives paper as stated in the Field catalogue. Referen...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Bucéphale
Bucéphale
$6,605 Sale Price
20% Off
Le Séducteur - 20th Century, Surrealist, Lithograph, Figurative Print
Located in Sint-Truiden, BE
Color lithograph after the 1951 oil on canvas by René Magritte, printed signature of Magritte and numbered from the edition of 300. The lithograph features the dry stamps of the Mag...
Category

20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Miró, Composition (Cramer 112; Mourlot 439-442), Derrière le miroir (after)
Located in Southampton, NY
Lithograph on vélin paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition. Notes: From the volume, Derrière le miroir, N° 164-165, 1967. Published by Aimé Maeght, Éd...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Contemporary colored pencil drawing. Untitled
Located in Bogotá, Bogotá
Oil Pastel, Pencil, petal flowers, Color and Ink on Paper. I use natural dyes of flowers, herbs, leaves, bark of trees as the first process of drawing, then on this surface I draw t...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil Pastel, Ink, Color Pencil

Salvador Dali - Argus - Original Etching
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Salvador Dali - Argus - from "Mythologie" Original Etching Dimensions: 76 x 56 cm 1962 Editor: Pierre Argillet Edition: /150 Handsigned and numbered On Arches Paper References : Fiel...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

1970's MODERN BRITISH ABSTRACT OIL PAINTING BEAUTIFUL GREEN & ORANGE COLORS
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist/ School: Modern British School Title: Interior scene with side table Medium: oil on canvas laid over board, unframed Size: painting: 55...
Category

Mid-20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

Anagrom
Located in Columbia, MO
Leonor Fini was born in Argentina in 1907 but travelled and lived in Europe with her mother from a young age. By 1931, she was in Paris, in the full swing of the Surrealist movement....
Category

20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Etching

Floral Still Life Postage Stamp Surrealist Collage painting
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Mabel Barnsbee (1892-1980). Miniature Watercolor Painting Surrealist Postage Stamp Collage. Image measures 4.5 x 6.5 inches. Measuring 11 x 13 inches in original frame. The Mysti...
Category

Mid-20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Terra Da Arvore- surreal painting oil on canvas blue
Located in Miami, FL
Professionally known as Vignoli, was a Brazilian painter and sculptor. He began his career in 1982 creating canvases in oil on canvas, where he appli...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Ballerinas. Limited edition print, Surreal, Established Polish artist
Located in Warsaw, PL
Size of sheet is ca. 30 x 42 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 comes...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Color

Tertia Die Resurrexit - Lithograph - 1964
Located in Roma, IT
Tertia die resurrexit ("Raised up the Third Day") is an artwork realized in 1964. It is part of Biblia Sacra vulgatæ editionis published by Rizzoli-Mediolani between 1967 and 1969. Color lithograph on heavy rag paper. Signed and dated on plate on the right margin. Perfect conditions. Prov. Private Collection, Southern France. This artwork represents the Resaurrection of God after his Death. According to the Scriptures, in fact the God raised up after three days. In the representation there are two figures that spread light and brightness. The spontaneous Bulletism process and the richiamo colors in the image truly highlight Dali’s range of creativity and use of space. The lithograph is part of the imponent work Biblia Sacra vulgatæ editionis published by Rizzoli-Mediolani between 1967 and 1969. It was illustrated by Salvador Dalí with a suite of 105 colored lithographs after water-color artworks. The paper sheets are signed and dated on plate, and each of them comes with a Japanese paper tissue with a printed biblical quotation. In 1963, Biblia Sacra was commissioned by Giuseppe Albaretto, a very pious man, who was one of Dalí’s closest friends and patrons between the 1950s and the 1960s. Giuseppe Albaretto and his wife Mara commissioned several of Dalí's works, and became important publishers of his etchings and lithographs, including the Biblia Sacra. Through these commissions, Albaretto hoped that Dalí would reconcile with religion. The friendship between the Albarettos and Salvador Dalì provided the art world with some of the most spectacular Surrealist artworks. These works are a few of the most desirable graphic works ever created by the artist. In the preface of the work, the publisher asserts that the lithographs “configure, in both a universal and a personal way, the dynamic vision that characterizes the relationship between men and God”. Salvador Dalí (Figueres, 1904 – Figueres, 1989) is considered one of the most versatile and prolific artists of the XX century and the founding father of Surrealism. In the course of his long career, he successfully experimented with sculpture, fashion, writing, and filmmaking. In his early use of organic morphology, his work bears the stamp of Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró. His work is also characterized by a fascination with classical art, manifested in the realistic style and religious symbolism of his latest works. Dalí was born near Barcelona to a middle class family. He soon demonstrated an interest in art, and, at the age of 18, he attended the Special Painting, Sculpture and Engraving School of San Fernando in Madrid. His eccentricity was notorious, and at first even more famous than his works. When he traveled to Paris, he met Pablo Picasso in his studio and took inspiration from Cubism. In 1928, he collaborated with Buñuel on Un Chien Andalou...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

After the storm.
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

Butterfly suite : Alsace / Strasbourg - Lithograph - Tall size (Field 69-2D)
Located in Paris, IDF
Salvador DALI, after (1904-1969) Butterfly suite : Alsace / Strasbourg, 1969 Lithograph and heliogravure Printed signature in the plate bottom right Tall model, from the 700 unumber...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Photogravure, Lithograph

Idols - Lithograph by Max Ernst - 1972
Located in Roma, IT
Idols is a lithograph on Arches paper realized by Max Ernst in 1972. Belongs to the suite "Judith". Limited edition of 500. Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Godd conditions. T...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

10a
Located in Columbia, MO
Lithograph on Arches paper Exemplaire B/165
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Lithograph

Surrealist composition
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: collotype (after the Miro lithograph). Printed in 1947 in an edition of 1500 by Meriden Gravure and published by Curt Valentin for "The Prints of Joan Miro" portfolio. Size: ...
Category

1940s Surrealist Art

Materials

Photogravure

Surrealist composition
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: collotype (after the Miro lithograph). Printed in 1947 in an edition of 1500 by Meriden Gravure and published by Curt Valentin for "The Prints of Joan Miro" portfolio. Size: ...
Category

1940s Surrealist Art

Materials

Photogravure

Italian Surrealist Pop Art Serigraph Enrico Baj Pop Art Silkscreen Foil Print
Located in Surfside, FL
Enrico Baj (1924-2003) Italian, limited edition print. Hand signed and numbered Signature on the corner. Edition 44 of 45. metallic silver aluminum. Baj was an Italian artist best k...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Foil

Surrealist encounter, 1975 - Original Handsigned Etching
Located in Paris, IDF
Lars BO Surrealist encounter (Le Rêve de Jean Valjean 7/8), 1975 Original etching Handsigned in pencil On vellum, 36 x 45 cm (c. 14,1 x 17,7 inch) Edition limited to 100 unnumbered ...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

FlorDali/Les Fruits Cherries
Located in Hollywood, FL
ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: FlorDali/Les Fruits Cherries MEDIUM: Etching SIGNED: Hand Signed PUBLISHER: Jean Schneider, Basel EDITION NUMBER: 109/200 MEASUREMENTS: 22" x 30" ...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

Miró, Sans titre (Cramer 112; Mourlot 439-442), Derrière le miroir (after)
Located in Southampton, NY
Lithograph on vélin paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition, with centerfold, as issued. Notes: From the volume, Derrière le miroir, N° 164-165, 1967. ...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Held Inside a Shaft of Light (Window, Skyscape, Warm, Dreamy, ~29% OFF)
Located in Kansas City, MO
Annieo Klaas Held Inside a Shaft of Light 2023 Oil on Canvas 40 x 30 inches (101.6 x 30.48 cm) Signed lower right COA provided *On stretcher frame - gallery wrapped - ready to hang ...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars

Cityscape
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork "Cityscape" c.1990 is an original color serigraph by Ukrainian/American artist Anatole Krasnyansky. It is hand signed and numbered 24/350 in black ink by the artist. The artwork size is 9.35 x 11.15 inches, framed size is 19.75 x 21.75 inches. Custom framed in a gold and silver frame, with off white matting. It is in excellent condition. About the artist: Anatole Krasnyansky (born in 1930; Kiev, Ukraine) is a Ukrainian-American artist who has gained prominence by pioneering a new watercolor technique. Krasnyansky added paper texture as a component of his watercolors. With this new process, Krasnyansky added texture and depth to the watercolor medium and expanded its expressive possibilities to a level usually associated with oil painting. Biography He was born in Kiev, growing up and living during the times when Ukraine was a part of the U.S.S.R. Krasnyansky received master's degrees in fine art and architecture. He found that the freedom of expression that he needed in his artwork could not be found within the strictures of the Soviet Union and moved to the United States in 1975. In the U.S., Krasnyansky found valuable use for his knowledge of architecture, design and his imagination. and found success in multiple artistic pursuits. Almost surreal, Krasnyansky’s figures are recognizable form while incorporating elements of his Eastern heritage, the cubist ideas of Picasso and Braque, and as well as American culture. Accomplishments Krasnyansky began working as a scenic artist for ABC and CBS, including the production of two Academy Awards shows. He became a set designer for Universal Studios (credits including The Blues Brothers and Battlestar Galactica...
Category

Late 20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Screen

Surrealist Oil Painting Magical Realism Lionel Kalish Italian Home Fantasy Scene
Located in Surfside, FL
Lionel Kalish (American B.1931) "A Villa on the Sea", c. 1980 Oil on canvas Hand signed lower right L.Kalish Bark Frameworks Inc. N.Y. label verso 16" x 24" Lionel Kalish born...
Category

1980s Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

If Ever I should...
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Signed and numbered etching by Donald J. Handel, executed mid‑20th century, possibly part of a larger thematic portfolio. His work often combines allegorical subject matter with tech...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

Marc Chagall - Homage to Marc Chagall - Original Lithograph
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Marc Chagall Original Lithograph 1969 From the revue XXe Siecle, edition of 12,000 Unsigned, as issued Dimensions: 32 x 24 Condition : Excellent Reference: Mourlot 572 Marc Chagall (born in 1887) Marc Chagall was born in Belarus in 1887 and developed an early interest in art. After studying painting, in 1907 he left Russia for Paris, where he lived in an artist colony on the city’s outskirts. Fusing his own personal, dreamlike imagery with hints of the fauvism and cubism popular in France at the time, Chagall created his most lasting work—including I and the Village (1911)—some of which would be featured in the Salon des Indépendants exhibitions. After returning to Vitebsk for a visit in 1914, the outbreak of WWI trapped Chagall in Russia. He returned to France in 1923 but was forced to flee the country and Nazi persecution during WWII. Finding asylum in the U.S., Chagall became involved in set and costume design before returning to France in 1948. In his later years, he experimented with new art forms and was commissioned to produce numerous large-scale works. Chagall died in St.-Paul-de-Vence in 1985. The Village Marc Chagall was born in a small Hassidic community on the outskirts of Vitebsk, Belarus, on July 7, 1887. His father was a fishmonger, and his mother ran a small sundries shop in the village. As a child, Chagall attended the Jewish elementary school, where he studied Hebrew and the Bible, before later attending the Russian public school. He began to learn the fundamentals of drawing during this time, but perhaps more importantly, he absorbed the world around him, storing away the imagery and themes that would feature largely in most of his later work. At age 19 Chagall enrolled at a private, all-Jewish art school and began his formal education in painting, studying briefly with portrait artist Yehuda Pen. However, he left the school after several months, moving to St. Petersburg in 1907 to study at the Imperial Society for the Protection of Fine Arts. The following year, he enrolled at the Svanseva School, studying with set designer Léon Bakst, whose work had been featured in Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. This early experience would prove important to Chagall’s later career as well. Despite this formal instruction, and the widespread popularity of realism in Russia at the time, Chagall was already establishing his own personal style, which featured a more dreamlike unreality and the people, places and imagery that were close to his heart. Some examples from this period are his Window Vitebsk (1908) and My Fianceé with Black Gloves (1909), which pictured Bella Rosenfeld, to whom he had recently become engaged. The Beehive Despite his romance with Bella, in 1911 an allowance from Russian parliament member and art patron Maxim Binaver enabled Chagall to move to Paris, France. After settling briefly in the Montparnasse neighborhood, Chagall moved further afield to an artist colony known as La Ruche (“The Beehive”), where he began to work side by side with abstract painters such as Amedeo Modigliani and Fernand Léger as well as the avant-garde poet Guillaume Apollinaire. At their urging, and under the influence of the wildly popular fauvism and cubism, Chagall lightened his palette and pushed his style ever further from reality. I and the Village (1911) and Homage to Apollinaire (1912) are among his early Parisian works, widely considered to be his most successful and representative period. Though his work stood stylistically apart from his cubist contemporaries, from 1912 to 1914 Chagall exhibited several paintings at the annual Salon des Indépendants exhibition, where works by the likes of Juan Gris, Marcel Duchamp and Robert Delaunay were causing a stir in the Paris art world. Chagall’s popularity began to spread beyond La Ruche, and in May 1914 he traveled to Berlin to help organize his first solo exhibition, at Der Sturm Gallery. Chagall remained in the city until the highly acclaimed show opened that June. He then returned to Vitebsk, unaware of the fateful events to come. War, Peace and Revolution In August 1914 the outbreak of World War I precluded Chagall’s plans to return to Paris. The conflict did little to stem the flow of his creative output, however, instead merely giving him direct access to the childhood scenes so essential to his work, as seen in paintings such as Jew in Green (1914) and Over Vitebsk (1914). His paintings from this period also occasionally featured images of the war’s impact on the region, as with Wounded Soldier (1914) and Marching (1915). But despite the hardships of life during wartime, this would also prove to be a joyful period for Chagall. In July 1915 he married Bella, and she gave birth to a daughter, Ida, the following year. Their appearance in works such as Birthday (1915), Bella and Ida by the Window (1917) and several of his “Lovers” paintings give a glimpse of the island of domestic bliss that was Chagall’s amidst the chaos. To avoid military service and stay with his new family, Chagall took a position as a clerk in the Ministry of War Economy in St. Petersburg. While there he began work on his autobiography and also immersed himself in the local art scene, befriending novelist Boris Pasternak, among others. He also exhibited his work in the city and soon gained considerable recognition. That notoriety would prove important in the aftermath of the 1917 Russian Revolution when he was appointed as the Commissar of Fine Arts in Vitebsk. In his new post, Chagall undertook various projects in the region, including the 1919 founding of the Academy of the Arts. Despite these endeavors, differences among his colleagues eventually disillusioned Chagall. In 1920 he relinquished his position and moved his family to Moscow, the post-revolution capital of Russia. In Moscow, Chagall was soon commissioned to create sets and costumes for various productions at the Moscow State Yiddish Theater, where he would paint a series of murals titled Introduction to the Jewish Theater as well. In 1921, Chagall also found work as a teacher at a school for war orphans. By 1922, however, Chagall found that his art had fallen out of favor, and seeking new horizons he left Russia for good. Flight After a brief stay in Berlin, where he unsuccessfully sought to recover the work exhibited at Der Sturm before the war, Chagall moved his family to Paris in September 1923. Shortly after their arrival, he was commissioned by art dealer and publisher Ambroise Vollard to produce a series of etchings for a new edition of Nikolai Gogol's 1842 novel Dead Souls. Two years later Chagall began work on an illustrated edition of Jean de la Fontaine’s Fables, and in 1930 he created etchings for an illustrated edition of the Old Testament, for which he traveled to Palestine to conduct research. Chagall’s work during this period brought him new success as an artist and enabled him to travel throughout Europe in the 1930s. He also published his autobiography, My Life (1931), and in 1933 received a retrospective at the Kunsthalle in Basel, Switzerland. But at the same time that Chagall’s popularity was spreading, so, too, was the threat of Fascism and Nazism. Singled out during the cultural "cleansing" undertaken by the Nazis in Germany, Chagall’s work was ordered removed from museums throughout the country. Several pieces were subsequently burned, and others were featured in a 1937 exhibition of “degenerate art” held in Munich. Chagall’s angst regarding these troubling events and the persecution of Jews in general can be seen in his 1938 painting White Crucifixion. With the eruption of World War II, Chagall and his family moved to the Loire region before moving farther south to Marseilles following the invasion of France. They found a more certain refuge when, in 1941, Chagall’s name was added by the director of the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York City to a list of artists and intellectuals deemed most at risk from the Nazis’ anti-Jewish campaign. Chagall and his family would be among the more than 2,000 who received visas and escaped this way. Haunted Harbors Arriving in New York City in June 1941, Chagall discovered that he was already a well-known artist there and, despite a language barrier, soon became a part of the exiled European artist community. The following year he was commissioned by choreographer Léonide Massine to design sets and costumes for the ballet Aleko, based on Alexander Pushkin’s “The Gypsies” and set to the music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. But even as he settled into the safety of his temporary home, Chagall’s thoughts were frequently consumed by the fate befalling the Jews of Europe and the destruction of Russia, as paintings such as The Yellow Crucifixion...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Surrealist Profiles - Artist Proof Lithograph
Located in Pasadena, CA
A surrealist artist's proof featuring fragmented overlapping faces that blur the boundary between portraiture and abstraction. The composition merges profile and frontal views, evoki...
Category

Late 20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Decameron - Portfolio of 10 Original Signed Engravings by Salvador Dali
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Portfolio of 10 Original Signed Engravings by Salvador Dali Title: Decameron Signed in Pencil by Salvador Dali Dimensions: 45 x 32 cm Edition EA 1/5 1972 References : Field 72-8 (p. ...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Engraving

Construction d'un Temple en Ruine - Plate n.8 - Etching by Paul Delvaux - 1972
Located in Roma, IT
Construction d’un temple – Plate n. 8  is a b/w original etching realized in 1972 (as written on plate on the lower right margin) by Paul Delvaux. From the collection “ Construction...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

The Surprise
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Maggie Taylor's digital creations are emblematic, afterimages that invite, transport and are unforgettable. Taylor's images are built, layer by layer and object by object, through a ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

Post Soviet Non Conformist Russian Cast Paper Sculpture
Located in Surfside, FL
Mihail Mikhailovich Chemiakin (or Shemyakin, Russian: Михаил Михайлович Шемякин, born 4 May 1943) is a Russian painter, stage designer, sculptor and publisher, and a controversial re...
Category

1980s Surrealist Art

Materials

Rag Paper

ShaoHua Nong Surrealist Original Oil On Canvas "Together"
Located in New York, NY
Title: Together Medium: Oil on canvas Size: 12 x 12 inches Frame: Framing options available! Condition: The painting appears to be in excellent condition. Note: This painting is unstretched Year: 2013 Artist: ShaoHua Nong...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Florals Tiger Lilies
Located in Hollywood, FL
ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Florals Tiger Lilies MEDIUM: Etching on Heavy Paper SIGNED: Hand Signed by Salvador Dali EDITION NUMBER: 91/350 MEASUREMENTS: 21.5" x 30" YEAR: 197...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Etching

Man with Telephone - Surrealist Black and White Portrait in Ink on Paper
Located in Soquel, CA
Man with Telephone - Surrealist Black and White Portrait in Ink on Paper Surrealist composition by an unknown artist (20th Century). A man dressed in a su...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, India Ink, Pen, Pencil

Salvador Dali "Leda and the Swan"
Located in Boston, MA
Artist: Dali, Salvador Title: Leda and the Swan Series: The Mythology Date: 1963 Medium: drypoint on Japon paper Unframed Dimensions: 30" x 18 1/8" Framed Dimensions: 42" x 34...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Drypoint

Untitled - Lithograph by Primo Conti - 1970
Located in Roma, IT
Untitled is a contemporary artwork realized by Primo Conti in 1970. Mixed colored lithograph. Hand signed, dated and numbered on the lower margin Includes frame Edition of 7/90
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

French Abstract Surrealist Color Lithograph Andre Masson
Located in Surfside, FL
Published Benincasa Carmine. Edizioni SEAT, Torino, Italy. Offset directly from the original plates. Limited edition. This is not hand signed or numbered. Signature in the printing p...
Category

20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph, Offset

Psychoanalysis : Tribute to Freud - Original handsigned lithograph (Field #72-3)
Located in Paris, IDF
Salvador Dali (1904-1989) Psychoanalysis : Tribute to Freud, 1972 Original coloured lithograph Handsigned in pencil Numbered 984/ 1000 On Arches Vellum 35 x 26" (87 x 64 cm) Ref...
Category

1970s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Mid 20th century French Surrealist Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
French Surrealist Oil Painting Mid 20th Century Oil painting on canvas, unframed Canvas size: 24 x 18 inches This intriguing oil definitely ignites some expressive thoughts - one in...
Category

20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

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.

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