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.
Asturias I, Surrealist Etching by Juliana Seraphim
Located in Long Island City, NY
Asturias I Juliana Seraphim, Palestinian (1934–2005) Date: Circa 1970 Etching on Arches, signed and numbered in pencil by the artist and Miguel Asturias Edition of 200 Image Size: 19...
Etching
Formes Captives II, Drawing by Andre Masson
By André Masson
Located in Long Island City, NY
From the collection of the late Larry Saphire. Formes Captives II by Andre Masson, 1896 - 1987 Medium: Pencil and Charcoal drawing with Lithograph on verso Size: 12.5 x 16 in. (31.7...
Charcoal, Pencil, Lithograph
"The Post-Truth Era V", Surrealist Portrait, Brown, Collage, Acrylic Painting
By John Baker
Located in Franklin, MA
John Baker’s “The Post-Truth Era V “ is an acrylic painting on canvas with collage 20 x 16 inches in blues, whites, tans and browns. In our post-truth era it is next to impossible to...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
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...
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
De trace de pas de trace de…
Located in Fairlawn, OH
De trace de pas de trace de… Color etching with aquatint, 1966 From: Monsour and Matta, Les Damnations, 1966 (11 plates, this one of 7 hors text images) Edition: 85 portfolios in the...
Etching, Aquatint
The Beloved of Jerusalem - Héliogravure by Marc Chagall - 1960
By Marc Chagall
Located in Roma, IT
Héliogravure on brown-toned paper, no signature. Héliogravure on bot sheets, recto and verso. Edition of 6500 unsigned copies. Printed by Mourlot and published by Tériade on the A...
Photogravure
$2,600Sale Price|20% Off
Protectress II Oil Painting on Canvas, Surrealist, dog, doberman, Unframed
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
"Protectress" by Rudolf Kosow is a compelling oil painting that uses surrealism to explore themes of guardianship and scale. In this striking work, a colossal Doberman sits attentive...
Canvas, Oil
Salvador Dali - The Golden Age - Original Lithograph
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Salvador Dali - The Golden Age - Original Lithograph Joseph FORET, Paris, 1957 PRINTER : Ballon. SIGNATURE : plate signed by Dali. LIMITED : 197 copies. EDITION : Number 136 SIZE ...
Lithograph
Hunter S. Thompson in Straight Jacket
Located in Hollywood, FL
Artist: Ralph Steadman Title: Hunter S. Thompson in Straight Jacket Medium: One color silkscreen on White Rising Stonehenge Deckle Edge Paper Size: 22 x 30 Inches Edition: of 250 Ye...
Silk, Screen
$1,975
An Undying Wonderment - Original Figurative Mixed Media Surrealist Inspired Art
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Robert Lebsack creates artworks using mixed media with ink, acrylic, and charcoal on archival copies of newspapers, textbooks, and sheet music. As a visionary artist, Lebsack weaves ...
Paper, Charcoal, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
$8,750
LOYALTY (Surrealist Oil Painting on Canvas, monochrome, blue grey, lion, animal)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
Rudolf Kosow’s Loyalty is a haunting contemporary surrealist and monochrome painting that places a small female figure beside a monumental sleeping lion on the edge of a high and dra...
Canvas, Oil
$15,600Sale Price|20% Off
The Woman in The Cosmos Dominating The World: Surrealist Lithograph, Signed
Located in Hollywood, FL
ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: The Woman in The Cosmos Dominating The World MEDIUM: Lithograph SIGNED: Hand Signed PUBLISHER: Jean-Paul Lorriaux EDITION NUMBER: 115/150 MEASURE...
Lithograph
The Surrealist Dream, King Ubu - Original Lithograph (Mourlot #426)
By Joan Miró
Located in Paris, IDF
Joan MIRO The Surrealist Dream, King Ubu, 1966 Original lithograph (Atelier Mourlot, Paris) Unsigned Numbered 34 / 75 copies On Arches vellum 54 x 75 cm (c. 21.2 x 29.5 in) REFEREN...
Lithograph
Joan Ponç - UNTITLED Etching. Spanish Surrealism Contemporary Art Purple
By Joan Ponç
Located in Madrid, Madrid
Joan Ponç - SIN TÍTULO 1 Date of creation: 1975 Medium: Etching on paper Edition number: 70/75 Size: 56 x 76 cm Condition: In perfect conditions and never framed Observations: Etchin...
Engraving, Etching
$2,011Sale Price|20% Off
Surrealist portrait inspired in Da Vinci´s Salvator Mundi. Giclée Print: Chaman
Located in Segovia, ES
¨Shaman¨, inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi, recreates the theme of ancient automatic machines that told the future. The extraordinary image of Leonardo da Vinci's Salva...
Canvas, Giclée
$5,500
Monograph: Francis Bacon (hand signed and warmly inscribed by Francis Bacon)
Located in New York, NY
Francis Bacon Francis Bacon (hand signed and warmly inscribed by Francis Bacon), 1975 Softcover catalogue with stiff wraps (hand signed and warmly inscribed by Francis Bacon) hand si...
Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Lithograph, Offset, Felt Pen
"We Are Unique under This Sky" - Surrealist Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Denver, CO
Andreas Claussen (b. 1988, Hanover, Germany) is a pioneering oil painter whose journey from law studies to the art world underscores his deep-seated passion for visual storytelling. ...
Canvas, Oil
Petals in Reverie II - Framed Botanical Flowers Still Life Acrylic Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The figurative surrealistic paintings of Carlos Gamez de Francisco are heavily influenced by his Cuban upbringing in a Russian-governed academic setting. This presence exposed Franci...
Canvas, Acrylic
Case (XL) (Surrealist Oil Painting on Canvas, Banana peel, Unframed)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
In "Case", banal, everyday things meet in this painting to create an unusual, strange, absurd and ironical situation derived by the disproportional scale size of things. Rudolf Kos...
Canvas, Oil
$1,300
"Merchant of Venice" Salvador Dalí, Surrealist, Spanish, Illustration, Stylized
Located in New York, NY
Salvador Dalí Merchant of Venice, 1968 Signed lower right, numbered lower left, inscribed on the reverse Etching on paper 7 x 5 inches Sheet 17 x 12 1/4 inches Edition 107/250 Salv...
Paper, Etching
Huge French Surrealist Oil Painting Floating Figures Sea Sky 1974 Signed
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Title Huge French Surrealist Oil Painting Floating Figures Sea Sky 1974 Signed Key Details Artist: French School, signed and dated 1974 Title: Surrealist Abstract Depiction of Floati...
Oil
La Grande Danseuse - Etching by Marc Chagall - 1967
By Marc Chagall
Located in Roma, IT
Etching and aquatint on Japan paper. Hand signed and numbered in pencil. Edition of 23/35 prints. Excellent condition. Ref. Cramer, Marc Chagall, The Illustrated Books, no. 6
Etching
Digitale, Original Lithograph, Modern, 1969, Signed
Located in OPOLE, PL
Pierre Alechinsky (1927) - Digitale Lithograph from 1969. The edition ea. Dimensions of work: 44 x 30.5 cm. Hand signed. Publisher: Atelier Clot, Paris. The work is in Excellen...
Lithograph
"House of Cards"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
House of Cards is a narrative silk print by Natalia Kolpakova, depicting an impossible card-built architecture containing a central pool where a relaxed figure drifts in orbit of kin...
Silk
Abstract Composition - Lithograph by André Masson - 1970s
By André Masson
Located in Roma, IT
Abstract Composition is an original colored lithograph realized in the half of XX century. The artwork is hand signed on the lower right margin. Numbered on the lower left. Edition...
Lithograph
$8,500
Le Troisieme Oeil, Surrealist Portfolio of Ten Lithographs by Marcel Marceau
Located in Long Island City, NY
Marcel Marceau, French (1923 - 2007) - Le Troisieme Oeil (The Third Eye) Portfolio, Year: 1981, Medium: Portfolio of Ten Lithographs on Arches, each signed and numbered in pencil, ...
Lithograph
Mid-20th Century Magical Realism, Surrealist Painting, Cleveland School Artist
By Paul Riba
Located in Beachwood, OH
Paul Riba (American, 1912-1977) Untitled Oil on panel Signed lower right 30 x 18 inches 39.25 x 27.25 inches, framed Paul Riba was a painter of Magic Realism. He explored the unrea...
Oil
"Bird Form" from the suite "Bestiary and some Correspondences"
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Bird Form" from the suite "Bestiary and some Correspondences" 1968 is an original color lithograph on Arches paper by renown British artist Graham Vivian Sutherl...
Lithograph
$880Sale Price|20% Off
"Extensive Park in Springtime", Surrealist Landscape, Collage, Acrylic Painting
By John Baker
Located in Franklin, MA
John Baker's "Extensive Park in Springtime" is an acrylic painting on canvas with collage 20 x 16 inches in saturated light and mid-range greens and tans with pale pink accents. The ...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
$571
Duality of expression. Limited edition print, Surreal, Established Polish artist
Located in Warsaw, PL
Size of sheet is ca. 21 x 29 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...
Paper, Color
$17,714
Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) - Colombe volant - Color lithograph on Arches paper
Located in Varese, IT
Color lithograph on Arches paper, edited in 1952 . Limited edition of 200 copies, numbered as 160/200 in the lower left corner. Hand-signed in pencil by the artist in the lower righ...
Lithograph, Paper
$2,200
"Wedgewood" by Ben Schonzeit (Photorealist, Surreal, Still life, Flowers, Tulip)
Located in New York, NY
b. 1942, Brooklyn, NY A pioneer in the SoHo art scene of the 1960s and one of the leaders of the Photorealist movement of the 1970s, Ben Schonzeit is best know for his still life pa...
Screen
$6,000
Hommage a Picasso (Cannes) (Cote d'Azur) /// Surrealism Salvador Dali Surrealist
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Salvador Dali (Spanish, 1904-1989) Title: "Hommage a Picasso (Cannes) (Cote d'Azur)" *Signed by Dali in pencil lower right Year: 1973 Medium: Original Drypoint Etching on Riv...
Drypoint, Etching, Intaglio
Pablo Picasso, "Sculpteur et Modele debout, " etching, hand signed
Located in Chatsworth, CA
Artist: Pablo Picasso Title: Sculpteur et Modele debout Year: 1933 Medium: Original etching Edition: hand signed in pencil from an edition of 250 on small margins Size: Frame: 27 x 2...
Etching
Le Delire du Couturier, Bleu, Rouge, Vert
By Joan Miró
Located in Wien, 9
Joan Miró, Le Delire du Couturier, Bleu, Rouge, Vert, 1969. Color lithograph, signed on lower right, numbered 2/30. Catalogue Raisonné: Mourlot 645.
Color, Lithograph
$3,196Sale Price|20% Off
Memories of Surrealism Surrealist King Etching Japon Paper Signed 1971
Located in Hollywood, FL
ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Memories of Surrealism Surrealist King MEDIUM: Etching on Japon Paper SIGNED: Hand Signed by Salvador Dali EDITION NUMBER: A XXX/XL MEASUREMENTS: 29...
Etching
$2,800
Large Surrealist French Japanese European Cityscape Oil painting Foussa Itaya
Located in Surfside, FL
Foussa Itaya (Japan, France, 1919-1972) Oil on canvas. View of rooftops, European town cityscape Hand signed lower left Dimensions: H 23.5" x W 28.5" Born in Fukuoka, Foussa Itay...
Canvas, Oil
Pàjaro Surrealista - Lithograph by Wifredo Lam - 1966
By Wifredo Lam
Located in Roma, IT
Lithograph on paper. Image dimension 38x55,5 cm. Hand signed and numbered. Edition of 300. Table from the Suite "Prisunic"
Lithograph
Leonor Fini, Extrême Nuit, rare lithograph on wove paper, 1980
By Leonor Fini
Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Very rare artist proof handsigned by surrealist artist Leonor Fini, inscreasingly esteemed with the movement of rediscovering art by women. This rare original lithograph depicts a wo...
Paper
Antique Italian Super Realist Surreal Landscape Framed Signed Modern Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique Italian modernist landscape oil painting. Oil on board. Signed. Framed. Provenance from a Brooklyn, NY collection. Measuring: 23 by 33 inches overall. Handsomely framed in d...
Oil, Board
$1,275
Don't Let Us Fade Away - Original Colorful Mixed Media Surrealist Landscape Art
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Robert Lebsack creates artworks using mixed media with ink, acrylic, and charcoal on archival copies of newspapers, textbooks, and sheet music. As a visionary artist, Lebsack weaves ...
Paper, Charcoal, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
$12,000Sale Price|30% Off
The Cubist Angel, Bronze Sculpture, Surrealist, 1980, Signed
Located in OPOLE, PL
Bronze, hand-patinated and partially polished cast in 1982 using the lost-wax (""à cire perdue"") technique bearing the foundry stamp ""Strehle Kunstguss"" height (including base): 5...
Bronze
$3,500
A Charming 1940s Mid-Century Modern Oil, Summer Night, Vermont, "English Dance"
Located in Chicago, IL
A Charming, 1940s Mid-Century Modern Landscape Oil Painting of a Summer Night in Vermont, "English Dance" by Notable Chicago Artist, Harold Haydon (Am. 1909-1994). Depicting a livel...
Oil, Canvas
Leonor Fini, Cats, rare lithograph on Rives paper, circa 1970
By Leonor Fini
Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Rare print handsigned by surrealist artist Leonor Fini, inscreasingly esteemed with the movement of rediscovering art by women. Leonor Fini adored cats and dedicated several works to...
Paper
Salvador Dali - Don Quichotte
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Salvador Dali - Don Quichotte - Original Lithograph Joseph FORET, Paris, 1957 PRINTER : Atelier Mourlot. SIGNATURE : printed signature in the plate LIMI...
Lithograph
Flower Throne 3 (Portrait, Floral, Dreamy, Surreal, Ghostly)
By David Pugh
Located in Kansas City, MO
David Pugh Flower Throne 3 From "BE, AND KNOW" Series Photographic Print on Fine Paper 2026 Size: 35.8 x 23.8 inches (90.93 x 60.45 cm) Edition: 5 COA included Label to be attached v...
Photography
$16,850
The Unicorn Laser Disintegrates the Horns of Cosmic Rhinoceroses (The Conquest o
Located in Greenwich, CT
The Unicorn Laser Disintegrates the Horns of the Cosmic Rhinoceroses from the Conquest of Cosmos suite – 29.5 x 22" image size, signed ‘Dalí’ lower right and annotated lower left. Fr...
Drypoint, Lithograph
"Holding Back the Moon" (ca. 2018) By John Tarantola, Nude Portrait Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
John Tarantola's original nude portrait "Holding Back the Moon" (ca. 2018) is a beautiful surrealist oil on panel painting that depicts an athletic nude young male figure, with his a...
Oil, Panel
$30,400Sale Price|20% Off
Elements, Surrealism, Chicago Artist, Planets
Located in Grand Rapids, MI
William Samuel Schwartz (Russian/American, 1896-1977) Signed: William S Schwartz (Lower, Left) " Elements ", c. 1928-29 (Date based Upon 8 Pl...
Canvas, Oil
$4,000
Le Roi Marc from Tristan et Iseult, Framed Surrealist Engraving by Salvador Dali
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Salvador Dali, Spanish (1904 - 1989) Title: Le Roi Marc from Tristan et Iseult Year: 1970 Medium: Color Etching on Arches, Initialed in Penci...
Engraving
Les Infortunes de la Vertu - Etching by Hans Bellmer - 1968
By Hans Bellmer
Located in Roma, IT
Les Infortunes de la Vertu is a modern artwork realized by Hans Bellmer. Hand Signed. From the Portfolio "Petit Traité de Morale", Paris, Editions Georges Visat, 1968. Copy on Véli...
Paper, Etching
Jeremy Geddes "Foundation" Astronaut Print 2015 Australia Surrealist Art
Located in Draper, UT
TITLE Foundation YEAR 2015 CLASSIFICATION Limited edition MEDIUM TYPE Print MEDIUM/MATERIALS Hahnemuhle Matt Photo Rag INVENTORY ID N/A CATEGORIES Digital Print / Pop and Contemporar...
Screen
Cattelan Drummer Boy 2003 Offset Print, Surrealist, First Edition
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Original exhibition poster for Fast Forward: Contemporary Collections, Dallas Museum of Art. This visually arresting poster features a provocative and unexpected image characteristi...
Offset
$772Sale Price|30% Off
Femme Bleue, Lithograph, Modern, 1958, Excellent condition
Located in OPOLE, PL
Henri Matisse (1869-1954) - Femme Bleue Lithograph from 1958. Dimensions of work: 35.5 x 26.4 cm. Plate signed. Publisher: Tériade, Paris. On the verso there is another Lithogra...
Lithograph
Saguaro - Framed Abstract Colorful Architectural Landscape Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C Bernhardsson's original artworks are influenced by the architecture and geometry of houses. Born in Sweden, Bernhardsson travels the world photographing and sketching houses ...
Canvas, Acrylic
$60,000
"Bird and Woman" William Baziotes, Surrealist, Green, Purple, Pink, Abstracted
Located in New York, NY
William Baziotes Bird and Woman, 1947 Signed, titled, and dated on the reverse Oil on canvas 29 1/2 x 37 1/2 inches Provenance Kootz Gallery, New York Private Collection, Connecticu...
Canvas, Oil
"Uniqueness Is a Risky Business" - Surrealist Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Denver, CO
Andreas Claussen (b. 1988, Hanover, Germany) is a pioneering oil painter whose journey from law studies to the art world underscores his deep-seated passion for visual storytelling. ...
Canvas, Oil
The Moment
Located in Zofingen, AG
The Moment After the dark night of the soul, there will always be the sun. After darkness, dawn always comes. “The Moment” is a space between night and light, between what has alread...
Canvas, Acrylic
Trasfiguration d'un Cactus - Etching by Man Ray - 1960s
By Man Ray
Located in Roma, IT
Color etching and aquatint realized in 1969/71. Hand signed and numbered in pencil. Edition of 99. Published by Georges Visat, Paris. Ref. Anselmino 29E Very good condition.
Etching