$7,950
Obsessions of The Heart from Visions Surrealiste ( TAROT ) original Dali 1976
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Paonia, CO
Obsessions of the Heart ( The World ) is from one of Salvador Dali's TAROT series titled Visions Surrealiste. It is an original limited edition (78 / 100) lithograph on Japon paper, ...
Lithograph
$5,500
Apparition of the Rose ( Tarot ) original signed limited ed. by Salvador Dali
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Paonia, CO
Apparition of the Rose is from Magic Butterfly & the Dream ( Tarot ) suite is an original signed limited ed. 5/250 lithograph by Salvador Dali.
Lithograph
Salvador Dalí -- Pilgrim's Journey
By Salvador Dalí
Located in BRUCE, ACT
Salvador Dali Pilgrim's Journey (TAROT The Fool) , 1978 Lithograph on Arches Hand signed in the lower right Numbered 362/400 Image size: 58 x 43 cm Sheet size: 74.5 x 54.5 cm Pub...
Lithograph
$3,200Sale Price|20% Off
PRINCE OF CUPS 1979, Signed Lithograph on Arches, Tarot Card Series, Surrealist
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Union City, NJ
Artist - Salvador Dali (Spanish, 1904-1989) Title - PRINCE OF CUPS, Tarot Card Series Publisher - DALART N.V.
Lithograph
King of Swords by Salvador Dalí
By Salvador Dalí
Located in New Orleans, LA
Salvador Dalí 1904-1989 Spanish King of Swords Signed “Dalí” (lower center) Gouache on photographic background This unique gouache by Surrealist master Salvador Dalí combines the...
Gouache, Photographic Paper
Four of Wands by Salvador Dalí
By Salvador Dalí
Located in New Orleans, LA
Salvador Dalí 1904-1989 Spanish Four of Wands Signed "Dalí" (lower center) Gouache on photographic background From Salvador Dalí's celebrated tarot series, Four of Wands represen...
Gouache, Photographic Paper
Six of Swords, Oil Painting
By Rachel Srinivasan
Located in San Francisco, CA
Words that describe this painting: bison, dance, dancer, ballerina, ballerino, pyramid, tarot, divination, Salvador Dali, balance, swords, weapons, asclepius, minotaur, surrealism, o...
Oil
Unavailable
H 27 in W 19 in
Salvador Dali Original Lithograph Authentic HAND SIGNED Surreal Art Tarot Card
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Bloomington, MN
SALVADOR DALI Original Color Lithograph, Custom Framed and listed with the Submit Best Offer option Accepting Offers Now: Up for sale here we have an Extremely Rare, Original Color...
Lithograph
Papillons Anciennes Courtesan by Salvador Dali
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Paonia, CO
Papillon Anciennes is Salvador Dali's Tarot suite consisting of four color lithographs.
Lithograph
Sold
H 26.5 in W 23.25 in D 2 in
The Golden Calf (Chariot Tarot Card) by Salvador Dalí
By Salvador Dalí
Located in New Orleans, LA
Salvador Dalí 1904-1989 Spanish The Golden Calf (Chariot Tarot Card) Signed “Dalí” (lower center) Gouache on a photographic base This gouache exemplifies a unique fusion of spiri...
Gouache, Photographic Paper
Sold
H 36.5 in W 23.75 in
Salvador Dali Color Lithograph, Surrealist, Signed, 1978, "The Tower" Tarot
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Salvador Dali Title: The Tower Portfolio: Lyle Stuart Tarot Medium: Lithograph in colors on wove paper Date: 1978 Edition: 50/250 Frame Size: 36 1/2" x 23 3/4" Sheet Size: 3...
Lithograph
Sold
H 36.5 in W 23.75 in
Salvador Dali Color Lithograph, Surrealist, Signed, 1978, "Ten of Staves" Tarot
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Salvador Dali Title: Ten of Staves Portfolio: Lyle Stuart Tarot Medium: Lithograph in colors on wove paper Date: 1978 Edition: 50/250 Frame Size: 36 1/2" x 23 3/4" Sheet Siz...
Lithograph
Sold
H 35.5 in W 23.5 in
Wheel of Fortune from Lyle Stuart Tarot Print Suite by Salvador Dali
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Long Island City, NY
Dali originally created the Tarot series to be used in the James Bond Movie "Live and Let Die".
Lithograph
Lyle Stuart Tarot Prints Ace of Cups
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Hollywood, FL
ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Lyle Stuart Tarot Prints Ace of Cups MEDIUM: Lithograph SIGNED: Hand Signed EDITION NUMBER: 119/250 MEASUREMENTS: 29.5" x 19" YEAR: 1978 CONDITI...
Lithograph
Lyle Stuart Tarot Prints Two of Swords
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Hollywood, FL
ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Lyle Stuart Tarot Prints Two of Swords MEDIUM: Lithograph SIGNED: Hand Signed by Salvador Dali EDITION NUMBER: 100/250 MEASUREMENTS: 22.87" x 17" Y...
Lithograph
Lyle Stuart Tarot Prints Wheel of Fortune
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Hollywood, FL
ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Lyle Stuart Tarot Prints Wheel of Fortune MEDIUM: Lithograph SIGNED: Hand Signed by Salvador Dali EDITION NUMBER: 100/250 MEASUREMENTS: 22.87" x 17...
Lithograph
Ten of Staves from Lyle Stuart Tarot Print Suite
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Salvador Dali, Spanish (1904 - 1989) Title: Ten of Staves from Lyle Stuart Tarot Print Suite [Intended for a James Bond Movie] Year: 1978 Medium: Lithograph on BFK Rives, sig...
Lithograph
Sold
H 29.875 in W 21.375 in
Pantocrator - Christ In His Majesty (Tarot 3 of Coins), hand signed lithograph
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Aventura, FL
Lithograph and mezzotint on japon paper. Hand signed and numbered by Salvador Dali. LXXXIX/C. Includes original portfolio and insert. Published by Levine and Levine Publishers fo...
Paper, Lithograph
Four of Swords by Salvador Dalí
By Salvador Dalí
Located in New Orleans, LA
Salvador Dalí 1904-1989 Spanish Four of Swords Signed “Dalí” (lower center) Gouache on photographic background Representing a unique blend of spiritualism and Surrealism, this go...
Gouache, Photographic Paper
Sold
H 29.5 in W 21.38 in
Release of the Psychic Spirit ( Tarot ) original lithograph Salvador Dali 1977
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Paonia, CO
Release of the Psychic Spirit from Magic Butterfly & the Dream ( Tarot ) suite is an original signed limited ed. 5/250 lithograph by Salvador Dali.
Lithograph
Sold
H 29.75 in W 21.5 in D 0.125 in
DALI DREAMS (KING OF COINS) 1978 Signed Lithograph on Japon Paper, Tarot Card
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Union City, NJ
DALI DREAMS (KING OF COINS) from the Tarot Card Series by Salvador Dali, is a surrealist self-portrait of DALI himself sitting in a chair asleep and dreaming.
Lithograph
Immaculate Conception from Tarot (Nine of Swords)
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Chatsworth, CA
This piece is a lithograph from the original gouache painting by Salvador Dali. It was made for a series of Tarot cards that Dali had created in 1976.
Lithograph
Immaculate Conception from Tarot (Nine of Swords)
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Chatsworth, CA
This piece is a lithograph from the original gouache painting by Salvador Dali. It was made for a series of Tarot cards that Dali had created in 1976.
Lithograph
The Tower from Lyle Stuart Tarot Print Suite
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Long Island City, NY
Dali originally created the Tarot series to be used in the James Bond Movie "Live and Let Die".
Lithograph
Sold
H 29 in W 21 in
Immaculate Conception(Nine Of Swords) Signed Lithograph, Tarot Card, Surrealist
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Union City, NJ
Immaculate Conception is a limited edition color lithograph printed on Arches printmaking paper, 100% acid free by the Modern master Salvador Dali. Immaculate Conception, also know a...
Lithograph
Sold
H 29.75 in W 21 in
THE BULLFIGHTER(The Golden Calf) Signed Lithograph Surreal Portrait Tarot Card
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Union City, NJ
THE BULLFIGHTER(The Golden Calf) from the Tarot Card Series by Salvador Dali, is a surrealist depiction of "The Chariot" Tarot Card printed in vibrant colors of clear blue, lemon yel...
Lithograph
Sold
H 29.75 in W 21 in
LADY BLUE(THE HIGH PRIESTESS) 1979 Signed Lithograph, Tarot Card Series
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Union City, NJ
LADY BLUE(THE HIGH PRIESTESS) from the Tarot Card Series by Salvador Dali, portrays a queenly woman dressed in a rich dark blue cloak, in her lap, she holds a scroll, her gaze glance...
Lithograph
In Tentazione - Lithograph - 1966
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Roma, IT
In Tentationem - From "Pater Noster" is a very interesting illustration (offset lithograph) by Salvador Dalí, from the volume "Pater Noster" published by Rizzoli Editore, Milan, 1966...
Lithograph
$635
H 19.1 in W 13.78 in D 0.04 in
Mulier e Latere Viri Lithograph, Surrealist, Signed, 1964, Unframed
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Roma, IT
Mulier e Latere Viri ("Woman from the Side of Man") is an artwork realized in 1964. It is part of Biblia Sacra vulgatæ editionis published by Rizzoli-Mediolani between 1967 and 1969...
Lithograph
Salvador Dalí -- Phillip from The Twelve Apostles
By Salvador Dalí
Located in BRUCE, ACT
Salvador Dali Phillip from The Twelve Apostles, 1977 Lithographs in colors with embossment on Arches paper Hand signed lower right Edition EA lower left Sheet size 64.5 x 47.5 cm Pub...
Lithograph
Salvador Dali -- Hommage to Leonardo da Vinci
By Salvador Dalí
Located in BRUCE, ACT
Salvador Dali Hommage to Leonardo da Vinci, 1975 Hand signed lower right Numbered 288/450 Sheet size 76 x 56 cm Printed by Ateliers Rigal, Paris Published by Transworld Art, New York...
Engraving
$3,476
H 16.15 in W 13 in D 0.04 in
Salvador Dali - Apparition de Dulcinée - Original Lithograph
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Salvador Dali - Apparition de Dulcinée - Original Lithograph Joseph FORET, Paris, 1957 SIGNATURE : printed in the image LIMITED : 197 copies. SIZE : 41 x 33 cm REFERENCES : Field 57...
Lithograph
$3,467
H 16.15 in W 13 in D 0.04 in
Salvador Dali - The Vision - Original Lithograph
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Salvador Dali - The Vision - Original Lithograph Joseph FORET, Paris, 1957 PRINTER : Detruit. SIGNATURE : plate signed by Dali. LIMITED : 233 copies. SIZE : 41 x 33 cm REFERENCES ...
Lithograph
$3,895
H 29.88 in W 26.25 in
Salvador Dali Color Lithograph, Signed, 1972, Twelve Apostles, Mark (Merlin)
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Salvador Dali Title: Mark (Merlin the Magician) Portfolio: 1972 The Twelve Apostles (Knights of the Round Table) Medium: Lithograph Year: 1972 Edition: 38/350 Frame Size: 29 ...
Lithograph
$3,995
H 29.75 in W 21.25 in
Memories of Surrealism Dressed in The Nude in The Surrealist Fashion
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Hollywood, FL
ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Memories of Surrealism Dressed in The Nude in The Surrealist Fashion MEDIUM: Etching on Japon Paper SIGNED: Hand Signed by Salvador Dali EDITION NUMB...
Etching
$2,542
H 27.37 in W 21.07 in D 0.99 in
Salvador Dalí Signed Lithograph, Don José’s Final Appearance, 1968
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Roma, IT
Color lithograph by Salvador Dalí (1904–1989), Don José’s Final Appearance: the Bats Symbolizing Death, from the celebrated Carmen suite inspired by Georges Bizet’s opera. The work i...
Lithograph
$2,542
H 15.75 in W 11.82 in D 1.19 in
Salvador Dalí 1970s Surrealist Dated and Signed Work on Paper
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Roma, IT
Salvador Dalí 1970s Surrealist Dated and Signed Work on Paper This significant work on paper is a silkscreen print by Salvador Dalí (1904–1989), part of the famous series dedicated ...
Lithograph
Memories of Surrealism Surrealist King
By Salvador Dalí
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
$4,500
H 29.75 in W 21.375 in
Salvador Dali Enigma of The Rose 1976 Signed Lithograph Visions Surrealiste
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Minneapolis, MN
Artist: Salvador Dali Title: Enigma of The Rose Medium: Color Lithograph on Paper Sheet Size: 29.75" x 21.375" Edition: EA, outside of the edition of 150 Year: 1976 Publisher: Levine...
Paper, Lithograph
$4,500
H 29 in W 21 in
Chevalier Surrealiste, Signed Surrealist Lithograph by Salvador Dali
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Long Island City, NY
An original hand-signed and numbered Dali lithograph entitled "Chevalier Surrealiste". A rare example that it accompanied with the original folio and the Bowles/Hopkins Certificate o...
Lithograph
$1,995
H 25.25 in W 20.75 in
Salvador Dali Color Engraving, Signed, 1970, Tristan's Testament
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Salvador Dali Title: Tristan's Testament Portfolio: Tristan and Iseult Medium: Color engraving Year: 1970 Edition: XII/XXV Frame Size: 25 1/4" x 20 3/4" Sheet Size: 17 3/4" x...
Engraving
Memories of Surrealism Surrealist Flower Girl
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Hollywood, FL
ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Memories of Surrealism Surrealist Flower Girl MEDIUM: Etching on Japon Paper SIGNED: Hand Signed by Salvador Dali EDITION NUMBER: A XXX/XL MEASUREME...
Etching
Salvador Dali "Untitled 20 (Les Songes)"
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Boston, MA
Artist: Dali, Salvador Title: Untitled 20 (Les Songes) Series: Les Songes Drolatiques de Pantagruel Date: 1973 Medium: Lithograph with color backgrounds Unframed Dimensions: 25....
Lithograph
$14,968
H 19.69 in W 27.56 in D 0.04 in
Le Peintre et Son Modèle - Etching by Pablo Picasso - 1963
By Pablo Picasso
Located in Roma, IT
Hand Signed and numbered. Edition of 22/150 pieces. Full margins. Edition Circle d'Art, Paris; Printed by Crommelynck, Paris. Ref. Bloch 1139. Excellent condition.
Paper, Etching
$4,737Sale Price / item|20% Off
H 23.63 in Dm 27.56 in
Rezzonico chandelier 5 arms clear Murano glass, multicolor details by Multiforme
By Multiforme
Located in Venezia, Veneto
Kia Ora chandelier 5 lights clear Murano glass with blue and ruby trims, multicolour vitreous paste details. Kia Ora is the combination of the traditional Venetian structure with g...
Blown Glass, Art Glass, Murano Glass
$500 / item
H 18.7 in W 13.2 in D 3 in
Manly P. Hall's The Secret Teachings, Facsimile Book Set with Prints
By TASCHEN
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The classic encyclopedia of the arcane in an expanded edition. Renowned philosopher and lecturer Manly P. Hall’s masterful encyclopedia of ancient symbols, hidden rituals, and arcan...
Foil
$913
H 14.97 in W 10.24 in
Casanova : Snail Lady - Original etching (Field #67-4 K)
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Paris, IDF
Salvador DALI (1904-1969) Casanova : Snail lady, 1967 Original etching Signed in the plate On vellum Rives 38 x 28 cm (c. 14.9 x 11 inch) REFERENCES : - Catalog raisonné Field #67-...
Etching
$195,000
H 25 in W 20.5 in
Pablo Picasso, "Tête de Femme", original linoleum cut, hand signed
By Pablo Picasso
Located in Chatsworth, CA
This piece is an original linoleum cut in color by Pablo Picasso, 1962. It is hand signed and numbered 40/50 from the edition of 50; there were also 35 artist's proofs. This piece is...
Linocut
Salvador Dali - Sator - Original Etching
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Salvador Dali - Sator - Original Etching Stamp Signed Dimensions: 38,5 x 28,5 cm 1969 References : Field 69-1 / Michler & Lopsinger 305
Etching
Sold|$2,595
H 22 in W 22 in
Salvador Dali Surrealist Etching, Signed, 1980, from Neuf Paysages Portfolio
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Salvador Dali Title: Espace paysage from cobea Portfolio: Neuf Paysages Medium: Etching Year: 1980 Edition: 3/49 Frame Size: 22" x 22" Sheet Size: 14 7/8" x 14 7/8" Signature...
Etching
Salvador Dali - Girl on Rhinoceros Horn
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Salvador Dali - Girl on Rhinoceros Horn - Original Etching Dimensions: 38 x 28 cm Edition: 390 1967 On Rives Vellum Signed in the plate References : Field 67-4 (p. 32-33) / Michler &...
Etching
$6,010
H 29.53 in W 22.05 in D 0.4 in
Salvador Dali - Plum - Original Hand-Signed Lithograph
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Salvador Dali - Plum - Original Hand-Signed Lithograph 1969 Dimensions: P. 57 x 37 cm Sheet: 75 x 56 cm Edition of 340 + proofs Editor : Jean Schneider, Basel Handsigned, EA (Epreuv...
Lithograph
Salvador Dali - Argus - Original Etching
By Salvador Dalí
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...
Etching
$3,680
H 22.05 in W 29.93 in
Salvador Dalí -- Autumn from the suite “The Seasons”
By Salvador Dalí
Located in BRUCE, ACT
Salvador Dali Autumn from the suite “The Seasons.”, 1972 Color Lithograph. Hand signed lower right. Numbered XC / CC. Sheet size: 76 x 56 cm. Published by Mitsubishi Department Sto...
Lithograph
Dali, Femme à tete de Roses (after)
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Salvador Dali (1904-1989) Title: Femme à tete de Roses Year: 2004 Medium: Lithograph on wove paper Size: 30.25 x 22 inches Condition: Excellent Inscription: Unsigned and unnu...
Lithograph
$1,036Sale Price|20% Off
H 30 in W 36 in D 2 in
Vintage Surreal Signed Nude Figures Framed Original Modernist Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American modernist abstract nude landscape oil painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. Signed illegibly.
Canvas, Oil
Surrealist Landscape Oil Painting, 20th Century, Framed, 30 x 24.25 in
Located in Beachwood, OH
Surrealist Landscape Oil on canvas 'R. Lee Glenn' verso 30 x 24.25 inches 31.75 x 26.75 inches, framed Surrealism aims to revolutionize human experience. It balances a rational visi...
Oil
$6,000
H 8.8 in W 12.8 in
Pablo Picasso, "Untitled" from 23 novembre 1966 II, etching
By Pablo Picasso
Located in Chatsworth, CA
An original etching created by Pablo Picasso in 1966 . It is stamp signed and numbered from the edition of 50. This piece measures 8.8 x 12.8 inches and the framed dimensions are 1...
Etching
$5,650
H 29.5 in W 22 in
Signs of The Zodiac, Libra original lithograph by Salvador Dali
By Salvador Dalí
Located in Paonia, CO
Libra from Signs of the Zodiac by Salvador Dali is from a series of 12 limited edition lithographs. This original hand signed lithograph is Libra, the seventh astrological sign ...
Lithograph
Instantly recognizable by his waxed, upturned mustache, the flamboyant Salvador Dalí is one of modern art’s most distinctive figures. He is also one of the icons of the 20th-century avant-garde Surrealist movement, whose dreamlike images, drawn from the depths of the unconscious, he deployed in paintings, sculptures, prints and fashion, as well as in film collaborations with Luis Buñuel and Alfred Hitchcock.
Dalí was born in Figueres, Catalonia, and even as a youngster, displayed the sensitivity, sharp perception and vivid imagination that would later define his artworks. In these, he conjured childhood memories and employed religious symbols and Freudian imagery like staircases, keys and dripping candles to create unexpected, often shocking pieces.
Dalí's use of hyperrealism in conveying Surrealist symbols and concepts that subvert accepted notions of reality is epitomized in what is perhaps his most recognizable painting, The Persistence of Memory (1931), in which he depicts the fluidity of time through melting clocks, their forms inspired by Camembert cheese melting in the sun. His artistic genius, eccentric personality and eternal quest for fame made him a global celebrity.
“Each morning when I awake, I experience again a supreme pleasure,” he once said. “That of being Salvador Dalí.”
Find original Salvador Dalí paintings, prints, sculptures and other works on 1stDibs.
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.
Decorating with fine art prints — whether they’re figurative prints, abstract prints or another variety — has always been a practical way of bringing a space to life as well as bringing works by an artist you love into your home.
Pursued in the 1960s and ’70s, largely by Pop artists drawn to its associations with mass production, advertising, packaging and seriality, as well as those challenging the primacy of the Abstract Expressionist brushstroke, printmaking was embraced in the 1980s by painters and conceptual artists ranging from David Salle and Elizabeth Murray to Adrian Piper and Sherrie Levine.
Printmaking is the transfer of an image from one surface to another. An artist takes a material like stone, metal, wood or wax, carves, incises, draws or otherwise marks it with an image, inks or paints it and then transfers the image to a piece of paper or other material.
Fine art prints are frequently confused with their more commercial counterparts. After all, our closest connection to the printed image is through mass-produced newspapers, magazines and books, and many people don’t realize that even though prints are editions, they start with an original image created by an artist with the intent of reproducing it in a small batch. Fine art prints are created in strictly limited editions — 20 or 30 or maybe 50 — and are always based on an image created specifically to be made into an edition.
Many people think of revered Dutch artist Rembrandt as a painter but may not know that he was a printmaker as well. His prints have been preserved in time along with the work of other celebrated printmakers such as Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí and Andy Warhol. These fine art prints are still highly sought after by collectors.
“It’s another tool in the artist’s toolbox, just like painting or sculpture or anything else that an artist uses in the service of mark making or expressing him- or herself,” says International Fine Print Dealers Association (IFPDA) vice president Betsy Senior, of New York’s Betsy Senior Fine Art, Inc.
Because artist’s editions tend to be more affordable and available than his or her unique works, they’re more accessible and can be a great opportunity to bring a variety of colors, textures and shapes into a space.
For tight corners, select small fine art prints as opposed to the oversized bold piece you’ll hang as a focal point in the dining area. But be careful not to choose something that is too big for your space. And feel free to lean into it if need be — not every work needs picture-hanging hooks. Leaning a larger fine art print against the wall behind a bookcase can add a stylish installation-type dynamic to your living room. (Read more about how to arrange wall art here.)
Find fine art prints for sale on 1stDibs today.