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.
$4,600Sale Price|20% Off
Portrait of Picasso (Ochre)
Located in Hollywood, FL
ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Portrait of Picasso (Ochre) MEDIUM: Etching SIGNED: Hand Signed by Salvador Dali EDITION NUMBER: BB 109/200 MEASUREMENTS: Paper: 29" x 19.5" ...
Etching
$900
Portrait with flowers, Leonor Fini (1907-1996) Women Surrealist, Lithograph 1960
By Leonor Fini
Located in New York, NY
Leonor Fini (1907-1996) Portrait with flowers, 1960 Lithograph 25 1/4 x 19 in (64 x 48 cm) With frame: 33 x 26 1/2 in (83,5 x 67,5 cm) Leonor Fini was born in 1907 in Buenos Aires a...
Lithograph
$4,595
Salvador Dali Color Lithograph, Signed, 1972, Twelve Apostles, James the Greater
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Salvador Dali Title: James the Greater (Lancelot of the Lake) Portfolio: 1972 The Twelve Apostles (Knights of the Round Table) Medium: Lithograph Year: 1972 Edition: 45/350 F...
Lithograph
$220Sale Price|20% Off
Limited Edition Botanical Portrait Print Surreal Floral Artwork on Dibond
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Limited edition botanical portrait print on Dibond, combining surreal floral imagery, hand-painted acrylic details and contemporary figurative art. *Liubochka* belongs to Natasha Le...
Metal
$2,310Sale Price|40% Off
"Conception" - Portrait of a Native American on a Vision Quest
Located in Soquel, CA
"Conception" - Portrait of a Native American on a Vision Quest Large scale and fine detailed work by the artist. Detailed and evocative depiction of a Native American elder by Frank Howell...
Laid Paper, Screen
Art Deco Embossed Serigraph Print by Erte, 1991, Boudoir
By Erté
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Erté Title: Boudoir Medium: Embossed serigraph Year: 1991 Edition: 290/300 Sheet Size: 41 3/4" x 29 1/4" Image Size: 35 1/4" x 23 1/4" Signature: Stamped signature
Screen
Tomano Monote (Cupcake Boy)
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Alejandro Colunga is a renowned Mexican artist born in 1948 in Guadalajara, Jalisco. He is part of the Nueva Mexicanidad movement and is celebrated for his surrealist and fantastical...
Etching, Aquatint, Gouache
XXe Siecle Homage a Marc Chagall, Hand Signed Lithograph, Mourlot 572
By Marc Chagall
Located in Aventura, FL
Lithograph in colors on Arches wove paper. Hand signed lower right by Marc Chagall. Hand numbered 70/75 lower left. Sheet size: 19.62 x 14.12 inches. Image size: 12 x 9 inches. ...
Paper, Lithograph
Going Places, Surrealist Screenprint by Mark Kostabi
By Mark Kostabi
Located in Long Island City, NY
A play on the famous Rene Magritte painting “The Son of Man” but set inside the New York City subway system by Mark Kostabi. A surreal pop artwo...
Screen
Woman Standing, Surrealist Woodcut by Ponce
Located in Long Island City, NY
Ponce - Woman Standing, Year: 1981, Medium: Woodcut on Arches, signed, numbered and dated in pencil, Edition: 1/15, Image Size: 11.25 x 7 inches, Size: 15 x 11 in. (38.1 x 27.94...
Woodcut
$458Sale Price|20% Off
Magic of an opera. Limited edition print Surreal Established Polish artist
Located in Warsaw, PL
Giclee limited edition print by worldwidely established Polish artist Rafal Olbinski. Figurative surrealistic print presentic an intricate scene on a lake with swans, pegasuses, ball...
Paper, Color
$4,950
Surrealistic Portrait of Dali Surrounded by Butterflies, Signed, Authenticated
Located in Aventura, FL
From the suite Memories of Surrealism. Photolithograph and etching with collage on Japon paper. French edition. Hand signed lower right by Salvador Dali. Hand numbered F XXIV/XL ...
Paper, Etching, Photo-lithograph
Art Deco Embossed Serigraph by Erte, Signed, 1990, Pearls and Emeralds
By Erté
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Erté Title: Pearls and Emeralds Medium: Embossed serigraph Year: 1990 Edition: 265/300 Sheet Size: 41 3/4" x 29 1/4" Image Size: 35 1/4" x 23 1/4" Signature: Stamped signature
Screen
Marc Chagall Lithograph, Surrealist, 1960, Unsigned, Framed, Paradise
By Marc Chagall
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Marc Chagall Title: Paradise Portfolio: 1960 Drawings for the Bible Medium: Lithograph Date: 1960 Edition: Unnumbered Frame Size: 22 1/4" x 18 3/4" Sheet Size: 14 3/8" x 10 1...
Lithograph
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
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
Historical Document - Hunter Thompson
Located in Hollywood, FL
Artist: Ralph Steadman Title: Historical Document - Hunter Thompson Medium: One color silkscreen on White Rising Stonehenge Deckle Edge Paper Size: 13 x 22 Inches Edition: of 300 Ye...
Silk, Screen
Le Reve de Paris Lithograph, Hand Signed, Edition 53/75, Circa 1960
By Marc Chagall
Located in Aventura, FL
Lithograph in colors on Arches paper. Hand signed lower right by Marc Chagall. Hand numbered 53/75 lower left. Paper size: 40.06 x 28.12 inches. Image size: 35.12 x 25.12 inches....
Paper, Lithograph
Salvador Dali - Flung out like - Original Signed Engraving
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Salvador Dali - Flung out like a Fag-end by the Big- - Original Signed Engraving Handsigned in pencil and Numbered Edition: F195/195 - Printer: Atelier Rigal. - Paper: Rives vellum ...
Etching
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
$2,018Sale 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
Salvador Dali - Raspberry - Original Hand-Signed Lithograph
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Salvador Dali - Raspberry - Original Hand-Signed Lithograph 1969 Dimensions: P. 57 x 37 cm Sheet: 75 x 56 cm Handsigned, EA (Epreuve d'Artiste) Excellent Condition Reference: Field...
Lithograph
"SOLO Signed Lithograph, Surrealist Mini Landscape, 1992, 6x7 in."
Located in Union City, NJ
SOLO is a hand drawn, limited edition lithograph by the American surrealist artist Fanny Brennan, created using traditional hand lithography techniques printed on archival Arches pri...
Lithograph
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
Rembrandt Portrait Du Peintre Par Lui-Meme original lithograph 1974
Located in Paonia, CO
Rembrandt Portrait Du Peintre Par Lui-Meme is from the Changes in Great Masterpieces suite. In this series of six original lithographs in full color, Master Dali has given us a conce...
Lithograph
Submissive
By Leonor Fini
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....
Archival Paper, Etching
Leonor Fini, Rogomelec (rare print on paper)
By Leonor Fini
Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Leonor Fini, Rogomelec (rare original print on Rives paper) Texte : Rare lithograph on Rives paper, handsigned and numered by surrealist artist Leonor Fini, now rediscovered and inscreasingly esteemed with the movement of rediscovering art by women. Leonor Fini was actually the life of the party during the Surrealist movement like Leonora Carrington, Remedios Varo, Jacqueline Lamba and Claude Lalanne. Many consider her to be the most fiercely independent female artist of the 20th centuryThis rare lithograph was made after the painting untitled Rogomelec, which was sold by Christie's on october 9th 2024 at GBP 907,200. Created in 1978, Rogomelec is an arresting example of Leonor Fini’s fantastical visions. Within a barren land stands a king dressed in an elaborate coat of peacock feathers. Light glints off his dazzling crown. He is magisterial, imperious, royalty incarnated. The painting shares its title with that of Fini’s third novella, first published in 1979; Rogomelec means ‘he who stones the king’. Written in the first person, the story tells of a traveller in a faraway land, home to a decaying monastery-turned-sanatorium, where monks proffer hallucinatory herbal cures, and culminates in an unsettling discovery during a ritual celebration of the king, the subject of the present work. Born in Buenos Aires, Fini moved to Trieste as a young child. There, she developed an early interest in Renaissance and Mannerist art – the latter’s influence is evident in the elongated figure of Rogomelec – as well as Gustav Klimt, the Pre-Raphaelites, and the German and French Romantics, artists she discovered while riffling through her uncle’s extensive library. Largely self-taught, she moved to Paris in 1931 where she befriended René Magritte, Paul Éluard, Max Ernst, and Victor Brauner. Through them, Fini grew close with the Surrealists and participated in their exhibitions, including Peggy Guggenheim’s landmark show 31 Women at her eponymous gallery on West 57 Street in New York. Like her contemporaries, Fini’s paintings too seem wrenched from a dream and across her works she sought to reconcile the world that she experienced with that of her subconscious mind. In Rogomelec, the king’s clothing is meticulous, and the drama of the ensemble was likely influenced by Fini’s work outside the studio. She created sets and costumes for the ballet, stage, and film; collaborated on performances for the Paris Opéra and La Scala in Milan; and conceived of the bottle and packaging for Elsa Schiaparelli’s perfume...
Paper
Leonor Fini, rare original serigraph 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. This silkscreen is in perfect condition and from a ver...
Paper
$220Sale Price|20% Off
Surreal Botanical Portrait Print with Pink Tulip on Hand-Finished Dibond
Located in FISTERRA, ES
This surreal botanical portrait print by Natasha Lelenco presents a stylized frontal figure emerging from an intense green background. Leaves and floral forms construct the face, whi...
Metal
Portrait de Jacqueline Linocut Print, Surrealist, Signed, 1959, Framed
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) "Portrait de Jacqueline" 1959 (Baer 1245; Bloch 923) ...
Linocut
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...
Etching
Leonor Fini, rare original lithograph on paper, circa 1970
By Leonor Fini
Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Rare print numered by surrealist artist Leonor Fini, now rediscovered and inscreasingly esteemed with the movement of rediscovering art by women. It depicts a beautiful feminine figu...
Paper
$798
ECLIPSE Signed Lithograph, Surrealist Portrait, Shrouded Moon, Midnight Blue Sky
Located in Union City, NJ
ECLIPSE is a rarely seen, hand drawn limited edition lithograph by the American surrealist artist Fanny Brennan, created using traditional hand lithography techniques printed on arch...
Lithograph
Salvador Dali - Don Quixote Pear - Original Hand-Signed Lithograph
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Salvador Dali - Don Quixote Pear - Original Hand-Signed Lithograph 1969 Dimensions: P. 57 x 37 cm Sheet: 75 x 56 cm Handsigned, EA (Epreuve d'Artiste) Excellent Condition Reference:...
Lithograph
$4,000
PRINCE OF CUPS 1979, Signed Lithograph on Arches, Tarot Card Series, Surrealist
Located in Union City, NJ
Artist - Salvador Dali (Spanish, 1904-1989) Title - PRINCE OF CUPS, Tarot Card Series Publisher - DALART N.V. Year published - 1979 Medium - Lithograph on Arches Cover 270 gsm. 100% acid free, excellent condition, unframed, signed in pencil, inscribed 2/5 PP (Printers Proof) by Salvador Dali on lower print margin, publishers mark "DALART N.V. Copyright 1979" blindstamp embossed on lower left print margin. Fine impression, vivid colors, Print documentation provided.. Listed in the Albert Field's OFFICIAL CATALOGUE OF THE GRAPHIC WORKS OF SALVADOR DALI, Reference #79-15. PRINCE OF CUPS from the Tarot Series 1979, is a surrealist style limited edition lithograph by Salvador Dalí (1904 – 1989) Printed on archival Arches paper, 100% acid free. PRINCE OF CUPS depicts a freely drawn, black line portrait of a young Prince wearing his golden yellow crown, sporting a white ruffle collared shirt, looking slightly sideways posed behind a golden chalice...
Lithograph
Self Portrait, Signed Surrealist Etching by José Luis Cuevas
Located in Long Island City, NY
Self Portrait is an etching by Mexican artist Jose Luis Cuevas (1934 - 2017), dated 1978, artist's proof (EA), signed, numbered, titled and dated in pencil. The small-format print pr...
Etching
Cabeza Sobre Fondo Verde, Surrealist Etching by Rufino Tamayo
Located in Long Island City, NY
Rufino Tamayo, Mexican (1899 - 1991) - Cabeza Sobre Fondo Verde, Portfolio: Rufino Tamayo 15 aquafuertes, Year: 1979, Medium: Etching, signed and numbered in crayon, Edition: 14/...
Etching
Happy People in Pink - Lithograph (Maeght)
By Paul Klee
Located in Paris, IDF
Paul KLEE (1879 - 1940) Happy character Color photolithograph after a painting Signed in the plate On vellum 83 x 60 cm (c. 32 x 24 in) Excellent condition
Watercolor, Lithograph
Salvador Dali - Plum - Original Hand-Signed Lithograph
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
Poemes: Gravures V Woodcut Print, Surrealist, Hand Signed, Edition of 26
By Marc Chagall
Located in Aventura, FL
Woodcut on Japon Nacré paper. Hand signed and numbered (of 26) by the artist. From a total edition of 238: 26 on Japon Nacré numbered 1-26, 200 on Rives numbered 27-226, 12 on Rives...
Woodcut
$2,040
Anagrom
By Leonor Fini
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....
Paper, Etching
Portrait d'Emily Bronte, Surrealist Lithograph by Andre Masson
By André Masson
Located in Long Island City, NY
Andre Masson, French (1896–1987) Date: 1946 Color Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition, 15/30 Image Size: 7.5 x 5 inches Size: 13 x 9.75 in. (33.02 x 24.77 cm) Printer: ...
Lithograph
$3,325
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...
Lithograph
Portrait in Yellow - Lithograph and Stencil
By Paul Klee
Located in Paris, IDF
Paul KLEE (after) Portrait of a Yellow Lithograph and stencil (Jacomet process), on canson paper Printed signature in the plate 50 x 38.2 cm (19.6 x 14.9 in) INFORMATION : This lit...
Watercolor, Lithograph
$298Sale Price|25% Off
COMÉDIE ITALIENNE Signed Lithograph, Surreal Harlequin and Ballerina, Masquerade
Located in Union City, NJ
COMÉDIE ITALIENNE is an original stone lithograph by the American artist Henry D. Regis. COMÉDIE ITALIENNE was hand printed from a hand drawn lithography stone in black ink on archi...
Lithograph
$412Sale Price|20% Off
Silent confession. Limited edition print Surreal Established Polish artist
Located in Warsaw, PL
Giclee limited edition print by worldwidely established Polish artist Rafal Olbinski. Figurative surrealistic print with a woman whose dress is made out of sea. There is a ship. Artw...
Paper, Color
Pkropopoi
By Leonor Fini
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....
Paper, Etching
Salvador Dali - Don Quixote Overwhelmed - Original Lithograph
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Salvador Dali - Don Quixote Overwhelmed - Original Lithograph Joseph FORET, Paris, 1957 PRINTER : Manequin SIGNATURE : plate signed by Dali. LIMITED : Total edition of 233 SIZE : 41...
Lithograph
Oxygeno en Marte - Heliogravure attr. to Salvador Dalì - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Oxygeno en Marte is an original contemporary artwork, plate n. 52 from the series "Les Caprices de Goya". Heliogravure with pochoir by J.J.J. Rig...
Paper, Etching
AIRPLANE Signed Lithograph, Vintage Wood Plane Tool, Surrealist Portrait
Located in Union City, NJ
AIRPLANE is a hand drawn limited edition lithograph by the American surrealist artist Fanny Brennan, created using traditional hand lithography techniques printed on archival Arches ...
Lithograph
Sclaclaviol
By Leonor Fini
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....
Paper, Etching
Aqueduct Signed Lithograph, Surrealist Mini Landscape, 1992 Edition
Located in Union City, NJ
AQUEDUCT is a hand drawn, limited edition lithograph by the American surrealist artist Fanny Brennan, created using traditional hand lithography techniques printed on archival Arches...
Lithograph
Violette - Original handsigned lithograph - 250ex
Located in Paris, IDF
Francis de SAINT GENIES (1925-) Violette Original lithograph Handsigned in pencil Limited /250copies On vellum 76 x 56 cm (c. 30 x 22 in) Excellent condition
Lithograph
$412Sale Price|20% Off
A dance - Surrealist print, Limited edition, Established Polish artist
Located in Warsaw, PL
The work comes directly from the artist, is numbered, signed and made on sealed paper. Limited edition of 20. RAFAŁ OLBIŃSKI (born in 1943) He graduated from the Faculty of Archite...
Paper, Color
$220Sale Price|20% Off
Botanical Portrait with Red Pioneer Scarf, Limited Edition Print on Dibond
Located in FISTERRA, ES
This surreal botanical portrait print by Natasha Lelenco depicts a frontal figure constructed from layered green leaves and small flowers, wearing a vivid red pioneer scarf and point...
Metal
$19,200
Le Prophete Lithograph by Marc Chagall, Surrealist, Signed, Mourlot 713, 1974
By Marc Chagall
Located in Aventura, FL
Lithograph in colors on Arches paper. Hand signed and numbered by Marc Chagall. Mourlot 713. Edition 41/50. Image size 27.25 x 21 inches. Sheet size 32 x 24.25 inches. Frame ...
Paper, Lithograph
Leonor Fini, rare original serigraph 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. This silkscreen is in perfect condition and from a ver...
Paper
Salvador Dali - Strawberry Heart - Original Hand-Signed Lithograph
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Salvador Dali - Strawberry Heart - Original Hand-Signed Lithograph 1970 Dimensions: P. 57 x 37 cm Sheet: 75 x 56 cm Handsigned, EA (Epreuve d'Artiste) Excellent Condition Reference:...
Lithograph
Exclamation
By Leonor Fini
Located in Columbia, MO
Leonor Fini (Argentine-French, 1907–1996) A fiercely spirited Surrealist unfettered by social mores, Leonor Fini defied convention with her haunting, dreamlike works that explore the...
Paper, Screen
$9,000
La Mort
By Leonor Fini
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....
Paper, Ink