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Max Ernst Art

American, German, French, 1891-1976

Born in Germany in 1891, later naturalized as an American, then a French citizen, Max Ernst was a pioneer in the Dada and Surrealist movements, the boundaries of which he pushed with his unconventional methods of printmaking, drawing and collage.

Ernst had no formal art training — and that may have been his greatest asset. He produced his first work following four years serving in World War I. At the time, he was in Cologne, Germany, working closely with fellow Dada pioneers Jean Arp and Johannes Baargeld. His output during this period consisted largely of collages, which allowed him to represent the shards, rubble and explosions from his traumatic wartime experience.

In 1922, Ernst moved to France, where he soon became affiliated with Surrealism, the avant-garde art movement taking shape in Paris. Alongside Man Ray, Joan Miró and a couple of others, Ernst was among the first visual artists to experiment with imagery and techniques associated with Surrealism.

Ernst’s greatest contribution to the Surrealist movement was his invention of frottage (French for “rubbing”), wherein an artist rubs a pencil or crayon over a paper atop a textured surface, and later grattage (French for “scraping”), where a similar technique is applied with paint. Both methods showcase Ernst’s fascination with the unconscious and serendipitous elements of artistic creation, a theme that connected the Dadaists and the Surrealists. Ernst had deep knowledge of psychoanalysis and Sigmund Freud’s dream theories, which were big influences on Surrealists. He was among the first Surrealists to use Freud’s work to examine his own creative impulses. He also published a series of books of his collages, all of which were deeply symbolic and often philosophical.

When Germany occupied France during World War II, Ernst escaped to America with the help of patron and collector Peggy Guggenheim, whom he married in 1941. While living in New York, Ernst’s work and techniques proved instrumental in inspiring the early development of Abstract Expressionism — influencing Robert Motherwell and Jackson Pollock in particular. He later moved to Sedona, Arizona, where he lived with his fourth wife, Dorothea Tanning, a fellow Surrealist and prolific visual artist and poet.

While Ernst and Tanning are largely responsible for Sedona’s reputation as an artist colony, they relocated to France in the 1950s and remained until Ernst’s death in Paris in 1976.

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Artist: Max Ernst
Through the Window - Lithograph by Max Ernst - 1972
By Max Ernst
Located in Roma, IT
Through the Window 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 c...
Category

1970s Surrealist Max Ernst Art

Materials

Lithograph

No title
By Max Ernst
Located in Paris, FR
Lithograph Handsigned by the artist in pencil / Annoted "EA" 57.00 cm. x 34.50 cm. 22.44 in. x 13.58 in. (paper) 32.00 cm. x 24.00 cm. 12.6 in. x 9.45 in. (image) LCD4734
Category

1970s Abstract Max Ernst Art

Materials

Lithograph

"Judith" by Jean Giraudoux
By Max Ernst
Located in Paris, FR
Illustrated Book, 1972 Handsigned by the artist in pencil and numbered 231/500 Publisher : Manus Presse (Stuttgart) Text in German illustrated with 6 lithographs by Max Ernst and 6 l...
Category

1970s Abstract Max Ernst Art

Materials

Illustration Board

Birds - Original lithograph (Leppien/Spies #88)
By Max Ernst
Located in Paris, FR
Max ERNST Birds Original lithograph, 1963 on vellum 33 x 25 cm REFERENCES : Catalogue raisonné Leppien/Spies # 88 Excellent condition
Category

1960s Modern Max Ernst Art

Materials

Lithograph

I Like Girls
By Max Ernst
Located in New York, NY
From the "Dente Prompte" portfolio Gallery labels to reverse: Gluria Luria Gallery, Bay Harbor Islands, Florida
Category

20th Century Surrealist Max Ernst Art

Materials

Lithograph

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Previously Available Items
Logique Sans Peine (Lewis Carroll's Wunderhorn, Frontispiz) (S./L.135 I)
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Mother bird
By Max Ernst
Located in Paris, FR
Etching and aquatint, 1972 Handsigned by the artist in pencil and numbered 4/60 46.00 cm. x 30.00 cm. 18.11 in. x 11.81 in. (paper) 25.00 cm. x 20.00 cm. 9.84 in. x 7.87 in. (image...
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H 18.12 in W 11.82 in
Tete d'Homme - Original Collotype Print by Max Ernst - 1971
By Max Ernst
Located in Roma, IT
Tete d'Homme is an Contemporary Artwork by Italian artist Max Ernst (Brühl, 1891 - Paris, 1976). Hand-signed by artist in pencil on the lower right corner. Original Collotype print...
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1970s Surrealist Max Ernst Art

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Color

Composition
By Max Ernst
Located in Paris, FR
Engraving Handsigned by the artist in pencil and numbered 80/100 66.50 cm. x 48.50 cm. 26.18 in. x 19.09 in. (paper) 33.00 cm. x 26.50 cm. 12.99 in. x 10.43 in. (image) LCD3168
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1970s Abstract Max Ernst Art

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H 26.19 in W 19.1 in
Masque - Original Lithograph by Max Ernst - 1975
By Max Ernst
Located in Roma, IT
Masque is an original color lithograph realized by the famous Surrealist artist Max Ernst in 1975. Hand-signed on the lower right margin. Very good conditions. Abstract composition...
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1970s Surrealist Max Ernst Art

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Max Ernst - "The Invisible Piano"
By Max Ernst
Located in Winterswijk, NL
Colour offset lithograph. Made after original from 1923. Perfect for every livingroom!.
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ERNST, Max. La Brebis Galante.
By Max Ernst
Located in New York, NY
ERNST, Max. La Brebis Galante. By Benjamin Péret. Illustrated with three coloured etchings and twenty-one pochoir plates. Small 4to., 240 x 192 mm, bound in original publisher's illu...
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ERNST, Max. La Brebis Galante.
ERNST, Max. La Brebis Galante.
H 10.07 in W 8.25 in D 1.25 in
Two Birds
By Max Ernst
Located in London, GB
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H 22.45 in W 30.12 in

Max Ernst art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Max Ernst art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of blue, orange, pink and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Max Ernst in lithograph, etching, paper and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the Surrealist style. Not every interior allows for large Max Ernst art, so small editions measuring 5 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Théo Tobiasse, Man Ray, and Valton Tyler. Max Ernst art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $100 and tops out at $140,371, while the average work can sell for $1,297.
Questions About Max Ernst Art
  • 1stDibs ExpertMarch 13, 2024
    You can see Max Ernst paintings in many places around the world. The Max Ernst Museum Brühl des LVR in Brühl, Germany, is home to one of the largest exhibitions of his work. Other museums that have Max Ernst paintings in their permanent collections include the Museum of Modern Art in New York, New York; the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco, California; the Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois and the Detroit Institute of Arts in Detroit, Michigan. Explore a range of Max Ernst art on 1stDibs.

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