Max Ernst Abstract Prints
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
Max Ernst Dada Surrealist Hand Signed Lithograph Poster for a Jewish Museum
By Max Ernst
Located in Surfside, FL
Max Ernst (German, American, 1891-1976)
Color lithograph
Titled, "Poster For The Jewish Museum"
1966
Hand signed lower right
Hand numbered HC I/XVII
Dimensions: 34.75 x 28.5 sight 2...
Category
1960s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Untitled (Two Birds) - Etching by Max Ernst - 1972
By Max Ernst
Located in Roma, IT
Etching and aquatint on Japan paper, realized in 1972.
Printed and published by Georges Visat, Paris.
Edition of 100, numbered 99/100 and hand signed in pencil.
Category
1970s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Etching
Oiseaux en péril
By Max Ernst
Located in Paris, FR
Etching and aquatint, 1975
Handsigned by the artist in pencil and annoted "EA"
Edition : 30 ex. sur papier Japon
Publisher : Editions Georges Visat (Paris)
54.50 cm. x 41.50 cm. 21....
Category
1970s Abstract Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Etching, Aquatint
Untitled (Two Birds) - Etching by Max Ernst - 1972
By Max Ernst
Located in Roma, IT
Etching and aquatint on Japan paper, realized in 1972 and published by Georges Visat, Paris.
Edition of 100.
Hand signed and numbered in pencil.
Sheet a little browned, except for...
Category
1970s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Etching
Doubles - Etching by Max Ernst - 1972
By Max Ernst
Located in Roma, IT
Hand signed. Edition of 100 pieces.
Very good condition
Provenance: P. Prouté
Category
1970s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Etching
Les Petits Soldats - Lithograph by Max Ernst - 1972
By Max Ernst
Located in Roma, IT
The Soldier's Ballad is a contemporary artwork realized by Max Ernst in 1972.
Mixed colored lithograph on Arches Paper.
Edited by Manus Presse, Stuttgart 1972.
Not signed and not ...
Category
1970s Modern Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Hölderlin: Poèmes - Etching by Max Ernst - 1961
By Max Ernst
Located in Roma, IT
" Hölderlin: Poèmes " is a hand-signed etching realized by Max Ernst in 1961. It presents very good conditions. Passepartout included: 49 x 34 cm.
Bibliography: Catalog Brusberg n....
Category
1970s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Etching
Paroles Peintres
By Max Ernst
Located in New York, NY
Color aquatint and etching. One of 35 impressions from the deluxe edition of 50 on Vélin de Richard de Bas paper, aside from the edition of 150. Signed and numbered 32/50 in pencil, ...
Category
1960s Abstract Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Etching, Aquatint, Color
Scarabée - Etching by Max Ernst - 1973
By Max Ernst
Located in Roma, IT
Lithograph on Japan paper, realized in 1973.
Image dimension 20.8x14.2 / Shee dimension 31.5x23.4 cm.
Edition of 79.
Hand signed and numbered 35/79.
Color variant of the suppleme...
Category
1970s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Etching
Death is something like Cousin Cynthia (Spies/Leppien 13 IV), Max Ernst
By Max Ernst
Located in Southampton, NY
Photogram from a frottage in black in white on photosensitive paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: A photogram was a...
Category
1930s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Photogram
$1,116 Sale Price
37% Off
Zodiaque - Etching by Max Ernst - 1971
By Max Ernst
Located in Roma, IT
" Zodiaque " is an etching realized by Max Ernst in 1971. This print is hand signed and numbered. This is an edition of 100 prints.
Reference: Catalogue Spies n. 144.
Originally a ...
Category
1970s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Etching
Oiseaux en péril
By Max Ernst
Located in Paris, FR
Etching and aquatint, 1975
Handsigned by the artist in pencil and annotated XXVII/XXX
Publisher : Georges Visat (Paris)
54.00 cm. x 42.00 cm. 21.26 in. x 16.54 in. (paper)
30.50 cm....
Category
1970s Abstract Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Etching, Aquatint
Les Chiens Ont Soif V, Surrealist Lithograph by Max Ernst
By Max Ernst
Located in Long Island City, NY
Max Ernst, German (1891 - 1976) - Les Chiens Ont Soif V, Portfolio: Les Chiens Ont Soif, Year: 1964, Medium: Lithograph, Edition: 165/320, Size: 17 x 24.5 in. (43.18 x 62.23 cm)...
Category
1960s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Lithographie originale pour XXe Siecle, No. 20
By Max Ernst
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Lithographie originale pour XXe Siecle, No. 20
Color lithograph, 1962
Unsigned (as issued)
From: XXe Siecle, No. 20, Christmas
Publisher: G. di San Lazzaro, Paris.
Printer: Mourlot?
Large edition: c. 1500?
Condition: Excellent/Mint
usual glue on reverse from binding in book
Image/Sheet size: 12 3/16 x 9 1/2 inches
New series of XXe Siecle
Back in Paris in 1949, Gualtieri di San Lazzaro resumed 20TH century publishing in 1951.
It hosts many of the most important writers and art critics of the 1950s and 1960s, including Alain Bosquet , Genevieve Bonnefoi, Camille Bourniquel , Georges Borgeaud, Marcel Brion , Georges Boudaille, Jacques Brosse , Michel Butor , Jean Cassou , Denys Chevalier, Pierre Courthion, Hubert Damisch , Pierre Descargues, Bernard Dorival , Jacques Dupin , Mircea Eliade , Jean-Louis Ferrier , Pierre Francastel , André Frenaud , Roger Van Gindertael...
Category
1960s Abstract Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Les Chiens Ont Soif II, Surrealist Lithograph by Max Ernst
By Max Ernst
Located in Long Island City, NY
Max Ernst, German (1891 - 1976) - Les Chiens Ont Soif II, Portfolio: Les Chiens Ont Soif, Year: 1964, Medium: Lithograph, Edition: 165/320, Size: 17 x 24.5 in. (43.18 x 62.23 cm...
Category
1960s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Untitled - Etching by Max Ernst - 1970
By Max Ernst
Located in Roma, IT
Hand signed and numbered. Edition of 100 prints, numbered and hand signed.
Excellent condition.
Category
1970s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Etching
Les Chiens Ont Soif Cover, Surrealist Lithograph by Max Ernst
By Max Ernst
Located in Long Island City, NY
Max Ernst, German (1891 - 1976) - Les Chiens Ont Soif Cover, Portfolio: Les Chiens Ont Soif, Year: 1964, Medium: Lithograph, Edition: 165/320, Image Size: 17 x 22 inches, Size: ...
Category
1960s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Après-moi (Spies/Leppien 202), Société internationale d'art XXe siècle
By Max Ernst
Located in Southampton, NY
Lithograph on vélin paper. Paper Size: 12.4 x 9.65 inches. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Catalogue raisonné references: Ernst, Max, et al. Max Ernst: Graphische We...
Category
1970s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph
$716 Sale Price
20% Off
Sans titre (Spies/Leppien 252), Société internationale d'art XXe siècle
By Max Ernst
Located in Southampton, NY
Lithograph on vélin paper. Paper Size: 12.4 x 9.65 inches. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Catalogue raisonné references: Ernst, Max, et al. Max Ernst: Graphische We...
Category
1970s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph
$796 Sale Price
20% Off
Wunderhorn - Lithograph by Max Ernst - 1970s
By Max Ernst
Located in Roma, IT
Wunderhorn is an artwork realized by Max Ernst, Lewis Carrolls,1970.
Lithograph on Japon Paper, igned and numbered 68/69.
Printed and published by Manues Press (Embossing Stamp).
...
Category
1970s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Electra (Spies/Leppien 21A), Société internationale d'art XXe siècle
By Max Ernst
Located in Southampton, NY
Lithograph, stencil on vélin paper. Paper Size: 12.4 x 9.65 inches. Inscription: Signed in the plate and unnumbered, as issued. Catalogue raisonné references: Ernst, Max, et al. Max ...
Category
1950s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph
$796 Sale Price
20% Off
Sans titre, Société internationale d'art XXe siècle
By Max Ernst
Located in Southampton, NY
Lithograph, stencil on vélin paper. Paper Size: 12.4 x 9.65 inches. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Notes: From the album, XXe siècle, Nouvelle série, XXe Année, N° ...
Category
1950s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph
$796 Sale Price
20% Off
Les Chiens Ont Soif, Surrealist Color Etching by Max Ernst
By Max Ernst
Located in Long Island City, NY
Max Ernst, German (1891 - 1976) - Les Chiens Ont Soif, Portfolio: Les Chiens Ont Soif, Year: 1964, Medium: Color Etching, signed in pencil lower right, Edition: 165/320, Image Si...
Category
1960s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Etching
Les Chiens Ont Soif XI, Surrealist Lithograph by Max Ernst
By Max Ernst
Located in Long Island City, NY
Max Ernst, German (1891 - 1976) - Les Chiens Ont Soif XI, Portfolio: Les Chiens Ont Soif, Year: 1964, Medium: Lithograph, Edition: 165/320, Size: 17 x 24.5 in. (43.18 x 62.23 cm...
Category
1960s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Les Chiens Ont Soif XII, Surrealist Lithograph by Max Ernst
By Max Ernst
Located in Long Island City, NY
Max Ernst, German (1891 - 1976) - Les Chiens Ont Soif XII, Portfolio: Les Chiens Ont Soif, Year: 1964, Medium: Lithograph, Edition: 165/320, Size: 17 x 24.5 in. (43.18 x 62.23 c...
Category
1960s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Les Chiens Ont Soif III, Surrealist Lithograph by Max Ernst
By Max Ernst
Located in Long Island City, NY
Max Ernst, German (1891 - 1976) - Les Chiens Ont Soif III, Portfolio: Les Chiens Ont Soif, Year: 1964, Medium: Lithograph, Edition: 165/320, Size: 17 x 24.5 in. (43.18 x 62.23 c...
Category
1960s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Les Chiens Ont Soif VII, Surrealist Lithograph by Max Ernst
By Max Ernst
Located in Long Island City, NY
Max Ernst, German (1891 - 1976) - Les Chiens Ont Soif VII, Portfolio: Les Chiens Ont Soif, Year: 1964, Medium: Lithograph, Edition: 165/320, Size: 17 x 24.5 in. (43.18 x 62.23 c...
Category
1960s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Les Chiens Ont Soif IV, Surrealist Lithograph by Max Ernst
By Max Ernst
Located in Long Island City, NY
Max Ernst, German (1891 - 1976) - Les Chiens Ont Soif IV, Portfolio: Les Chiens Ont Soif, Year: 1964, Medium: Lithograph, Edition: 165/320, Size: 17 x 24.5 in. (43.18 x 62.23 cm...
Category
1960s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Les Chiens Ont Soif VIII, Surrealist Lithograph by Max Ernst
By Max Ernst
Located in Long Island City, NY
Max Ernst, German (1891 - 1976) - Les Chiens Ont Soif VIII, Portfolio: Les Chiens Ont Soif, Year: 1964, Medium: Lithograph, Edition: 165/320, Size: 17 x 24.5 in. (43.18 x 62.23 ...
Category
1960s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Les Chiens Ont Soif I, Surrealist Lithograph by Max Ernst
By Max Ernst
Located in Long Island City, NY
Max Ernst, German (1891 - 1976) - Les Chiens Ont Soif I, Portfolio: Les Chiens Ont Soif, Year: 1964, Medium: Lithograph, Edition: 165/320, Size: 17 x 24.5 in. (43.18 x 62.23 cm)...
Category
1960s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Obliques - Drypoint by Max Ernst - 1967
By Max Ernst
Located in Roma, IT
"Obliques" is an etching hand-signed and numbered etching realized by Max Ernst in 1967. This is an edition of 57 prints. Passepartout included. Very good condition.
Published by Ge...
Category
1970s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Drypoint
Composition, Feuilles éparses, Max Ernst
By Max Ernst
Located in Southampton, NY
Etching on vélin cuve de Rives paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition. Notes: From the folio, Feuilles éparses, 1965. Published and printed by Louis B...
Category
1960s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Etching
$9,996 Sale Price
20% Off
Composition with Blue Vase - Lithograph and stencil, 1958
By Max Ernst
Located in Paris, IDF
Max ERNST
Composition with Blue Vase, 1958
Lithograph and stencil (Jacomet workshop) after a painting
On wove paper 31 x 24 cm (c. 12 x 10 in)
Edited by San Lazarro, 1958
Excellent...
Category
1950s Abstract Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph, Stencil
Après-moi le XX° siècle - Original Lithograph by Max Ernst - 1971
By Max Ernst
Located in Roma, IT
Après-moi Le XX Siècle is an original artwork realized by Max Ernst in 1971.
Original colored lithograph.
Very good conditions.
This lithograph is from the second issue, which wa...
Category
1970s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Surrealist Composition - Original Lithograph (Leppien/Spies #202B), 1971
By Max Ernst
Located in Paris, IDF
Max ERNST
Surrealist Composition : Après-moi le XX° siècle, 1971
Original lithograph in colours
Unsigned
On wove paper 31 x 24 cm (c. 12,2 x 9,4 inches)
REFERENCES : Catalogue rais...
Category
1960s Modern Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Les Chiens Ont Soif VI, Surrealist Lithograph by Max Ernst
By Max Ernst
Located in Long Island City, NY
Max Ernst, German (1891 - 1976) - Les Chiens Ont Soif VI, Portfolio: Les Chiens Ont Soif, Year: 1964, Medium: Lithograph, Edition: 165/320, Size: 17 x 24.5 in. (43.18 x 62.23 cm...
Category
1960s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Les Chiens Ont Soif IX, Surrealist Lithograph by Max Ernst
By Max Ernst
Located in Long Island City, NY
Max Ernst, German (1891 - 1976) - Les Chiens Ont Soif IX, Portfolio: Les Chiens Ont Soif, Year: 1964, Medium: Lithograph, Edition: 165/320, Size: 17 x 24.5 in. (43.18 x 62.23 cm...
Category
1960s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Les Chiens Ont Soif X, Surrealist Lithograph by Max Ernst
By Max Ernst
Located in Long Island City, NY
Max Ernst, German (1891 - 1976) - Les Chiens Ont Soif X, Portfolio: Les Chiens Ont Soif, Year: 1964, Medium: Lithograph, Edition: 165/320, Size: 17 x 24.5 in. (43.18 x 62.23 cm)...
Category
1960s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Pink Composition - Lithograph by Max Ernst - 1974
By Max Ernst
Located in Roma, IT
Pink Composition is an artwork realized by Max Ernst in 1974.
Original colored lithograph.
Good conditions. Printed by Atelier Pierre Chave in Vence, France.
This lithograph was ...
Category
1970s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Electra - Original lithograph
By Max Ernst
Located in Paris, IDF
Max ERNST
Electra
Stone Lithograph
Printed signature in the plate
On cream vellum 31 x 24 cm (c. 12.5 x 10 inch)
Excellent condition
Category
1950s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Composition - Lithograph by Max Ernst - 1974
By Max Ernst
Located in Roma, IT
Pink Composition is an original artwork realized by Max Ernst in 1974.
Original colored lithograph.
Very Good conditions. Printed by Atelier Pierre Chave in Vence, France.
This li...
Category
1970s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Après Moi le XXème Siècle - Lithograph by Max Ernst - 1971
By Max Ernst
Located in Roma, IT
Après moi is an artwork reazlized by Max Ernst as deluxe edition for the Art Magazine XXème Siècle. Lithograph on japanese paper, 1971.
Edition 14/80. Hand signed and numbered. 29 x...
Category
1970s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Affiche pour la Hune II
By Max Ernst
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Affiche pour la Hune II
Lithograph in colors, 1970
Signed in pencil lower right
Numbered 13/99 lower left
This impression from the edition before the addition of lettering and the pu...
Category
1970s Abstract Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Wallpaper
By Max Ernst
Located in Paris, FR
Engraving, 1967
Handsigned by the artist in pencil and Annotated "Essay"
Edition : 99 + HC
Publisher : Georges Visat (Paris)
Printer : Georges Visat (Par...
Category
1960s Abstract Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Engraving
$1,891
"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 Abstract Prints
Materials
Illustration Board
Max Ernst Untitled 1965 #107A Surrealist Etching Aquatint in colors Blue Yellow
By Max Ernst
Located in Rancho Santa Fe, CA
Max Ernst
"Untitled" 1965
Etching and aquatint in colors, on Arches paper.
7.8 x 5.39 inches
Publisher: Georges Visat, Paris. Total edition: 100 copies +...
Category
1960s Surrealist Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Archival Paper, Etching, Aquatint
Fureur, tu me Traites Comme la Tristesse
By Max Ernst
Located in New York, NY
Signed and numbered in pencil
Lithograph
20.5 x 17 inches
Edition 64 of 70
Category
1960s Max Ernst Abstract Prints
Materials
Lithograph
$3,200 Sale Price
20% Off
Max Ernst abstract prints for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Max Ernst abstract prints available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of abstract prints 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 and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Max Ernst in lithograph, etching, engraving 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 abstract prints, so small editions measuring 10 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of John Hultberg, Wifredo Lam, and Man Ray. Max Ernst abstract prints prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $187 and tops out at $5,259, while the average work can sell for $2,685.
Artists Similar to Max Ernst
Questions About Max Ernst Abstract Prints
- Where did Max Ernst live?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertApril 26, 2024Max Ernst lived in several places during his life. He was born in Brühl, Germany, in 1881 and later moved to Bonn to attend the university located there. Then he settled in Cologne, not far from his birthplace. 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 others, Ernst was among the first visual artists to experiment with imagery and techniques associated with Surrealism. 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. 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 there until Ernst's death in Paris in 1976. On 1stDibs, shop a collection of Max Ernst art.
- 1stDibs ExpertMarch 13, 2024You 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.
- 1stDibs ExpertNovember 20, 2024Max Ernst contributed to Surrealism by pushing the boundaries of the movement with his unconventional methods of printmaking, drawing and collage. He invented 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 resonated with 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. Explore a selection of Max Ernst art on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertOctober 15, 2024Max Ernst used Surrealism to process the traumas he experienced during World War I. His early works consisted largely of collages, which allowed him to represent the shards, rubble and explosions from his 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 others, Ernst was among the first visual artists to experiment with the imagery and techniques that became associated with Surrealist art. Ernst’s greatest contribution to the Surrealist movement is often considered his invention of frottage, wherein an artist rubs a pencil or crayon over a paper atop a textured surface, and later grattage, 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. Explore a range of Max Ernst art on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertOctober 30, 2024How much Max Ernst paintings are worth depends on their size, history, condition and other factors. In 2023, his oil-on-panel piece Taya's Sun sold for more than $304,000 at auction. Ernst was a pioneer in the Dada and Surrealist movements, pushing their boundaries with his unconventional methods of printmaking, drawing and collage. If you own an Ernst, consider having a certified appraiser or experienced art dealer evaluate it. Explore a selection of Max Ernst art on 1stDibs.