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.
Find original Max Ernst art on 1stDibs.
Max Ernst “Déchets d’Atelier” vintage signed poster
By Max Ernst
Located in Henley-on Thames, Oxfordshire
Signed Max Ernst original lithographic poster from the “Déchets d’Atelier” exhibition held at Galerie Alphonse Chave in Vence 1968 hand signed in pe...
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$520Sale Price|20% Off
Original Vintage Art Exhibition Poster MAX ERNST, 1970 Galerie Alphonse Chave
By Max Ernst
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
Original vintage Art Exhibition Poster MAX ERNST, 1970 Galerie Alphonse Chave "A key member of first Dada and then Surrealism in Europe in the 1910s and 1920s, Max Ernst used a va...
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$440Sale Price|20% Off
H 22.25 in W 16.63 in D 0.07 in
Original Italian Art Exhibition Poster - Ferruccio Garopesani
Located in Miami, FL
Original Italian art exhibition poster by painter and designer Ferruccio Garopesani. Presented in 1975 at the Galleria International d'Arte - Diorena - Ascona, Italy. A native of ...
Paper
$460Sale Price|20% Off
H 18 in W 12 in D 1 in
"Surf Culture" Vintage "Big Wednesday" Movie Poster Signed by John Severson
By John Severson Productions
Located in San Diego, CA
A very nice "Surf Culture" vintage "Big Wednesday" movie poster signed by surf industry pioneer and "Surfer Magazine" founder John Severson circa 1990s. The piece is in great condition with vibrant colors and measures 12"W x 18"H; it is presented in a black metal frame and has a picture of Severson with the original owner at the signing on the back. Severson was the producer of this 1961 surfer cult classic. I believe this piece is a reprint and not an original poster from 1961. Nevertheless, it would make a "must have" addition to any surf memorabilia collector! #3179 John Severson, well known as the creator of the internationally acclaimed SURFER Magazine, grew up surfing off the beaches of Southern California. He began his career as a painter, selling his first works while finishing his Master’s Degree at Long Beach State College. In the ’50s he became the first person to create a large body of art relating to the Hawaii-California surf culture. Since then he has provided a steady output of oil paintings, watercolors, drawings, and prints. In 1958, John used his art, photography, and surfing passion to create a popular surf movie series. His films included SURF SAFARI, SURF FEVER, BIG WEDNESDAY, and PACIFIC VIBRATIONS. Severson's smash hits posters from the ’50s and ’60s, remain collector favorites. As a surfer, Severson was known for riding big waves, and for his innovative performance style in big surf. In 1961, he won the Peru International Surfing Championships and was a finalist in the U.S. and Hawaiian Championships. With the founding of SURFER, John’s art focused on the magazine and graphics. His painting “Surf Bebop” was selected as the outstanding cover painting of 1963 by Communication Arts. Surfer During the ’60s, he authored two surf books...
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$1,028
H 31.11 in W 23.23 in D 0.04 in
Original Vintage Art Exhibition Advertising Poster M-Maybe Roy Lichtenstein
By Roy Lichtenstein
Located in London, GB
Original vintage exhibition advertising poster featuring the romance comics 1965 Pop Art painting M-Maybe designed in 1965 by the notable pop artist Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997), dep...
Paper
$680Sale Price / item|20% Off
H 36 in W 24 in D 0.1 in
Heart Poster Signed by Peter Max & Andre Agassi
By Peter Max
Located in San Diego, CA
Vintage “Grand Slam for Children A Concert for Tomorrow” / Heart lithograph poster signed by Peter Max and tennis great, Andre Agassi, circa 1995. The concert was held at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, NV on September 30, 1995 and featured Elton John, Robin Williams, Kenny G, Michael Bolton...
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$1,595
H 24.5 in W 36 in D 0.1 in
Richard Avedon Hand-Signed Vintage Poster Nastassja Kinski and the Serpent, 1981
By Richard Avedon
Located in Studio City, CA
This famous image/poster by renowned photographer Richard Avedon features an image of one of the most recognizable, iconic and celebrated images of the 20th century of a young, beaut...
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Art Nouveau Alphonse Mucha Original JOB Poster, 1898
By Alphonse Mucha
Located in North Bergen, NJ
Alphonse Mucha 1898 JOB poster. Excellent condition with beautiful frame under plexiglass ready to hang. Poster for 'Job' cigarette paper (1898) 'JOB' is a ...
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1972 Munich Olympic Games - Max Bill Original Vintage Poster
By Max Bill
Located in Winchester, GB
Swiss artist & graphic designer Max Bill was one of 29 artists commissioned to produce posters for the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. In the run-up to...
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Victor Moscoso, Signed Vintage Exhibition Poster ‘Trippy World’
By Victor Moscoso
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Signed vintage Victor Moscoso exhibition poster Published in conjunction with 'Trippy World' - a 1999 exhibition held at Baron/Boisante gallery, New York. Off-set lithograph Measures: 16 x 20 inches Hand signed in pencil (lower right). Very good to excellent overall condition Signed First printing; 1999; acquired directly from Baron/Boisante. Victor Moscoso was among the most gifted and influential artists to emerge from the '60s counterculture, pioneering not only the psychedelic concert poster designs made famous during San Francisco's Summer of Love, but also making his mark in underground comix. Born in Spain and raised in Brooklyn, Moscoso attended Cooper Union Art School before studying at the Yale School of Art; he arrived on the west coast in 1959 to enroll at the San Francisco Art Institute, and after graduation remained at the school for another five years to teach lithography. Alongside Rick Griffin, Wes Wilson, Stanley Mouse, and Alton Kelley...
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$1,644
H 28.15 in W 20.08 in D 0.04 in
Original Vintage Art Exhibition Poster Picasso Drawings Galerie Louise Leiris
By Pablo Picasso
Located in London, GB
Original vintage art exhibition poster for Picasso Dessins 1966-1967 Drawings at the Galerie Louise Leiris 47 Rue de Monceau Paris VIII held fro...
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20th Century Ernst Busch European Commercial Art Poster
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Large 20th century artwork lithograph poster artwork created by Ernst Busch for Ovignac Senglet Cognac. The poster "Curacao Singlet" features a woman seated at a bar smoking with a t...
Plexiglass, Wood, Paper
Calder Exhibition Poster, Galerie Maeght, 1959
Located in Savannah, GA
An original exhibition poster lithograph for Alexander Calder show at Galerie Maeght in Paris, 1959. 18 ½ by 25 ½ inches
Glass, Wood, Paper
$1,120Sale Price|20% Off
H 29.53 in W 21.66 in D 0 in
Original Vintage Poster, 'D’amoureux Au Poisson' Signed by Raymond Peynet
By Raymond Peynet
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
Original Vintage Poster, 'D’amoureux Au Poisson' Signed by Raymond Peynet Raymond Peynet was a French artist and illustrator. Peynet was known for his illustrations of couples, specifically, couples in love. Peynet was born in Paris in 1908 , he began drawing at a young age. He studied at the École Estienne and the École des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, this is where he developed his distinctive style. Peynet's style was characterised by delicate lines and slender characters. In 1930, Peynet began working for the weekly magazine "Le Rire," where he published his first illustrations of love couples. These images quickly gained attention from the public and became very popular, leading Peynet to publish a collection of these illustrations titled "Les Amoureux de Peynet...
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