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Surrealist Photography

SURREALIST STYLE

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.

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Style: Surrealist
Like No One is Watching, limited edition color print, signed and numbered
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Like No One is Watching, limited edition color print, signed and numbered Maggie Taylor's digital creations are emblematic, afterimages that invite, transport, and are unforgettabl...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

"No Time" Photography 31" x 31" in Edition of 7 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"No Time" Photography 31" x 31" in Edition of 7 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Not framed. Ships in a tube. Available si...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

“Emergence 2” Photography 28" x 36" inch Edition of 24 by Brian Ziff
Located in Culver City, CA
“Emergence 2” Photography 28" x 36" inch Edition of 24 by Brian Ziff Giclee (Archival Ink) Print on Canson Platine Fibre Rag From "Park Drive" series
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Rag Paper, Archival Ink, Giclée

"Pygmalion and Galatea" Photography 31" x 31" in Edition of 7 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Pygmalion and Galatea" Photography 31" x 31" in Edition of 7 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Not framed. Ships in a tube. ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

"Music is Eternal" Photography 24" x 24" in Edition of 15 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Music is Eternal" Photography 24" x 24" in Edition of 15 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Not framed. Ships in a tube. Av...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

"No Time" Photography 24" x 24" in Edition of 15 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"One heart" Photography 24" x 24" in Edition of 15 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Not framed. Ships in a tube. Available...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

“That Flies in the Night” Original photography Edition of 5 by Brian Ziff
Located in Culver City, CA
“That Flies in the Night” (2016) Giclee (Archival Ink) Print on Canson Platine Fibre Rag 30” X 20” inch Limited Edition of 5 Brian Ziff's "High Risk" series is part of a larger expl...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Rag Paper, Giclée

“Has Found Out Thy Bed” Original photography Edition of 5 by Brian Ziff
Located in Culver City, CA
“Has Found Out Thy Bed” (2016) Giclee (Archival Ink) Print on Canson Platine Fibre Rag 20” X 30” inch Limited Edition of 5 Brian Ziff's "High Risk" series is part of a larger explor...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Rag Paper, Archival Ink, Giclée

"I Love You Anna" Photography 31" x 47" inch Edition of 3 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"I Love You Anna" Photography 31" x 47" inch Edition of 3 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Not framed. Ships in a tube. Av...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Our House, limited edition color print, signed and numbered
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Our House, limited edition color print, signed and numbered Maggie Taylor's digital creations are emblematic, afterimages that invite, transport, and are unforgettable. Taylor's im...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

In Voluptas Mors (Dalí)
Located in Dallas, TX
In 1951, Salvador Dali, everyone's favorite mustachioed surrealist, teamed up with Magnum photographer Philippe Halsman to create one of the most enchanting, morbid and bizarre photo...
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1950s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Surreal Brooklyn Bridge with Blue Sky Golden Windows and Red Kite
Located in Miami, FL
Why is this view of the Brooklyn Bridge, a blue sky, and golden windows no longer visible? The image is a creation from Mitchell Funk's mind. It comprises three photographs with colo...
Category

1970s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Original Ed 1/15 Photograph “Boy with Four Arms” GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM Provenance
Located in New York, NY
Up for sale is an original Joel-Peter Witkin photograph. It’s an original photograph, Edition 1 of 15 Guggenheim Museum Provenance and also sold through Sotheby’s 2012 The Boy wit...
Category

1980s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

"Aerial 2" Photography 31" x 31" inch Edition of 7 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Aerial 2" Photography 31" x 31" inch Edition of 7 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Not framed. Ships in a tube. Available...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

"Moon Birth" Photography 31" x 31" in Edition 3/7 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Moon Birth" Photography 31" x 31" in Edition 3/7 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Not framed. Ships in a tube. Available ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

"Aerial 3" Photography 24" x 24" inch Edition of 15 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Aerial 3" Photography 24" x 24" inch Edition of 15 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Not framed. Ships in a tube. Availabl...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

"Invisibility Hat" Photography 24" x 24" in Edition of 15 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Invisibility Hat" Photography 24" x 24" in Edition of 15 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Not framed. Ships in a tube. Av...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Clean Air - Oversize Signed
Located in London, GB
Clean Air - Oversize Signed 40x30" inches / 101 x 76 cm paper size by Irie Wata Surrealist artist surreal surrealism dali modern dreamscape strange stranger things landsc...
Category

2010s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Prunella and Sylvie
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Helmut Newton (1920-2004) was one of the greatest photographers of the 20th century, known for his unflinching, heavily eroticized images of women. Born in 1920 in Berlin, Newton’...
Category

1970s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Polaroid

"I Love You Anna" Photography 24" x 16" inch Edition of 15 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"I Love You Anna" Photography 24" x 16" inch Edition of 15 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Not framed. Ships in a tube. A...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

"Place for People" Photography 27.5" x 24" inch Edition 5/15 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Place for People" Photography 27.5" x 24" inch Edition 4/15 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

"Aerial 2" Photography 24" x 24" inch Edition of 15 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Aerial 2" Photography 24" x 24" inch Edition of 15 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Not framed. Ships in a tube. Availabl...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

"Aerial 3" Photography 31" x 31" inch Edition of 7 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Aerial 3" Photography 31" x 31" inch Edition of 7 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Not framed. Ships in a tube. Available...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

"Cream” Photography 36" x 28" inch Edition of 24 by Brian Ziff
Located in Culver City, CA
“Cream” Photography 36" x 28" inch Edition of 24 by Brian Ziff Giclee (Archival Ink) Print on Canson Platine Fibre Rag From "Rite of Spring" series In this melancholy series, we ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Rag Paper, Giclée, Archival Ink

Vanilla
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Maggie Taylor's digital creations are emblematic, afterimages that invite, transport, and are unforgettable. Taylor's images are built, layer by layer and object by object, through a...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Wonder Room, limited edition color print, signed and numbered
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Wonder Room, limited edition color print, signed and numbered Maggie Taylor's digital creations are emblematic, afterimages that invite, transport, and are unforgettable. Taylor's ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Mystical Transcendent Orange Sunset Big Sky
Located in Miami, FL
A spectacular vast orange sunset dominates the sky as tiny onlookers gaze up and out with amazement. The image has a surreal quality to it and the relationship to the sky and people...
Category

2010s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

The Realist
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Maggie Taylor's digital creations are emblematic, afterimages that invite, transport, and are unforgettable. Taylor's images are built, layer by layer and object by object, through a...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

The Writer
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Maggie Taylor's digital creations are emblematic, afterimages that invite, transport, and are unforgettable. Taylor's images are built, layer by layer and object by object, through a...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

The Night Feast
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Maggie Taylor's digital creations are emblematic, afterimages that invite, transport, and are unforgettable. Taylor's images are built, layer by layer and object by object, through a...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Japanese Samurai-exotic daguerreotype reproduction Framed
Located in Lafayette, LA
In the circus sideshows, where audiences gathered to witness the exotic and the extraordinary, there was a remarkable performer named Hiroshi, who portrayed a samurai. His act was a ...
Category

2010s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Inkjet

"I Love You Anna" Photography 24" x 35.5" inch Edition of 7 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"I Love You Anna" Photography 24" x 35.5" inch Edition of 7 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Not framed. Ships in a tube. ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Transport of Delight
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Maggie Taylor's digital creations are emblematic, afterimages that invite, transport, and are unforgettable. Taylor's images are built, layer by layer and object by object, through a...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

"Geometry" Photography 24" x 24" inch Edition 5/15 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Geometry" Photography 24" x 24" inch Edition 3/15 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Not framed. Ships in a tube. Available...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

"Invisibility Hat" Photography 39" x 39" in Edition 2/3 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Invisibility Hat" Photography 39" x 39" in Edition 2/3 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Not framed. Ships in a tube. Avai...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

quartet of circus images -exotic daguerreotype reproductions Framed
Located in Lafayette, LA
Here are 4 small framed images of daguerreotype reproductions featuring the Circus. The images are of a circus announcer, bingo, the Circus Elephant , a gypsy fortune teller , and ...
Category

2010s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Inkjet

Fragment Attraction, limited edition photograph, archival, signed and numbered
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Fragment Attraction, limited edition photograph, archival, signed and numbered I present unspoken stories that illustrate fleeting moments in time and which are intended to evoke a...
Category

2010s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

in the style of Richard Prince Cowboy photograph (Vintage Cibachrome print)
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Vintage darkroom Cowboy photograph In the style of Richard Prince circa late 1980s: A superbly rendered vintage darkroom photograph, surrealistically exploring the mythology of the American cowboy set amidst blazing skies. Rendered much in the manner of Richard Prince cowboys...
Category

1980s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Three Circus Pugs - enchanting exotic daguerreotype reproduction Framed
Located in Lafayette, LA
n the circus, laughter and delight were paramount. At the heart of this spectacle was the head clown, a jolly and charismatic figure who brought joy to audiences with every mischievo...
Category

2010s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Inkjet

"Man 's World" Photography 27.5" x 20" inch Edition 2/15 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Man 's World" Photography 27.5" x 20" inch Edition 2/15 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Not framed. Ships in a tube. Ol...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

"Invisibility Hat" Photography 31" x 31" in Edition of 7 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Invisibility Hat" Photography 31" x 31" in Edition of 7 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Not framed. Ships in a tube. Ava...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Vintage René Magritte press photograph
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Rare René Magritte press photograph published on the occasion of a 1990 Magritte exhibition held at the world famous Pace/Macgill gallery New York. Silver-gelatin print. 8x10 inches...
Category

1990s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Indian Yogi Contortionist - exotic daguerreotype reproduction Framed
Located in Lafayette, LA
This is an AI-generated daguerreotype reproduction. In the enthralling landscape of the 1890s circus sideshows, among the diverse array of captivating acts and intriguing performer...
Category

2010s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Inkjet

The Lion man - exotic daguerreotype reproduction Framed
Located in Lafayette, LA
This is an AI generated exotic daguerreotype reproduction Framed. In the mesmerizing world of the 1890s circus sideshows, where curiosity reigned supreme, there existed an extraordi...
Category

2010s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Inkjet

"Pygmalion and Galatea" Photography 16" x 16" in Edition of 24 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Pygmalion and Galatea" Photography 16" x 16" in Edition of 24 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Not framed. Ships in a tube....
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Steady My Steed, limited edition photograph, archival, signed and numbered
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Steady My Steed, limited edition photograph, archival, signed and numbered I present unspoken stories that illustrate fleeting moments in time and which are intended to evoke a moo...
Category

2010s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Morning On The Grand Canal, limited edition photograph, archival, signed
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Morning On The Grand Canal, limited edition photograph, archival, signed and numbered I present unspoken stories that illustrate fleeting moments in time and which are intended to...
Category

2010s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

The Gamekeeper's Charge, limited edition photograph, archival, signed
Located in Sante Fe, NM
The Gamekeeper's Charge, limited edition photograph, archival, signed and numbered I present unspoken stories that illustrate fleeting moments in time and which are intended to evok...
Category

2010s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Tart to the Taste, limited edition photograph, archival, signed and numbered
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Tart to the Taste, limited edition photograph, archival, signed and numbered I present unspoken stories that illustrate fleeting moments in time and which are intended to evoke a m...
Category

2010s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

"Moon Birth" Photography 16" x 16" in Edition of 24 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Moon Birth" Photography 16" x 16" in Edition of 24 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Not framed. Ships in a tube. Availabl...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

“A Bridge Too Far” Photography 36" x 28" inch Edition of 24 by Brian Ziff
Located in Culver City, CA
“A Bridge Too Far” Photography 36" x 28" inch Edition of 24 by Brian Ziff Giclee (Archival Ink) Print on Canson Platine Fibre Rag From "Park Drive" series Brian Ziff's "High Ris...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Rag Paper, Giclée

"Adam" Photography 16" x 16" in Edition of 24 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Adam" Photography 16" x 16" in Edition of 24 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Not framed. Ships in a tube. Available size...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

12"x12" photograph of three circus pugs - enchanting exotic daguerreotype repro
Located in Lafayette, LA
this is a unframed 12" by 12" photograph. In the circus, laughter and delight were paramount. At the heart of this spectacle was the head clown, a jolly and charismatic figure who...
Category

2010s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Inkjet

"Ladybugs" Photography 39" x 39" inch Edition of 3 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Ladybugs" Photography 39" x 39" inch Edition of 3 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Not framed. Ships in a tube. Available...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

"Modern Traditions 1" Photography 39" x 39" inch Edition of 3 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Modern Traditions 1" Photography 39" x 39" inch Edition of 3 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Not framed. Ships in a tube. ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Viking woman -Shield maiden- exotic daguerreotype reproduction Framed
Located in Lafayette, LA
This is an exotic daguerreotype reproduction of a circus sideshow performer in the 1890s. ChatGPT In the heart of the 1890s, amidst the allure of the circus, there existed a unique act that captivated audiences far and wide. At the center of this spectacle was a remarkable blonde Viking shield...
Category

2010s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Inkjet

"Flight Risk" illustrative photography, surrealism, paper airplane motif
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This piece titled "Flight Risk" is a limited edition photographic print by Andrew Pinkham and is made from archival pigment on cotton rag. This piece measures 20"h x 20"w unframed an...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment, Rag Paper

A Conceptually Surreal Alternative Photographic Print, "San Diego/Tonto Nati..."
Located in San Diego, CA
A one of a kind 8" x 8" Conceptually Surreal Alternative Photographic Print mounted on wood executed by artist Annalise Neil. A certificate of authenticity will be provided upon its ...
Category

2010s Surrealist Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Surrealist photography for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Surrealist photography available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add photography created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, red, orange, purple and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Mitchell Funk, Rosemary Ellis, Brian Ziff, and FPA Francis Pavy Artist. Frequently made by artists working with Paper, and Photographic Paper and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Surrealist photography, so small editions measuring 4.5 inches across are also available. Prices for photography made by famous or emerging artists can differ depending on medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $110 and tops out at $28,800, while the average work sells for $1,750.

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