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Surrealist Art

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
Image of Peace #1
Located in Singapore, SG
An imagination of life in nature with blooming flowers and birds that carry the message of peace. A little girl who longs for a peaceful world, represents the hope of all children ar...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Grateful for Life
Located in Singapore, SG
Inspired by sunflowers as flowers that carry hope, happiness, energy and love of God. While the calico cat is a symbol of good luck. An imagination about life in the universe that al...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Shuzeng Liu Landscape Original Oil On Canvas "New World 2"
Located in New York, NY
Title: New World 2 Medium: Oil on canvas Size: 23.5 x 31 inches Frame: Framing options available! Condition: The painting appears to be in excellent condition. Year: 2013 Ar...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

Untitled I, Surrealist Lithograph by Wojtek Kowalczyk
Located in Long Island City, NY
Untitled I Wojtek Kowalczyk, Polish (1960) Date: 2005 Lithograph, signed in pencil Size: 19.5 in. x 13.5 in. (49.53 cm x 34.29 cm)
Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Waiting, Surrealist Lithograph by Wojtek Kowalczyk
Located in Long Island City, NY
Waiting Wojtek Kowalczyk, Polish (1960) Date: 2005 Lithograph, signed in pencil Size: 19.5 in. x 13.5 in. (49.53 cm x 34.29 cm)
Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Untitled XXI, Surrealist Lithograph by Wojtek Kowalczyk
Located in Long Island City, NY
Untitled XXI Wojtek Kowalczyk, Polish (1960) Date: 2005 Lithograph, signed in pencil Size: 19.5 in. x 13.5 in. (49.53 cm x 34.29 cm)
Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Untitled XXII, Surrealist Lithograph by Wojtek Kowalczyk
Located in Long Island City, NY
Untitled XXII Wojtek Kowalczyk, Polish (1960) Date: 2005 Lithograph, signed in pencil Size: 19.5 in. x 13.5 in. (49.53 cm x 34.29 cm)
Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Untitled XXIII, Surrealist Lithograph by Wojtek Kowalczyk
Located in Long Island City, NY
Untitled XXIII Wojtek Kowalczyk, Polish (1960) Date: 2005 Lithograph, signed in pencil Size: 19.5 in. x 13.5 in. (49.53 cm x 34.29 cm)
Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Butterfly Nets, Surrealist Lithograph by Wojtek Kowalczyk
Located in Long Island City, NY
Butterfly Nets Wojtek Kowalczyk, Polish (1960) Date: 2005 Lithograph, signed in pencil Size: 13.5 in. x 19.5 in. (34.29 cm x 49.53 cm)
Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Untitled XIV, Surrealist Lithograph by Wojtek Kowalczyk
Located in Long Island City, NY
Untitled XIV Wojtek Kowalczyk, Polish (1960) Date: 2005 Lithograph, signed in pencil Size: 19.5 in. x 13.5 in. (49.53 cm x 34.29 cm)
Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Untitled XXVI, Surrealist Lithograph by Wojtek Kowalczyk
Located in Long Island City, NY
Untitled XXVI Wojtek Kowalczyk, Polish (1960) Date: 2005 Lithograph, signed in pencil Size: 19.5 in. x 13.5 in. (49.53 cm x 34.29 cm)
Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Untitled - IV, Surrealist Lithograph by Wojtek Kowalczyk
Located in Long Island City, NY
Untitled - IV Wojtek Kowalczyk, Polish (1960) Date: 2005 Lithograph, signed in pencil Size: 19.5 in. x 13.5 in. (49.53 cm x 34.29 cm)
Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Untitled - Seamstress, Surrealist Lithograph by Wojtek Kowalczyk
Located in Long Island City, NY
Untitled - Seamstress Wojtek Kowalczyk, Polish (1960) Date: 2005 Lithograph, signed in pencil Size: 19.5 in. x 13.5 in. (49.53 cm x 34.29 cm)
Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Untitled - Stairs and Ladders, Surrealist Lithograph by Wojtek Kowalczyk
Located in Long Island City, NY
Untitled - Stairs and Ladders Wojtek Kowalczyk, Polish (1960) Date: 2005 Lithograph, signed in pencil Size: 19.5 in. x 13.5 in. (49.53 cm x 34.29 cm)
Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Untitled - Night Path, Surrealist Lithograph by Wojtek Kowalczyk
Located in Long Island City, NY
Untitled - Night Path Wojtek Kowalczyk, Polish (1960) Date: 2005 Lithograph, signed in pencil Size: 19.5 in. x 13.5 in. (49.53 cm x 34.29 cm)
Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Untitled - VII, Surrealist Lithograph by Wojtek Kowalczyk
Located in Long Island City, NY
Untitled - VII Wojtek Kowalczyk, Polish (1960) Date: 2005 Lithograph, signed in pencil Size: 19.5 in. x 13.5 in. (49.53 cm x 34.29 cm)
Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Untitled - Paper Tree, Surrealist Lithograph by Wojtek Kowalczyk
Located in Long Island City, NY
Untitled - Paper Tree Wojtek Kowalczyk, Polish (1960) Date: 2005 Lithograph, signed in pencil Size: 19.5 in. x 13.5 in. (49.53 cm x 34.29 cm)
Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Jianping Chen Surrealist Original Oil Painting "The Word In My Mind No.26"
Located in New York, NY
Title: The Word In My Mind No.26 Medium: Oil on canvas Size: 19 x 23 inches Frame: Framing options available! Condition: The painting appears to be in excellent condition. Ye...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

Untitled - XXVIII
Located in Long Island City, NY
Untitled - XXVIII Wojtek Kowalczyk, Polish (1960) Date: circa 2005 Lithograph, signed in pencil Size: 19.5 in. x 13.5 in. (49.53 cm x 34.29 cm) Frame Size: 21 x 18 inches
Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Jianping Chen Surrealist Original Oil Painting "No.25"
Located in New York, NY
Title: No.25 Medium: Oil on canvas Size: 19 x 23 inches Frame: Framing options available! Condition: The painting appears to be in excellent condition. Year: 2000 Circa Arti...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

Surrealist Watercolor Painting, "Living Waters"
Located in San Diego, CA
This is a one of a kind watercolor on paper figurative painting by San Diego artist, Charlene Mosley. Its framed dimensions are 17.5" x 17.5"x 1". It is framed. A certificate of aut...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Watercolor

"Crocodylus moreleti" - figurative animal sculpture, translucid resin, blue
Located in Ciudad de México, MX
The artwork of Alejandra España is an invitation to her intimate cosmogony. In it, she displays modules to give meaning to the observer through the co...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Resin

"And I, With The Wings of an Angel, Motionless in the Air..." Surrealist Drawing
Located in Houston, TX
Pastel green, blue, gray, and white abstract surrealist drawing by artist T. Moore. The piece depicts a floating book with wings against a lush and serene landscape with a distinct o...
Category

1980s Surrealist Art

Materials

Ink, Mixed Media, Color Pencil

"Les chiens ont soif" lithograph
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: lithograph (after the drawing). Printed by Mourlot for the deluxe limited edition portfolio "Les chiens ont soif", this is one of 250 impressions on BFK Rives wove paper (the...
Category

1960s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Anemones
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C. Bernhardsson is a colorful artist who lives and paints in Sweden. Most of her works are influenced by the architecture and geometry of houses. Bernhardsson travels the world photographing and sketching houses...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Mixed Media

Storm at Blackpool
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Daniel Rothbart, Storm at Blackpool, 1955-2021, printed on Epson Cold Press Bright paper with archival ink, 22.25 x 24 in. (56.5 x 61 cm.), edition of ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Giclée

Sous-marin
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Daniel Rothbart, Sous-marin, 1914-2022, printed on Epson Cold Press Bright paper with archival ink, 16.8 x 24 in. (42.7 x 61 cm.), edition of 3 with tw...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Giclée

Château de la Napoule
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Daniel Rothbart, Château de la Napoule , 1968-2022, printed on Epson Cold Press Bright paper with archival ink, 16.8 x 24 in. (42.7 x 61 cm.), editio...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Giclée

untitled 14
Located in Spetses, GR
’Ηeavenly Creatures’’ Heroins & magical creatures, in an elegant ,romantic approach, and a perfect technique all the way to the last detail. The female form, the female face is the muse in most paintings, although we can also find a gender neutral approach, an androgyny as a protagonist with the same always features, such as youth, sensualism, innocence and optimism. Inside these dream-like images overfilled with euphoria, these fragile figures are kind souls with rich inner beauty. Figures that we can relate with if we dig deeper into our souls. Sofia Fotiadou...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Autumn rose. Rose woman.
Located in Aberdeen Dyce, GB
Autumn rose. Rose woman.
Category

1990s Surrealist Art

Materials

Watercolor

French Contemporary Art By Helen Uter - May
Located in Paris, IDF
Acrylic on paper, Framed 42 x 42 x 3 cm Helen Uter is an established Franco-American painter born in 1955 who lives and works in Donnery, near Orléans, France. Heavily influenced b...
Category

1990s Surrealist Art

Materials

Acrylic, Paper

French Contemporary Art By Helen Uter - Moutons Baldwin
Located in Paris, IDF
Acrylic on paper, Framed 42 x 42 x 3 cm Helen Uter is an established Franco-American painter born in 1955 who lives and works in Donnery, near Orléans, France. Heavily influenced b...
Category

1990s Surrealist Art

Materials

Acrylic, Paper

French Contemporary Art By Helen Uter - Aleck
Located in Paris, IDF
Acrylic on paper, Framed 42 x 42 x 3 cm Helen Uter is an established Franco-American painter born in 1955 who lives and works in Donnery, near Orléans, France. Heavily influenced b...
Category

1990s Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil, Paper

French Contemporary Art By Helen Uter - Joseph
Located in Paris, IDF
Acrylic on paper, Framed 42 x 42 x 3 cm Helen Uter is an established Franco-American painter born in 1955 who lives and works in Donnery, near Orléans, France. Heavily influenced b...
Category

1990s Surrealist Art

Materials

Acrylic, Paper

French Contemporary Art By Helen Uter - Lola sleeping
Located in Paris, IDF
Acrylic on paper, Framed 42 x 42 x 3 cm Helen Uter is an established Franco-American painter born in 1955 who lives and works in Donnery, near Orléans, France. Heavily influenced b...
Category

1990s Surrealist Art

Materials

Acrylic, Paper

original lithograph
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. Printed in Paris by Mourlot and published by Pierre à Feu and Maeght Editeur for the Marcel Duchamp / André Breton project Surréalisme en 1947. Issued in...
Category

1940s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

original lithograph
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. Printed in Paris by Mourlot and published by Pierre à Feu and Maeght Editeur for the Marcel Duchamp / André Breton project Surréalisme en 1947. Issued in...
Category

1940s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

original lithograph
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. Printed in Paris by Mourlot and published by Pierre à Feu and Maeght Editeur for the Marcel Duchamp / André Breton project Surréalisme en 1947. Issued in...
Category

1940s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

original lithograph
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. Printed in Paris by Mourlot and published by Pierre à Feu and Maeght Editeur for the Marcel Duchamp / André Breton project Surréalisme en 1947. Issued in...
Category

1940s Surrealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Nebula, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Artist Miranda Gamel depicts an ethereal being with a glowing crown and wings. Star nebulas and light beams surround her in lustrous prismatic hues. The nude fi...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

Her Transformation, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Artist Miranda Gamel shares a dreamy portrait of a woman with a neon pink crown surrounded by glowing butterflies. Miranda portrays the subject with illuminated...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

"Dolls" Contemporary Yellow Toned Surrealist Portrait Painting of a Young Girl
Located in Houston, TX
Pastel-toned surrealist painting done by contemporary artist Henry David Potwin. This work features a girl figure with yellow-toned skin playing with a smaller nude, doll figure. Signed at bottom left corner. Titled and dated on reverse. Currently hung in a wooden, brown frame. Dimensions Without Frame: H: 11 in. x W: 10in. Artist Biography: Born in Dallas, Texas David Potwin is the oldest of three children. He first started to paint at the age of 8 years old. As a young boy, Potwin's family would summer vacation in Taos, New Mexico. During the family vacations in 1965, he met artist Eric Gibberd...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Mechanical Heart" Contemporary Green and Yellow Surrealist Portrait Painting
Located in Houston, TX
Colorful surrealist painting done by contemporary artist Henry David Potwin. This work shows a man with pastel colored features opening his shirt to reveal his mechanical heart and robot parts set against a vivid, yellow background. Signed at bottom right corner. Titled and dated on reverse. Currently unframed, but options are available. Artist Biography: Born in Dallas, Texas David Potwin is the oldest of three children. He first started to paint at the age of 8 years old. As a young boy, Potwin's family would summer vacation in Taos, New Mexico. During the family vacations in 1965, he met artist Eric...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Nachtgespenst / Night ghost
Located in Wien, 9
Franz Rogler (1921 -1994) studied wood and stone sculpture with Wilhelm Gösser at the Graz School of Applied Arts and attended the master class for painting with Rudolf Szyszkowitz. ...
Category

1940s Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Charcoal

Jünglinge / Youths
Located in Wien, 9
Franz Rogler (1921 -1994) studied wood and stone sculpture with Wilhelm Gösser at the Graz School of Applied Arts and attended the master class for painting with Rudolf Szyszkowitz. ...
Category

1940s Surrealist Art

Materials

Paper, Graphite

The Resting Spot by Lucas Aoki
Located in New York, NY
Archival pigment print on 290 gsm Moab Rag Fine Art Paper 17 x 10 inches Printers Proof (Sold out edition out of 25) Signed and numbered by the artist
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Giclée

Tales of a Tree by Lucas Aoki
Located in New York, NY
Archival pigment print on german paper 8 x 24 inches Limited Edition out of 100 Signed and numbered by the artist
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Giclée

20th Century British artist Jenny Ogg oil on panel, lady sunbathing
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Jenny Ogg (British school, 20th Century) Sunbathing oil on panel signed 'J Ogg' (lower right) and bearing label for Grants Fine Art Gallery Newcastle (to the reverse)
Category

20th Century Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

"Abstract Art #1" Painting, Oil on Birch, Bright Colors, Surrealism, Rainbows
Located in New York, NY
"Abstract Art #1" by Robin Tewes was featured in "Art4Equality x Life, Liberty & The Pursuit of Happiness" group exhibition at The Untitled Space from September 26 – November 3, 2020...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Birch, Oil

Unsuppressed Thoughts, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Full title: "Unsurpressed Thoughts Within the Comforts of the Dream" A personal favorite, this painting has been up in my home multiple times. It addresses the freedom of being a...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

Inclination, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
This painting is a part of a much larger project called "The Love Garden," a collection of paintings turned into sculptures that people visit to remember the ones they've loved and t...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

June '97 - To Love Too Much, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
This piece was originally sketched on a train in Tokyo, then created into an oil painting in 2016 when an artist I deeply respected was going through my art books and commented on ho...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

Matrimony, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
My second marriage was a challenge for me because the connection never formed. It was two people together, but living very different lives. The greys and blacks of this picture remin...
Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Art

Materials

Acrylic

The Glorious Game, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
This was painted at a time when I was getting a lot of attention from females, and it was getting out of control, regardless of the title. The more attention I got, the more I saw th...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

Reflections on a Burgeoning Soul, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
You might ask why this is only a section of a piece of art. The truth is that a mentor of mine put their hands out into a shape of a square and said, "I love this part of it!" and wh...
Category

2010s Surrealist Art

Materials

Oil

Figurative Surrealism, "Tara Goddess of Love and Compassion"
Located in San Diego, CA
This is a pre-owned secondary market painting by Gloria Muriel. It is a framed figurative surrealist painting made with acrylic paint on canvas. Its dimensions are 9.5 x 13.5 in (L x...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Acrylic, Canvas

Torii
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Daniel Rothbart, Torii, 1907-2021, printed on Epson Cold Press Bright paper with archival ink, 20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 61 cm.), edition of 3 with two APs, signed and numbered.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Giclée

Oasis
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Daniel Rothbart, Oasis, 1908-2020, printed on Epson Cold Press Bright paper with archival ink, 15.7 x 24 in. (40 x 61 cm.), edition of 3 with two APs, signed and numbered.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Art

Materials

Giclée

Surrealist art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Surrealist art 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 art created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, orange, purple, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Salvador Dalí, Marc Chagall, Joan Miró, and Leonor Fini. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Lithograph 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 art, so small editions measuring 1 inches across are also available. Prices for art 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 $1 and tops out at $1,450,000, while the average work sells for $1,426.

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