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.
$53,610
Salvador Dalí. Nude study: couple, standing man and reclining woman. circa 1966.
Located in BARCELONA, ES
Salvador Dalí (Figueras, May 11, 1904 - Figueras, January 23, 1989). Nude study: couple, standing man and reclining woman. circa 1966. Graphite and airbrush colors, gold paint on ...
Graphite
$137,004
Salvador Dalí. Naked man kneeling with a turtle. 1936. Paul Éluard. 44 x 54.6 cm
Located in BARCELONA, ES
Salvador Dalí (Figueras, May 11, 1904 - Figueras, January 23, 1989) Naked man kneeling with a turtle. 1936. Monotype retouched in pencil on heavy paper. 44 x 54.6 cm (71 x 82 cm)...
Paper, Pencil, Monotype
Erotic Couple - Surrealism Argentinian French Erotic Couple
By Leonor Fini
Located in London, GB
This drawing by Leonor Fini is hand signed by the artist in brown ink "Leonor Fini" in the lower right image. It was executed in 1977. This work is from a sketchbook. Condition: Ve...
Paper, Ink
A Machine that Creates Nomads, Surrealist Ink on paper by Dimitri Petrov
Located in Long Island City, NY
Dimitri Petrov, American (1919 - 1986) - This is Not an Idea for a Machine that Creates Nomads, Year: 1976, Medium: Ink on paper, signed, Size: 22 x 29.5 in. (55.88 x 74.93 cm)
Ink
Chance Meeting, Surrealist Pencil Drawing by Dimitri Petrov
Located in Long Island City, NY
Dimitri Petrov, American (1919 - 1986) - Chance Meeting, Year: 1977, Medium: Pencil on Paper, signed and dated, Size: 22 x 30 in. (55.88 x 76.2 cm)
Pencil
Positive Drawing III, Surrealist Ink Wash on Paper by Dimitri Petrov
Located in Long Island City, NY
Dimitri Petrov, American (1919 - 1986) - Positive Drawing III, Year: 1976, Medium: Ink Wash on Paper, Size: 22 in. x 30 in. (55.88 cm x 76.2 cm)
Ink
Erotic Couple - Surrealism Argentinian French Erotic Couple
By Leonor Fini
Located in London, GB
This drawing by Leonor Fini is hand signed by the artist in black ink "Leonor Fini" in the lower right image. It is additionally annotated ‘4’ in black ink in the lower right corner....
Paper, Ink
Diana
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Diana" 1974 is a color ink drawing on light grey Canson et Mongolfier paper by noted Polish artist Barbara Gawdzik Brzozowska, 192...
Ink
$640Sale Price|78% Off
The temptation of Saint Anthony (1977) by Vivaldo Martini - Drawing 36x49 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
His first name sounds like a concerto. Vivacious, its name is reminiscent of an aperitif or a cyclist. The addition of the two evokes the Italianate. Indomitable and unavoidable. Mor...
Pen
$460Sale Price|20% Off
Fashionable Faces, Surrealist Figurative Line Drawing
Located in Soquel, CA
Fun and playful figurative line drawing with three stylized female faces by SusanBrooks (American, b. 1951), 1985. Signed and dated in the lowe...
Paper, Pencil
Mechanical Love, Surrealist Ink Drawing by Dimitri Petrov
Located in Long Island City, NY
Dimitri Petrov, American (1919 - 1986) - Untitled - Mechanical Love, Year: 1982, Medium: Ink on paper, signed, Image Size: 14 x 22 inches, Size: 22 x 30 in. (55.88 x 76.2 cm)
Ink
Positive Drawing I, Psychedelic Ink Wash on Paper by Dimitri Petrov
Located in Long Island City, NY
Dimitri Petrov, American (1919 - 1986) - Positive Drawing I, Year: 1976, Medium: Ink Wash on Paper, Size: 22 x 30 in. (55.88 x 76.2 cm)
Ink
$1,200
A Compelling Surrealist, Mid-Century Modern Ink Drawing, Running Nude & Profile
Located in Chicago, IL
A Compelling, 1961 Surrealist Mid-Century Modern Ink Drawing (Running Nude & Profile) by Notable Chicago Artist, Harold Haydon (Am. 1909-1994). A wonderful, large ink drawing by Ha...
Ink, Handmade Paper
Sphinx and Cowboys, Psychedelic Pencil Drawing by Dimitri Petrov
Located in Long Island City, NY
Dimitri Petrov, American (1919 - 1986) - Sphinx and Cowboys, Year: 1977, Medium: Pencil on Paper, Size: 22 x 29.5 in. (55.88 x 74.93 cm)
Pencil
$416Sale Price|30% Off
Nude - Ink and Watercolor Drawing by Sergio Barletta - 1990s
Located in Roma, IT
Nude is an original painting in watercolor and pen on paper applied on brown cardboard, realized by Sergio Barletta, hand-signed. In excellent conditions. Sheet dimension: 24 x17 ...
Mixed Media
!["Diablo Verrgon" [Devil Wand], Watercolor on Paper, 2005](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/a_28452/a_183069221784129393940/171_1_master.jpg?width=240)
!["Diablo Verrgon" [Devil Wand], Watercolor on Paper, 2005](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/a_28452/a_183069221784130026600/171_2_master.jpg?width=240)
"Diablo Verrgon" [Devil Wand], Watercolor on Paper, 2005
Located in Astoria, NY
Gerardo Navarro Gomez (Oaxacan, b. 1958), "Diablo Verrgon" [Devil Wand], Watercolor on Paper, 2005, signed and dated lower right, white frame. Image: 20" H x 27.5" W; frame: 23" H x...
Paper, Watercolor
Bent, But Not Broke, Surrealist Pencil Drawing by Dimitri Petrov
Located in Long Island City, NY
Dimitri Petrov, American (1919 - 1986) - Bent, But Not Broke, Year: 1977, Medium: Pencil on Paper, signed and dated, Size: 22 x 30 in. (55.88 x 76.2 cm)
Pencil
Your Face Is Familiar, Surrealist Pencil Drawing by Dimitri Petrov
Located in Long Island City, NY
Dimitri Petrov, American (1919 - 1986) - Your Face Is Familiar, Year: 1977, Medium: Pencil on Paper, Size: 22 x 29.5 in. (55.88 x 74.93 cm)
Pencil
$3,000
…A machine that discerns alternatives, Surrealist Ink Drawing by Dimitri Petrov
Located in Long Island City, NY
Dimitri Petrov, American (1919 - 1986) - This is an idea for a machine that discerns alternatives, Year: 1976, Medium: Ink on paper, signed, Size: 22 x 30 in. (55.88 x 76.2 cm)
Ink
$2,400Sale Price|20% Off
Kyle Andrew Szpyrka - Babel, Drawing 2014
Located in Greenwich, CT
"Sutra, a Sanskrit word meaning “thread”, is a word or small group of words that summarize an entire complex web of ideas, truths, wisdoms, or teachings all woven together into a sin...
Paper, Pencil, Graphite
(For Grownups Only, Seriously!)
Located in San Francisco, CA
And what are you to look for? Not random swipes, as if cleaning one’s brush on the verso. Nor the whisps of cigarette smoke wafting upward from below. No. Do look again for an exquis...
Paper, Chalk
Concert #VI
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Concert #6" 1974 is a 2 colors ink drawing on beige Canson et Montgolfier paper by noted Polish artist Barbara Gawdzik Brzozowska,...
Ink
Concert #I
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Concert #1" 1974 is a black and color ink drawing on Canson et Mongolfier paper by noted Polish artist Barbara Gawdzik Brzozowska,...
Ink
$975
Dance Partners nude female subject with rose bouquet surreal expressive format
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Soft pastel on red toned heavyweight archival paper signed and dated bottom. Part of an ongoing series by the artist of women with floral bouquets. Framing under glass is necessary f...
Pastel, Archival Paper
A Machine that Martyrs Pale Dissidents II, Ink on paper by Dimitri Petrov
Located in Long Island City, NY
Dimitri Petrov, American (1919 - 1986) - This Is Not an Idea for a Machine that Martyrs Pale Dissidents II, Year: 1976, Medium: Ink on paper, signed, Size: 22 x 30 in. (55.88 x ...
Ink
Polynesian Dance at Sunset Watercolor Mixed Media Artwork, 21.25x13"
Located in Miami, FL
A group of sexy Polynesian male and female dancers is depicted with expressive and sensual body gestures. The rhythmic fluidity of each dancer is transferred to their partners, unit...
Mixed Media, Watercolor, Illustration Board, Pencil
Untitled
By James Childs
Located in New York, NY
This drawing by James Childs is offered by CLAMP in New York City.
Paper, Conté, Graphite
$460Sale Price|20% Off
H 14.25 in W 14.25 in D 1 in
Fashionable Faces, Surrealist Figurative Line Drawing
Located in Soquel, CA
Fun and playful figurative line drawing with three stylized female faces by SusanBrooks (American, b. 1951), 1985. Signed and dated in the lowe...
Paper, Pencil
$285
H 8.27 in W 5.63 in D 0.01 in
Duet of Light and Shadow: Dance of Light and Shadow in Mixed Media
Located in Oslo, NO
The painting, created using mixed media, features two figures positioned in a dynamic pose, as if frozen in a moment of dance. On a small format of 21 by 29 cm, one can focus on the ...
Paper, Acrylic, Pencil
Study for "Lucifer"
By James Childs
Located in New York, NY
This drawing by James Childs is offered by CLAMP in New York City.
Paper, Charcoal, Graphite
$1,350
H 32 in W 26.25 in
Fear of a Constantly Harrowed Heart - Male Nude Torso, Oil & Graphite on Paper
By Rick Sindt
Located in Chicago, IL
Rick Sindt's knowledge of the male physique is evident in this drawing of a nude male torso. The subject is tilted back with his head turned away, as if to shield himself from the v...
Oil, Archival Paper, Graphite
$1,600
H 9 in W 6 in
Hitchhike - Distorted Drawing of Male and Female Nude Figures, Framed
By Jane Birch
Located in Chicago, IL
Jane Birch Hitchhike graphite on paper 9h x 6w in 16h x 12.75w in framed 22.86h x 15.24w cm JAB008 My drawings are lovingly objectifying. I’m an alien researcher, and my subject, h...
Archival Paper, Graphite
$3,500
H 29 in W 19.5 in D 1.25 in
“Standing Nude, c. 1930” American Modernist Early Female Nude Drawing Signed
Located in Yardley, PA
“Standing Nude, c. 1930” by Louise Nevelson (1899-1988) This wonderful early pencil drawing by Nevelson represents a nude figure, rendered with simple and confident lines that empha...
Paper, Pencil, Graphite
Study for "Lucifer"
By James Childs
Located in New York, NY
This work on paper by James Childs is offered by CLAMP in New York City.
Paper, Charcoal, Graphite
Gestural Ink Wash #52, Abstract Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Artist Gail Ragain presents an abstract portrait of a nude woman bending over the side. Gail approaches the piece with spontaneous bursts of expression, follo...
Ink
$395
H 24.61 in W 18.71 in
Pierre Neveu (b.1929) - Mid 20th Century Graphite Drawing, Academic Study VI
By Pierre Neveu
Located in Corsham, GB
An accomplished academic study by the artist Pierre Neveu (b.1929). Signed. On laid. Image size: 62.5 x 47.5cm.
Graphite
$450
H 9 in W 3.75 in
Maid of Agora - Nude Female Figure, Highly Detailed Pencil Drawing, Framed
Located in Chicago, IL
The female figure in Oliver Benson's "Maid of Agora" is drawn in exquisite detail. On the reverse side, the artist has drawn another female figure. The artwork is not framed. Ple...
Archival Paper, Graphite
Unavailable|$850
H 12.6 in W 17.7 in
Afternoon nap (minotaur, centaur) - expressive line drawing
Located in Fort Lee, NJ
Anxious morning (minotaur, centaur) - expressive line drawing on 140lb paper. His artistic style is rather difficult to describe, it can be named as "expressive romanticism". Usually...
Paper, Graphite
Victor
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Victor" 1974 is a 2 colors ink drawing on light green/brown Canson et Mogolfier paper by noted Polish artist Barbara Gawdzik Brzoz...
Ink
Sold
H 20 in W 14 in
'Surrealistic Nude Figures, ' by Leonard Kaplan, Painting, c. 1960s
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
This framed 20" x 14" painting in a surrealist style by artist Leonard Kaplan depicts three nude figures crowded together, sitting and standing with a white bird obscured by the dark shadows. Predominant colors are red, orange, black, and cream. The painting is on paper and masonite framed behind glass in a silver metal frame. Leonard Kalan is known for surrealism and figure paintings. He died in California in 2008. Leonard was born January 15, 1922 in New York City and won a scholarship in 1940 to study at the Art Student League under Reginald Marsh and William Pair. He won an art scholarship to New York University in the late 1930's. He studied art at the Henry Street...
Masonite, Chalk, Acrylic, Archival Paper
Surrealist Fantasy - Original Pencil Drawing
Located in Paris, IDF
Jules Perahim (1914-2008) Surrealist Fantasy Original pencil drawing Signed in pencil by the artist On thick paper 32.5 x 25 cm (c. 13 x 10 inches) INF...
Pencil, Carbon Pencil
"Sugar Bowl" Surrealist Nude Abstract
Located in Houston, TX
Surrealist nude abstract of a woman's torso. The piece is titled "Sugar Bowl" and is signed by Nancy Fleagle. The piece is framed in a light wooden frame with a white matte. Dimensio...
Paper, Chalk
Sold
H 37 in W 27 in D 1 in
"Tempering": Pen and Ink Black and White Drawing - Female Figure Drawing
Located in Gilroy, CA
This work is from “The Place in Between” Series. Artist Statement on the series: The Place In Between” speaks to the transformation and metamorphosis of women—as they move through t...
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Ballpoint Pen
Sold
H 15.08 in W 12.13 in D 0.4 in
Salvador Dali - Original Signed Drawing - Ladies Dance
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Salvador Dali - Original Signed Drawing 1946 Ink on paper 38.3 x 30.8 cm (15 1/6 x 12 1/8 in.) Signed and dated with monogram lower left PROVENANCE: Julien Levy Gallery, New York (...
Ink
Sold
H 35.5 in W 24 in
Untitled- One of a kind pencil and gold paint figure drawing on paper
By Juan C. Estrada
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Untitled 35 1/2 x 24 inches This piece is a one of a kind pencil and gold paint drawing on paper. 2016 ___________ Juan C. Estrada combines realism and surrealism in his work. Born i...
Gold
Jean Cocteau - Original Signed Ink Drawing
By Jean Cocteau
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Jean Cocteau Rare Original Ink Signed Drawing Signed "Souvenir de Jean" Dimensions: 19 x 12 cm Jean Cocteau Writer, artist and film director Jean Cocteau was one of the most influ...
Ink
untitled (Female Dancer)
By Mary Spain
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Signed and dated by the artist in pencil lower right
Charcoal
Surreal Nude
By Henri Perez
Located in Los Angeles, CA
HENRI PEREZ "SURREALIST nude" DRAWING, SIGNED FRENCH-MOROCCAN, DATED 1958 14 x 20 INCHES Henri Perez Born 1931 After high school in Morocco, Henri Perez was acce...
Archival Paper, Carbon Pencil
Surreal Landscape
By Henri Perez
Located in Los Angeles, CA
HENRI PEREZ "SURREALIST LANDSCAPE" DRAWING, SIGNED FRENCH-MOROCCAN, DATED 1960 10.25 X 12 INCHES Henri Perez Born 1931 After high school in Morocco, Henri Perez ...
Archival Paper, Carbon Pencil