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.
Beaujolais - Abstract Muted Tone Architectural Still Life Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C Bernhardsson's original artworks are influenced by the architecture and geometry of houses. Born in Sweden, Bernhardsson travels the world photographing and sketching houses ...
Canvas, Mixed Media
Portrait of Woman, Figurative Surrealism Original oil Painting
By Ashot Yan
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Figurative Surrealism Original Painting Artist: Ashot Yan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2023 Style: Surrealism, Title: Sti...
Canvas, Oil
$2,400
"Hecate's Moon" (2025) Original Surrealist Lakeshore Landscape, Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Robin Hextrum's "Hecate's Moon" is an original oil painting on cradled wooden panel. This piece is framed at 23.5" by 29.5". Artist Statement: This painting is part of my "Magical R...
Oil, Linen
$1,633Sale Price|63% Off
Nudist Woman Surrealist Oil Painting, Signed, Mid-20th Century
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Nudist Women, Signed Oil Painting By French artist Claude Benard, (1926 - 2016) Signed by the artist on the lower left hand corner, Oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas size: 32 x...
Oil
A Home in the Woods - Original Birds Portrait Still Life Framed Acrylic Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The figurative surrealistic paintings of Carlos Gamez de Francisco are heavily influenced by his Cuban upbringing in a Russian-governed academic setting. This presence exposed Franci...
Canvas, Acrylic
"Resilience"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
**Resilience III** The final painting in my *Resilience* series continues my reflection on Ukrainian brands that create beauty despite the realities of war. This work was inspired ...
Canvas, Oil
Planning for the Future - Blue Jay Birds Still Life Framed Acrylic Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The figurative surrealistic paintings of Carlos Gamez de Francisco are heavily influenced by his Cuban upbringing in a Russian-governed academic setting. This presence exposed Franci...
Canvas, Acrylic
The Pink Party - Cute Feminine Still Life Collage Mixed Media Artwork on Paper
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...
Paper, Mixed Media
Israeli Large Vibrant Surrealist Flowers Oil Painting
By Milia Laufer
Located in Surfside, FL
Milia Laufer, born Romania. From 1951 lived and worked in Safed. Together with her husband opened one of the earliest galleries in Israel, in Tiberias. Worked in watercolors and oils...
Canvas, Oil
Mid-20th Century Magical Realism, Surrealist Painting, Cleveland School Artist
By Paul Riba
Located in Beachwood, OH
Paul Riba (American, 1912-1977) Untitled Oil on panel Signed lower right 30 x 18 inches 39.25 x 27.25 inches, framed Paul Riba was a painter of Magic Realism. He explored the unrea...
Oil
Skyscrapers - Architectural Colorful Still Life Mixed Media Collage on Paper
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...
Paper, Mixed Media
"Let's Try This Water Together" (2024) By Nadezda, Original Oil Painting
By Nadezda
Located in Denver, CO
Nadezda's beautiful new oil on panel painting "Let's Try This Water Together" (2024) is a surrealist portrait of three small creatures in a dark forest. Nadezda is a painter, sculpt...
Oil, Panel
Surrealist Still Life with a Guitar
Located in San Francisco, CA
When you enter visually into the sumptuous scene captured in this painting, the unknown artist is playing with you. They are teasing you to slightly suspend your careful awareness of...
Canvas, Oil
$10,000Sale Price|20% Off
'L'Obscurité', Trompe L'oeil, Newport Art Museum, Frye Art Museum, Yale, Zillman
By Richard Whitten
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
'L'Obscurité' by Richard Whitten, 2009. Trompe L'oeil, Newport Art Museum, Frye Museum, Yale ----- Initialed lower left, 'RCW' for Richard Whitten (American, born 1958) and dated, l...
Gold Leaf
Petals in Reverie II - Framed Botanical Flowers Still Life Acrylic Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The figurative surrealistic paintings of Carlos Gamez de Francisco are heavily influenced by his Cuban upbringing in a Russian-governed academic setting. This presence exposed Franci...
Canvas, Acrylic
$3,000Sale Price|20% Off
Antique Italian Super Realist Surreal Landscape Framed Signed Modern Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique Italian modernist landscape oil painting. Oil on board. Signed. Framed. Provenance from a Brooklyn, NY collection. Measuring: 23 by 33 inches overall. Handsomely framed in d...
Oil, Board
$7,000
"Bake-kujira" (2025) Original Surrealist Marine Animal Still-Life, Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Robin Hextrum's "Bake-Kujira" is an original oil painting on stretched canvas. Artist Statement: This painting is part of my "Magical Realism" series. The Bake-kujira, also known a...
Linen, Oil
Melrose Animal House - Abstract Architectural Monochromatic Watercolor Painting
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...
Paper, Mixed Media
At the Museum I - surreal, contemporary, figurative, oil on canvas
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This surrealist painting by Toni Hamel features a Group of Seven piece and focuses on the theme of climate change. In this imaginative painting, Toni Hamel sends a powerful message ...
Canvas, Oil
$565
Melrose Green House - Abstract Architectural Watercolor Painting on Paper
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...
Paper, Mixed Media
$1,032Sale Price|20% Off
French Surrealist Still Life Oil Painting Fruit Wine Window Sky Signed
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Title French Surrealist Still Life Oil Painting Fruit Wine Window Sky Signed Key Details Artist: French School, second half 20th century Title: Surrealist Still Life Study Medium: Oi...
Canvas, Oil
The Lamp, Stellan Morner (1896-1979), Surrealist original Oil on Panel, c. 1935
Located in New York, NY
Stellan Mörner (1896-1979) The Lamp, ca. 1935 Oil on panel 9 4/5 × 13 in l 25 × 33 cm 15 3/4 x 18 1/2 l 39 x 47 cm (Frame included) Signed lower right Exhibition history: Nordic Sur...
Oil, Panel
Meditation Practice 101 - Figurative Surrealist Portrait Mixed Media Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The figurative surrealistic paintings of Carlos Gamez de Francisco are heavily influenced by his Cuban upbringing in a Russian-governed academic setting. This presence exposed Franci...
Ink, Watercolor, Graphite, Paper
$1,902Sale Price|20% Off
Roger Bonafé Modern Still Life with Hat Bottle and Flower Oil Pastel 1981
By Roger Bonafe
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Title Roger Bonafé Modern Still Life with Hat Bottle and Flower Oil Pastel 1981 Key Details Artist: Roger Bonafé (French, b.1932), signed and dated 1981 Medium: Oil pastel on thick ...
Oil Pastel
$2,000Sale Price|20% Off
CABINET OF CURIOSITIESoriginal large Paula Craioveanu oil Surreal FRAMED
Located in Forest Hills, NY
"Cabinet of Curiosities" Oil on canvas Large original, one-of-a-kind, painting 39x27in Shipped stretched and framed. In this new series artist explores and brings together the old an...
Canvas, Oil
$3,040Sale Price|20% Off
Surreal Floral Painting, Bird, Illusion of Permanence by Joerg Dressler
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
JOERG DRESSLER "Illusion of Permanence" Acrylic on Panel 24 x 18 inches _____________________________________ Joerg was born in Hanau, Germany. He received his MFA from the Hochschu...
Acrylic, Wood Panel
$2,500
An Abstract, Surrealist 1950s Mid-Century Modern Interior Still Life Painting
Located in Chicago, IL
A Visually Striking, early 1950s Abstract, Surrealist Mid-Century Modern Still Life Painting by Notable Chicago Artist, Harold Haydon (Am. 1909-1994). Depicting a colorful interior ...
Oil, Masonite
"Golden Sweet" - Original Oil Still Life Painting on Linen Panel
Located in Denver, CO
Artist Bio: Robin Hextrum is a contemporary oil painter who lives and works in the Denver area. She grew up in a small coastal town called Stinson Beach in Northern California where ...
Linen, Oil, Panel
"Candied Azure" - Original Oil Still Life Painting on Linen Panel
Located in Denver, CO
Artist Bio: Robin Hextrum is a contemporary oil painter who lives and works in the Denver area. She grew up in a small coastal town called Stinson Beach in Northern California where ...
Oil, Linen, Panel
Homes in the Desert - Colorful Abstract Landscape Painting on Canvas Framed
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C Bernhardsson's original artworks are influenced by the architecture and geometry of houses. Born in Sweden, Bernhardsson travels the world photographing and sketching houses ...
Paper, Mixed Media
"Hemerocallis II" (2022) by Sybiline, Oil Painting, Pink Day Lily
By Sybiline
Located in Denver, CO
Sybiline's (CAN based) "Hemerocallis I" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a portrait of a pink day lily. About the Artist: Sybiline is a Canadian artist based in Q...
Oil, Panel
"To Be Announced" - surrealist painting, azalea, birds, toast, white square
By Guy Robinson
Located in Atlanta, GA
This painting features hues of green, red, yellow, purple and blue. Guy Robinson is inspired by the work of Paul Klee, Albrecht Durer and Giuseppe Arcimboldo. Guy Robinson is an At...
Linen, Oil
$2,700
"Madonna and Child Revisited" - surrealist still life painting, patterns, bird
By Guy Robinson
Located in Atlanta, GA
This painting features hues of orange, yellow, purple and blue. Guy Robinson is inspired by the work of Paul Klee, Albrecht Durer and Giuseppe Arcimboldo. Guy Robinson is an Atlant...
Linen, Oil
$2,500
An Abstract, Surrealist 1950s Mid-Century Modern Interior Still Life Painting
Located in Chicago, IL
A Visually Striking, early 1950s Abstract, Surrealist Mid-Century Modern Still Life Painting by Notable Chicago Artist, Harold Haydon (Am. 1909-1994). Depicting a subdued, tonal int...
Masonite, Oil
$15,000
Surrealist Composition, Untitled, Lambert Werner (1900-1983), Oil Canvas, 1937
Located in New York, NY
Lambert Werner (1900-1983) Untitled, 1937 Oil on canvas 21 7/10 × 19 7/10 in l 55 × 50 cm 23 2/3 x 21 2/3 l 60 x 55 cm (Frame included) Signed and dated lower left Exhibition histor...
Canvas, Oil
"Hemerocallis I" (2022) by Sybiline, Oil Painting, Pink Day Lily
By Sybiline
Located in Denver, CO
Sybiline's (CAN based) "Hemerocallis I" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a portrait of a pink day lily. About the Artist: Sybiline is a Canadian artist based in Q...
Oil, Panel
"Sanguis Maledictum" (2023) by Sybiline, Oil Painting, Surreal Still Life
By Sybiline
Located in Denver, CO
Sybiline's (CAN based) "Sanguis Maledictum" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts several purple blooms with tiny fangs and dripping blood. About the Artist: Sybiline ...
Oil, Panel
$1,180Sale Price|20% Off
Vintage American Modernist Trompe L'Oeil Surreal Still Life Exhibited Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Amazing American modernist still life oil painting by Adrian Martinez (Born 1949) . Oil on canvas. Exhibited.
Canvas, Oil
$2,000Sale Price|20% Off
Surrealist Garden - Vertical Psychedelic Still Life in Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Soquel, CA
Surrealist Garden - Vertical Psychedelic Still Life in Acrylic on Canvas Vibrant, playful composition by Marilyn Collins (American, 20h Century). Several striped, spherical objects ...
Canvas, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars
Indoor Cloud, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
This oil painting transforms a restaurant's holiday ceiling decoration into something realistic and surreal. It captures the memory of a special evening while...
Oil
"Afternoon Delight" Oil Painting
By Sybiline
Located in Denver, CO
Sybiline's (CAN based) "Afternoon Delight" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a Sphynx cat eyeing a pink teacup with milk and plate with a w...
Oil, Canvas
"Garden of Inspiration" (2022) by Sybiline, Oil Painting, Ripe Yellow Pear
By Sybiline
Located in Denver, CO
Sybiline's (CAN based) "Garden of Inspiration" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a perfectly ripe yellow pear. About the Artist: Sybiline is a Canadian artist base...
Oil, Panel
$2,222
Cosmos
By Stella Jae
Located in Kansas City, MO
Stella Jae Cosmos 2023 Oil on Canvas Size: 51.96 x 35.03 inches (132 x 89cm) Signed by hand COA provided Ref.: 924802-2112 ---------- Tags: #StellaJRichey...
Canvas, Oil
"Melon" by David Cheifetz, Oil on Aluminum Panel Painting
Located in Denver, CO
David Cheifetz's "Melon" (2025) is an original, handmade oil painting on aluminum panel that depicts a lush still-life featuring a brightly lit watermelon, apple and assorted fruits,...
Oil, Panel
It's Time for a Dessert - Pastel Tone Mixed Media Food Still Life Collage Art
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...
Paper, Mixed Media
A Colorful, Expressionist 1950s Mid-Century Modern Still Life Painting
Located in Chicago, IL
A Vibrant, Expressionist 1950s Mid-Century Modern Still Life Painting by Notable Chicago Artist, Harold Haydon (Am. 1909-1994). Depicting a bright and vivid studio still life scene ...
Masonite, Oil
The Baseball Bouquet, Dodgers - Still Life Collage Mixed Media Artwork on Paper
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C. Bernhardsson is a Swedish artist whose collage artworks bring together bold color, geometric structure, and layered visual textures. Florals, foliage, buildings, and everyda...
Paper, Mixed Media
Hoops and Blooms, Lakers - Basketball Still Life Collage Mixed Media Art onPaper
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C. Bernhardsson is a Swedish artist whose collage artworks bring together bold color, geometric structure, and layered visual textures. Florals, foliage, buildings, and everyda...
Paper, Mixed Media
Touchdown Blooms, LA Rams - Quirky Still Life Collage Mixed Media Art on Paper
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Maria C. Bernhardsson is a Swedish artist whose collage artworks bring together bold color, geometric structure, and layered visual textures. Florals, foliage, buildings, and everyda...
Paper, Mixed Media
$3,040Sale Price|20% Off
Surreal Floral Still Life Painting, Patterns, XOXO by Joerg Dressler
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
JOERG DRESSLER "XOXO" Acrylic on Panel 24 x 18 inches _____________________________________ Joerg was born in Hanau, Germany. He received his MFA from the Hochschule für Gestaltung ...
Acrylic, Wood Panel
$15,000
Surrealist Composition, Untitled 2, Lambert Werner (1900-1983), Oil Canvas, 1948
Located in New York, NY
Lambert Werner (1900-1983) Untitled, 1948 Oil on canvas 29 1/8 × 26 1/3 in l 74 × 67 cm 30 3/4 x 28 in l 78 x 71 cm (Frame included) Signed and dated lower right Exhibition history:...
Canvas, Oil
$1,525
A Faint Call Rises - Original Colorful Mixed Media Surrealist Still Life Art
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Robert Lebsack creates artworks using mixed media with ink, acrylic, and charcoal on archival copies of newspapers, textbooks, and sheet music. As a visionary artist, Lebsack weaves ...
Paper, Charcoal, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
Tangent - Surreal Still Life - Coffee Table Setting, Oil on Panel
By John Hrehov
Located in Chicago, IL
This painting is John Hrehov’s Tangent, an oil on panel from 2025. In it, a modern red sofa runs straight across the back of the room, set against a grid of tall windows that open on...
Canvas, Oil, Panel
Still Life. 1994. Cardboard, oil, 57x69 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Janis Zemitis graduated from the Riga Art School of J. Rosenthal in 1958, in 1964 Art Academy of Latvian State, painting department, Head of the diploma work "Working in the forest" ...
Oil, Cardboard
$2,880Sale Price|20% Off
Surreal Landscape, Abstract Expressionism Painting, Dreamland by Joerg Dressler
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
JOERG DRESSLER "Dreamland" Acrylic on Panel 16 x 20 inches _____________________________________ Joerg was born in Hanau, Germany. He received his MFA from the Hochschule für Gestal...
Acrylic, Wood Panel
Collective letter
Located in Edinburgh, GB
This picture is included in the series of artworks "Pathos of the Bureaucracy". 100x100cm / oil on canvas/ 2017 The picture is ready to hang (edges of a picture is painted) Signed on the front and back. Certificate of authenticity is included. This is my humorous reaction to the bureaucracy. So often we come across unnecessary laws that say that you need to take permission from someone, and you run from one agency to another, and then notice that part of life has passed.. In the picture, the cancer writes a collective letter to the slug...
Canvas, Oil
$1,766
1975 Vintage Original Surrealist Still Life Tempera Painting - Grapes & Pears
Located in Bristol, GB
GRAPES & PEARS Size: 28.5 x 34 cm (including frame) Tempera on board A brilliantly executed and charming surrealist still life composition, executed in tempera on board and dated 19...
Tempera, Board
Gentle hands that rule the world. 2020. Canvas, cardboard, oil, 60x42 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Globe and glove. 2020. Canvas, cardboard, oil, 60x42 cm Juris Dimiters (1947) Education: 1958-1965 Janis Rozentals Art High School of Riga 1965-1973 ...
Canvas, Oil, Cardboard
Tempest - Symbolist Still Life with Maritime Imagery - Oil on Panel
By John Hrehov
Located in Chicago, IL
John Hrehov’s Tempest: a large cobalt-blue vase bearing the image of a Baltimore clipper, encircled by sunflowers. Hrehov calls his approach “allegorical realism”: precisely rendered...
Canvas, Oil, Panel
$336
Peach Still Life Oil Painting Pink Fruit Symbolic Figurative Kitchen Wall Art
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Peach still life oil painting with symbolic fruit imagery, soft pink tones and subtle surrealist undertones. Your Peaches is a small-scale oil painting by Inés Silvalde that reinter...
Canvas, Oil