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.
Spanish Modern Art by Joan Miró - Untitled
By Joan Miró
Located in Paris, IDF
This recto verso book cover 50 x 71 x 0,2 cm - 19,6 x 27,5 x 0,07 in is a highly successful example of Joan Miró's mature graphic language. It distills many of the qualities that mad...
Lithograph, Archival Paper
Spanish Modern Art by Joan Miró - Festa Menor
By Joan Miró
Located in Paris, IDF
Festa Minor is an original lithograph by Joan Miró, produced in 1978 and published by Galeria Maeght in Barcelona. It belongs to a group of late lithographs celebrating Catalan festi...
Archival Paper, Lithograph
Spanish Modern Art by Joan Miró - Tres Joans
By Joan Miró
Located in Paris, IDF
This book cover 50 x 74 x 0,2 cm - 19,6 x 29,1 x 0,07 in is a highly successful example of Joan Miró's mature graphic language. It distills many of the qualities that made his late w...
Lithograph, Archival Paper
$4,603Sale Price|20% Off
Le Cheval de Triomphe, Lithograph, Surrealist, 1970, Edition 187/254
Located in OPOLE, PL
Salvador Dali (1904-1989) - Le cheval de triomphe Lithograph from 1970. Edition of 187/254. Dimensions of work: 68 x 50 cm On B.F.K Rives paper as stated in the Field catalogue. ...
Lithograph
Surrealist Imperial Columns Giclée Print on Canvas, Hand Signed AP Edition
By Ferjo, Fernando de Jesus Oliveira
Located in Aventura, FL
Giclee on canvas. Hand signed and numbered by the artist. AP edition. Canvas is not stretched. Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of authenticity included. All reas...
Canvas, Giclée
$320Sale Price|20% Off
Contemporary Figurative Silkscreen Print, Pink Limited Edition "Summer House"
By FEROS
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Summer House is a limited edition 5-layer silkscreen print that blends contemporary figuration with playful surrealism. Printed on luxurious Fabriano Rosaspina Ivory paper (104lbs), ...
Archival Pigment
$270Sale Price|20% Off
THE MAIN ATTRACTION Hand Drawn Lithograph, Surrealist, Moon, Tree Onstage
Located in Union City, NJ
THE MAIN ATTRACTION is an original hand drawn limited edition lithograph by the British artist, Michael Hasted printed using hand lithography on archival Somerset paper, 100% acid fr...
Lithograph
Homage to the Masters (Miro) Giclée on Canvas, Surrealist, Signed AP Edition
By Ferjo, Fernando de Jesus Oliveira
Located in Aventura, FL
Giclee on canvas. Hand signed and numbered by the artist. AP edition. Canvas is not stretched. Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of authenticity included. All reason...
Canvas, Giclée
Lady Godiva
Located in OPOLE, PL
Salvador Dali (1904-1989) - Lady Godiva Lithograph from 1970. Edition of 187/256. Dimensions of work: 68 x 50 cm Publisher: Simeon Wajntraub. On B.F.K Rives paper as stated in t...
Lithograph
$250Sale Price|23% Off
RANDOM SELECTION 2, Hand Drawn Lithograph, Surrealist Landscape, Window View
Located in Union City, NJ
RANDOM SELECTION 2 is an original hand drawn limited edition lithograph by the British artist, Michael Hasted printed using hand lithography on archival Somerset paper, 100% acid fre...
Lithograph
$395
SONG OF PRAISE Hand Drawn Lithograph, 1980 Surrealist Tree Portrait, Night Sky
Located in Union City, NJ
SONG OF PRAISE is an original hand drawn limited edition lithograph by the British artist, Michael Hasted printed using hand lithography on archival Somerset paper, 100% acid free. S...
Lithograph
Velasquez Les Menines by Salvador Dali 1974 Lithograph
Located in Paonia, CO
Velasquez Les Menines is one of six graphics from the series Changes in Great Masterpieces published by Sidney Lucas, 1974. Master Dali has given us a...
Lithograph
"Public Outcry Signed Lithograph, Surrealist Man with Tree, 1980"
Located in Union City, NJ
PUBLIC OUTCRY is an original hand drawn limited edition lithograph by the British artist, Michael Hasted printed using hand lithography on archival Somerset paper, 100% acid free. PUBLIC OUTCRY is a surrealist portrait composition portraying a semi interior scene showing a man in brown trousers standing positioned on stage-like black and white checkered tile...
Lithograph
$3,000
Le Legacy from Historia de Don Quichotte de la Mancha, Etching by Salvador Dali
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Salvador Dali, Spanish (1904 - 1989) Title: Le Legacy from Historia de Don Quichotte de la Mancha Year: 1981 Medium: Etching on Arches, signed and numbered in pencil Edition:...
Etching
Homage to Dali Giclée Print on Canvas, Surrealist, Hand Signed AP Edition
By Ferjo, Fernando de Jesus Oliveira
Located in Aventura, FL
Giclee on canvas. Hand signed and numbered by the artist. AP edition. Canvas is not stretched. Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of authenticity included. All reas...
Canvas, Giclée
Interiors VI: Soundings Etching, Surrealist, Signed, 1989
By Peter Milton
Located in New York, NY
Contemporary artist Peter Milton created this etching and engraving entitled "Interiors VI: Soundings" in 1989. The printed image size is 29 7/8 x 23 13/16 and paper size is 36 x 29 inches. This impression is signed, dated, and titled in pencil and inscribed “93/175” – the 93 impression of 175. “I do love to draw. I feel that I am being granted membership in the Brotherhood of Merlin, conjuring forth some apparition. As a drawing develops, I sense a vague presence coming more and more into focus, something in a white fog emerging and becoming increasingly palpable.” – P. Milton, “The primacy of touch. The Drawings of Peter Milton” “Working in layers, Milton begins with drawings based on people and places, with nods to Western art history and culture. He is a master of the appropriated image, a term that may conjure Andy Warhol and his Pop Art comrades. But Milton steps further back in history, avoiding the Pop sense of cool advertising and popular culture references. Instead, a broader cultural past is tapped through historical photographs of key players, architecture, and locales, which he reinvents by hand. He adds content drawn from his life as an avid reader – always with multiple possible interpretations – thus incorporating deeper meaning in his cinematic worlds. Elements of Greek mythology, classical music, art history, and history coalesce in his images, which embrace the messiness, sorrow, and elation that is life. One is hard-pressed to imagine a more erudite, skilled, passionate, and cheeky soul." – T. L. Johnson and A. Shafer Peter Milton was born in Pennsylvania in 1930. He studied for two years at the Virginia Military Institute...
Etching, Engraving
Untitled - Lithograph by Fabrizio Clerici - 1980s
Located in Roma, IT
Lithograph on paper. Hand signed and numbered. Edition of 88/125. Very good condition. A compelling and enigmatic image by Fabrizio Clerici, master of Italian surreal and metaphy...
Lithograph
Listen
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Listen" 1998 is an original color lithograph on paper by noted American artist David Hollowell, b.1951. It is hand signed and num...
Lithograph
The Intrusion - Lithograph by Enrico Benaglia - 1990s
Located in Roma, IT
Lithograph in colors on paper. Hand signed and numbered in pencil. Edition of 99. Very good condition. A striking and meticulously constructed composition, this work exemplifies ...
Etching
Spanish Modern Art by Joan Miró - Joans
By Joan Miró
Located in Paris, IDF
This book cover 50 x 74 x 0,2 cm - 19,6 x 29,1 x 0,07 in is a highly successful example of Joan Miró's mature graphic language. It distills many of the qualities that made his late ...
Lithograph, Canvas
The Painter's Studio - Lithograph by Fabrizio Clerici - 1980s
Located in Roma, IT
Lithograph on paper. Hand signed and numbered. Edition of 88/125. Very good condition. A refined and atmospheric lithograph by Fabrizio Clerici, presenting a staged interior in w...
Lithograph
Torah, Surrealist Poster after Theo Tobiasse
Located in Long Island City, NY
Theo Tobiasse, After, French/Israeli (1927 - 2012) - Torah, Year: 1979, Medium: Poster, Image Size: 26.5 x 20.25 inches, Size: 30.5 x 24.75 in. (77.47 x 62.87 cm), Publisher: Touch...
Offset
$1,800Sale Price|25% Off
Profils Horizontaux (20 men seated in a church, a hall, union or political?)
Located in New Orleans, LA
Viewers are always curious about this image. I count 20 people seated -- all men. Why? Three of the men are looking over their shoulders toward the back. Are they impatient to see late arrivers? The seating seems to be pew like. Pasternak, like most artists, wants the viewer to bring their own interpretation to the image and is most circumspect to give an explanation. A church, a union hall, a political meeting -- which is it? The mood seems to be one of anxiety rather than celebration. The artist did answer why all men. He says that "he likes to create the tension of the image on the page. Putting women and men together...
Mezzotint
The Wedding, Surrealist Poster after Theo Tobiasse
Located in Long Island City, NY
Theo Tobiasse, After, French/Israeli (1927 - 2012) - The Wedding, Year: circa 1980, Medium: Poster, Image Size: 20.25 x 26.5 inches, Size: 24.75 x 30.5 in. (62.87 x 77.47 cm), Prin...
Offset
Japanse Interior - Original handsigned lithograph
By Corneille
Located in Paris, IDF
Corneille Japanse Interior, 1988 Original lithograph Handsigned Justified EA On vellum 40 x 28 cm (c. 16 x 11 inch) Excellent condition
Lithograph
"People Gathering" Large original lithograph
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork "People Gathering" c.1990 is an original lithograph by noted South African artist Roy Carruthers, 1938-2013. It is hand signed and inscri...
Lithograph
$1,200
Black Circle 4 Aquatint and Mezzotint Print, Surrealist, by Guntars Sietins
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Signed and numbered from the edition of 20. Completed to accompany the exhibition of his work 'Squaring the Circle', at the Latvian National Museum of Art, Riga in 2017. The illusi...
Mezzotint, Aquatint
$270Sale Price|20% Off
A POINT OF HONOR Hand Drawn Lithograph, Surrealist Tree, Blue Sky, Concrete Arch
Located in Union City, NJ
A POINT OF HONOR is an original hand drawn limited edition lithograph(not a photo reproduction or digital print) by the British artist, Michael Hasted printed using hand lithography on archival Somerset paper, 100% acid free. A POINT OF HONOR is a surrealist composition portraying a curious interior scene featuring a full green leafy tree positioned behind a floating concrete sphere...
Lithograph
Romeo Et Juliette Acte I, Surrealist Poster after Theo Tobiasse
Located in Long Island City, NY
Theo Tobiasse, After, French/Israeli (1927 - 2012) - Romeo Et Juliette Acte I, Year: circa 1980, Medium: Poster, Image Size: 20.25 x 26.5 inches, Size: 24.75 x 30.5 in. (62.87 x 77...
Offset
$8,410
"Les valeurs personnelles (Personal Values), " Lithograph after Rene Magritte
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Les valeurs personnelles (Personal Values)" is a color lithograph after the original 1952 painting by Rene Magritte. This interior scene has objects of various sizes. A comb, match, brush, and glass are bigger than typically larger objects like a queen bed and chest of drawers. The walls are a bright cloudy sky. Art: 19.63 x 4.75 in Frame: 34.13 x 38.88 in René-François-Ghislain Magritte was born November 21, 1898, in Lessines, Belgium and died on August 15, 1967 in Brussels. He is one of the most important surrealist artists. Through his art, Magritte creates humor and mystery with juxtapositions and shocking irregularities. Some of his hallmark motifs include the bourgeois “little man,” bowler hats, apples, hidden faces, and contradictory texts. René Magritte’s father was a tailor and his mother was a miller. Tragedy struck Magritte’s life when his mother committed suicide when he was only fourteen. Magritte and his two brothers were thereafter raised by their grandmother. Magritte studied at the Brussels Academy of Fine Arts from 1916 to 1918. After graduating he worked as a wallpaper designer and in advertisement. It was during this period that he married Georgette Berger, whom he had known since they were teenagers. In 1926, René Magritte signed...
Lithograph
Souterrain No. 13, Surreal Lithograph by Hans Bellmer
By Hans Bellmer
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Hans Bellmer, German (1902 - 1975) Title: Souterrain No. 13 Year: circa 1965 Medium: Lithograph on BFK Rives, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 100 Paper Size: 19.5 x 26...
Lithograph
Serenity
By Ferjo, Fernando de Jesus Oliveira
Located in Hollywood, FL
Artist: Ferjo Title: Serenity Size: 30 x 40 Inches Medium: Giclee on Canvas Edition: AP Year: 2003 Notes: Hand Signed on Front. Stretched. Gallery COA Included. Custom Framed...
Canvas, Giclée
Coronation, Surrealist Poster after Theo Tobiasse
Located in Long Island City, NY
Theo Tobiasse, After, French/Israeli (1927 - 2012) - Coronation, Year: circa 1980, Medium: Poster, Image Size: 20.25 x 26.5 inches, Size: 24.75 x 30.5 in. (62.87 x 77.47 cm), Print...
Offset
Ram's Horn, Surrealist Poster after Theo Tobiasse
Located in Long Island City, NY
Theo Tobiasse, After, French/Israeli (1927 - 2012) - Ram's Horn, Year: 1979, Medium: Poster, Image Size: 26.5 x 20.25 inches, Size: 30.5 x 24.75 in. (77.47 x 62.87 cm), Publisher: ...
Offset
The Poker Game, Surrealist Screenprint by Israel Rubinstein
Located in Long Island City, NY
The Poker Game by Israel Rubinstein, Israeli (1944) Date: 1980 Screenprint, signed and numbered in pencil Edition of 250 Image Size: 27 x 38 inches S...
Screen
$2,000
"Voyeurs" - Dorothea Tanning, Hand-signed Lithograph Surrealist Women, 1970
Located in New York, NY
Dorothea Tanning Voyeurs, 1970 Etching, aquatint and sugar-lift aquatint in colors with hand-coloring on wove paper 11 9/10 × 19 9/10 in 30.2 × 50.5 cm Edition of 60 Hand-signed and...
Lithograph
After the Party, Abstract Screenprint by John Hultberg
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: John Hultberg, American (1922 - 2005) Title: After the Party Year: 1977 Medium: Serigraph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 200, AP 30 Im...
Screen
$750
Villa by The Sea, Surrealist Screenprint by Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Clarence Holbrook Carter, American (1904 - 2000) Title: Arches Year: 1979 Medium: Screenprint, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 200, 30 AP Size: 35 in. x 26 in. (88.9 c...
Screen
Bahia's Sunflowers Giclée Print on Canvas, Surrealist, Hand Signed AP Edition
By Ferjo, Fernando de Jesus Oliveira
Located in Aventura, FL
Giclee on canvas. Hand signed and numbered by the artist. AP edition. Canvas is not stretched. Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of authenticity included. All reas...
Canvas, Giclée
Discovery (Miro Picasso) Surrealist Lithograph, Signed AP Edition, 2000
By Ferjo, Fernando de Jesus Oliveira
Located in Aventura, FL
Lithograph in colors on paper. Hand signed and numbered AP on front by the artist. Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of authenticity included. All reasonable offers ...
Paper, Lithograph
The Great Depression 3, dramatic, black & white, noir, mystery, genre
By Tom Bennett
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Dramatic imagery from Tom Bennett’s series of black and white monotypes, blending surrealistic mindscapes with stark realism About Tom Bennett: With quick brushstrokes, Tom Bennett ...
Monotype, Archival Paper
Turbulent Landscape, Surrealist Screenprint by Rita Simon
By Rita Simon
Located in Long Island City, NY
Rita Simon (aka Atirnomis), American (1938 - ) - Turbulent Landscape, Year: 1979, Medium: Screenprint, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 300, AP 30, Image Size: 23 x 34.5 i...
Screen
$250
Cubist Room Lithograph Print, Surrealist, Hand Signed AP Edition
By Ferjo, Fernando de Jesus Oliveira
Located in Aventura, FL
Lithograph in colors on paper. Hand signed and numbered by the artist. AP edition. Sheet size 23.5 x 11.25 inches. Image size approx 19.5 x 9.75 inches. Artwork is in excellen...
Paper, Lithograph
Candelabra, Surrealist Poster after Theo Tobiasse
Located in Long Island City, NY
Theo Tobiasse, After, French/Israeli (1927 - 2012) - Candelabra, Year: 1979, Medium: Poster, Image Size: 20.25 x 26.5 inches, Size: 24.75 x 30.5 in. (62.87 x 77.47 cm), Publisher: ...
Offset
Romeo Et Juliette Acte II, Surrealist Poster after Theo Tobiasse
Located in Long Island City, NY
Theo Tobiasse, After, French/Israeli (1927 - 2012) - Romeo Et Juliette Acte II, Year: circa 1980, Medium: Poster, Image Size: 20.25 x 26.5 inches, Size: 24.75 x 30.5 in. (62.87 x 7...
Offset
Romeo Et Juliette Acte IV, Surrealist Poster after Theo Tobiasse
Located in Long Island City, NY
Theo Tobiasse, After, French/Israeli (1927 - 2012) - Romeo Et Juliette Acte IV, Year: circa 1980, Medium: Poster, Image Size: 20.25 x 26.5 inches, Size: 24.75 x 30.5 in. (62.87 x 7...
Offset
The New Great Depression 5, dramatic, black & white, noir, mystery, genre
By Tom Bennett
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Dramatic imagery from Tom Bennett’s series of black and white monotypes, blending surrealistic mindscapes with stark realism About Tom Bennett: With quick brushstrokes, Tom Bennett ...
Archival Paper, Monotype
House by the River, dramatic, black & white, noir, mystery, genre
By Tom Bennett
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Dramatic imagery from Tom Bennett’s series of black and white monotypes, blending surrealistic mindscapes with stark realism About Tom Bennett: With quick brushstrokes, Tom Bennett ...
Monotype