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.
Island. Full Moon, Oil Painting
By Guigen Zha
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
The surrealist portrait painting depicts a pale-faced woman gazing into the distance. Flowers and bare branches adorn her hair. A bright blue sky and a full moo...
Oil
Star-Crossed, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Two astronauts sit across from each other, the table between them barely separating their bodies as they lean in close. It was a first date, and they had a wond...
Oil
$1,880Sale Price|20% Off
Harvest is Ready - 21st Century, Contemporary, Surrealism, African Nature, Child
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. Akanji Bolaji (b...
Canvas, Acrylic
Waiting Portrait 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: Portrait Surrealism, T...
Canvas, Oil
$4,275
Confident Figure - Original Figurative Abstract Man in Purple Suit on Blue Wall
By Iqi Qoror
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Iqi Qoror's surreal figurative paintings are arresting in their earthy palettes offset by pops of fluorescent textile embroidery. His artworks revolve around questions of trust, inte...
Wool, Canvas, Thread, Mixed Media, Acrylic
"Entrance and Exit" - Oil on Canvas Symbolic Surrealist Painting 2015
Located in Denver, CO
Vachagan Narazyan’s Entrance and Exit (2015) is an original oil on canvas painting that exemplifies the artist’s poetic and allegorical approach to spatial imagery. The composition c...
Canvas, Oil
Sea Shanty, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
The surrealist painting depicts a pirate and a mermaid sitting at a dimly lit bar. Glowing bottles and deep green walls surround the pair. He offers to buy her ...
Oil
$594Sale Price|20% Off
Naive Girl Portrait Painting with Blue and Orange Sculptural Frames
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Original portrait painting depicting a doll-like girl framed by two sculptural resin frames, exploring memory, constructed identity and the visual language of childhood. The Orange ...
Spray Paint, Acrylic, Board
"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
$1,800
"Spring in Februrary" (2015), Original Female Portrait, Oil Painting on Panel
Located in Denver, CO
"Spring in February" (2015), is a masterful realist bust portrait of a woman wearing an intricate flower crown, standing confidently, eyes locked with the viewer. This piece is fram...
Oil, Panel
$1,800
Long Gaze - 21st Century, Contemporary, Surrealism, African Nature, Fashion
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
This piece explores the complex nature of human emotion through modern portraits. I blend raw feelings with stylized details, often changing normal body shapes by giving my figures l...
Canvas, Acrylic
$2,240Sale Price|20% Off
Priscilla At Dusk - 21st Century, Surrealism, Africa Woman with Guitar, Musical
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Bor...
Canvas, Oil
$1,200
Peace Out - 21st Century, Contemporary, Surrealism, African Nature, Fashion
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
This piece explores the complex nature of human emotion through modern portraits. I blend raw feelings with stylized details, often changing normal body shapes by giving my figures l...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,000Sale Price|20% Off
Echoes of Hope - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Fabric, African
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Hope often speaks in quiet ways—through resilience, through healing, and through the strength to keep looking forward. In this piece, layered fragments of color and texture come toge...
Fabric, Canvas
$19,563Sale Price|20% Off
Two Figures 1939 - British Surrealist art figurative painting
Located in Hagley, England
This superb British 1930's modern art tempera Surrealist painting is by noted interwar artist Blair Hughes-Stanton. Painted in 1939 it is entitled two Figures 1939 verso and may rela...
Tempera
Believe - 21st Century, Contemporary, Surrealism, African Nature, Fashion
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Believe is a moving meditation on hope, self-worth, and the courage to look past our limits. Standing on a bed of clouds, the figure wears an oversized blue coat and giant red boots,...
Canvas, Acrylic
"Night Swim" (2024) Original Oil Painting on Panel
By Nadezda
Located in Denver, CO
Nadezda's beautiful handmade oil on panel painting "Night Swim" (2024) is a portrait of a young girl in a surreal scene, laying in ocean waters while carried by a shiver of sharks. ...
Oil, Panel
The Pearl Necklace Story II - Surrealist Figurative Feminine Framed Portrait
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...
Acrylic, Canvas
Newcomer, Portrait Surrealism Original oil Painting
By Ashot Yan
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Portrait Surrealism Original Painting Artist: Ashot Yan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2019 Style: Portrait Surrealism, Tit...
Canvas, Oil
Legend about a white Cow 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: Portrait Surrealism, T...
Canvas, Oil
Saint Sebastian - original painting on round canvas Paula Craioveanu
Located in Forest Hills, NY
"St Sebastian", acrylic on canvas, 20in, round Inspired by the St Sebastian religious paintings, this double portrait is a dreamlike superimposed view of an expressive and sensual fi...
Acrylic
$4,608Sale Price|20% Off
Villosa
Located in Dallas, TX
This work was featured at ComplexCon 2019 - November 2nd and 3rd in Long Beach, CA.
Wood, Oil
The Tub, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
This painting is a modern reinterpretation of the English nursery rhyme "Rub-a-dub-dub, Three Men in a Tub," first published in Mother Goose's Melody in 1798. I...
Oil
Five stories about Ms. Janet, Portrait 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: Portrait Surrealism, T...
Canvas, Oil
Cactus Flower, Oil Painting
By Duane Brown
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A woman poses as a cactus flower, her form creating both balance and tension. The surreal positioning draws attention to the connection between humans and nat...
Oil
Thinking Portrait Surrealism Original oil Painting
By Ashot Yan
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Portrait Surrealism Original Painting Artist: Ashot Yan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2023 Style: Portrait Surrealism, Tit...
Canvas, Oil
Purple Leaves - Large Colorful Surrealist Figurative Feminine Portrait Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The figurative surrealist paintings of Carlos Gamez de Francisco are heavily influenced by his Cuban upbringing. This presence exposed Francisco to the world of figurative arts while...
Canvas, Acrylic, Watercolor
Equestrian Style and Decor II - Contemporary surrealistic horse painting
Located in DE
Gamez de Francisco paints and photographs very passionately, making statements filled with symbolism. He frequently includes insects in his artwork. He says: Flying insects represent...
Canvas, Oil
Angel I. Mystic/symbolic oil painting, vertical, dark colors, medium size
Located in Oslo, NO
This portrait is truly mystic. A young, beautiful person—let's call her Angel—is playing an invisible violin. The surroundings are dark, yet a strong light illuminates only her face ...
Canvas, Oil
Don't worry, he'll come...By Georgy Skripnichenko. 1981. Oil on canvas. 30/30 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Georgy Skripnichenko, born on November 12, 1940, in Mykolaiv, Ukrainian SSR, and passing in Minsk on August 12, 2015, was a Belarusian surrealist painter who also created realist wor...
Canvas, Oil
Dancing Lovers
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this oil painting, I've blended abstract, figurative, and surreal elements to capture the fluid motion and raw emotion of an intimate dance. The intertwining forms, awash in shade...
Oil
$3,500
"Entertainment" - Oil on Canvas Surrealist Circus Scene by Vachagan Narazyan
Located in Denver, CO
Vachagan Narazyan’s Entertainment (2023) is an original oil on canvas painting that evokes the theatrical and surreal worlds that define his mature style. Rendered in soft yet moody tones, the composition features two enigmatic figures—a puppet-like performer and a costumed character—posed atop a vibrantly rimmed circus drum...
Canvas, Oil
"Smoking Lady" (2024) By Nadezda, Original Oil Painting on Panel
By Nadezda
Located in Denver, CO
Nadezda's beautiful new oil on panel painting "Smoking Lady" (2024) is an abstract portrait of a woman wearing a black dress smoking inside of her brightly colored house, she is stan...
Oil, Panel
$2,900Sale Price|39% Off
Shape of Face No. 5 - Framed Textural Expressionist Surrealist Figurative Art
By Iqi Qoror
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Iqi Qoror's surreal figurative paintings are arresting in their earthy palettes offset by pops of fluorescent textile embroidery. His artworks revolve around questions of trust, inte...
Wool, Canvas, Thread, Mixed Media, Acrylic
"Ashore" (2024) Original Oil Painting on Panel
By Nadezda
Located in Denver, CO
Nadezda's beautiful handmade oil on panel painting "Ashore" (2024) is a portrait of a young girl clutching her face contently while resting in a white decorative chair, captured in a...
Oil, Panel
"The Post-Truth Era V", Surrealist Portrait, Brown, Collage, Acrylic Painting
By John Baker
Located in Franklin, MA
John Baker’s “The Post-Truth Era V “ is an acrylic painting on canvas with collage 20 x 16 inches in blues, whites, tans and browns. In our post-truth era it is next to impossible to...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
$3,400Sale Price|20% Off
Pillar of Strength 2 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Woman, African
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Pillar of Strength” is a powerful fabric collage that celebrates the inner resilience, dignity, and grace of the African woman. Constructed with richly patterned textiles and bold, v...
Fabric, Canvas
$1,196Sale Price|20% Off
Vintage American Modernist Surreal Abstract Figural Signed Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American modernist surreal figural painting. Oil on canvas. Signed. Framed. Provenance from a Sag Harbor, NY collection. Measuring: 23 by 29 inches overall. Handsomely frame...
Oil, Canvas
The scent of the garden
Located in Zofingen, AG
In the surreal space of this painting, the green tones of spring unfold as gently as the first warmth after a long night. Clear water plays with the waves, with the wind, and with th...
Acrylic, Archival Paper
Gaining Perspective, Oil Painting
By Kat Silver
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A surreal scene depicts a colossal woman standing amid farmland, her gaze fixed on a bird flying from her birdcage torso. A viaduct emerges from the base of her...
Oil
$1,480Sale Price|20% Off
Bide Your Time - 21st Century, Surrealism, Figurative, Women, Africa, Globe
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Bor...
Canvas, Acrylic
Surreal Illustration - Glamorous Blond at the Piano
By Jon Whitcomb
Located in Miami, FL
Today's newly minted fine art stars are from the mid-century surrealism school and include Gertrude Abercrombie, Remedios Varo, and Leonora Carrington, who were mostly unknown five y...
Mixed Media, Gouache, Illustration Board
$3,400Sale Price|20% Off
Pillar of Strength 3 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Woman, African
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Pillar of Strength” is a radiant fabric collage painting that pays homage to the unshakable resilience, grace, and dignity of the African woman. Composed entirely from intricately la...
Fabric, Canvas
Three Stories, Portrait 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: Figurative Surrealism, ...
Canvas, Oil
$1,596Sale Price|20% Off
Vintage Modernist Surreal "Metamorphosis" Still Life Exhibited Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American modernist surreal interior scene oil painting. Oil on canvas. Signed. Framed. Provenance from a Sag Harbor, NY collection. Measuring: 27 by 30 inches overall. Hands...
Canvas, Oil
Reflections, American 20th Century Oil Painting
By Philip Campbell Curtis
Located in London, GB
Philip Campbell Curtis American 1907 - 2000 Reflections Oil on board, signed and dated 1960 Image size: 12 ½ x 5 ½ inches Original frame
Oil
$220Sale Price|20% Off
Boy and Puppy Lithograph, Surrealist Style, Mid-20th Century, Unframed
Located in Belgrade, MT
Madeline Luka (French 1894-1989) was a self taught painter known for her landscapes, portraits, nudes and still lifes. She typically portrayed her family and close friends set within...
Lithograph
$5,000
Italian Modernist Surrealist Lady With a Hat Oil Painting, Signora dal Cappello
Located in Surfside, FL
Lazzaro Donati (Italian, 1926-1977), "Signora dal Cappello," oil on panel, signed lower left, signed, titled and dated verso, overall (with frame): 22.5"h x 24.5"w Lazzaro Donati wa...
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
Social Etiquette V - Surrealist Portrait Figurative Woman in Mask Original Art
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 academia setting. This presence exposed Franci...
Canvas, Acrylic
"Sweet Surrender" - Surrealist Female Portrait, Oil Painting on Panel
Located in Denver, CO
This painting is framed at 34 x 24 inches. Bio: Jen focused seriously on ballet and modern dance throughout her childhood and adult life. She has a BA in Performance Art from the U...
Oil, Panel
Birds of a Feather, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Artist Marie-Eve Champagne combines collage and surrealist techniques in this piece, using carefully curated imagery to invite reflection on our constructed nar...
Acrylic
$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
$950
A Unique, Surrealist 1950s Mid-Century Modern Beach Scene Oil Painting- Bather
Located in Chicago, IL
A Unique, Visually Striking, 1950s Surrealist Mid-Century Modern Abstract Beach Scene by Notable Chicago Artist, Harold Haydon (Am. 1909-1994). Depicting an abstracted female nude b...
Masonite, Oil
$696Sale Price|20% Off
Surreal Woman Portrait With Neon Green Light Figurative Acrylic Painting
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Surreal woman portrait painting illuminated by neon green light, combining figurative painting, dark humor and psychological ambiguity. Fluorescent Husband belongs to Inés Silvalde'...
Canvas, Acrylic
"Siren in Green Gold" (2024) Original Oil Painting on Panel
By Nadezda
Located in Denver, CO
Nadezda's beautiful handmade oil on panel painting "Night Swim" (2024) is a portrait of a woman dressed in an intricate green-gold outfit, donning a headdress and resting in a conten...
Oil, Panel
Playing with Symbols Inside a Red Theatrical Space
Located in Oslo, NO
“Playing with Symbols” is built on a combination of theatricality, artificiality, and ritual gesture. A figure with an almost doll-like face emerges from a saturated red space, surro...
Canvas, Acrylic, Watercolor, Pencil
"Salvador Dalí"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
I was inspired to paint this picture by girls. on a nudist beach, they froze on the floor, like trees. As a result, I met them, they became my muses, I repeatedly painted them naked ...
Canvas, Oil
$1,200Sale Price|20% Off
Bulb of Africa 3, Surrealist Acrylic Painting, 21st Century, Unframed
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Bulb of Africa was not just a hairstyle; it was a celebration of African heritage and a testament to the resilience of its people. Passed down through generations, it represented strength, beauty, and the rich tapestry of African traditions. The Bulb showcased the natural texture and volume of African hair, transforming it into an intricate masterpiece of braids, twists, and coils. The Bulb of Africa became a symbol of empowerment, reminding people of their strength, resilience, and the beauty of their shared heritage. It served as a reminder that hair was more than a physical attribute; it was a connection to something greater—a connection to their ancestors, their community, and celebrating the beauty within themselves. Beyond their physical beauty, African women possess an immeasurable inner strength that resonates through "Bulb of Africa." Odunayo masterfully captures this strength, highlighting the resilience and determination that have defined African women throughout history. The women depicted in the artwork emanate confidence, wisdom, and a sense of purpose. Their gaze speaks volumes, embodying the stories of countless African women who have overcome adversity, shattered barriers, and carved out their own paths to success. In "Bulb of Africa," Iyiola Odunayo...
Acrylic
"Something in the Way" (2024) By Nadezda, Original Oil Painting on Panel
By Nadezda
Located in Denver, CO
Nadezda's beautiful new oil on panel painting "Something in the Way" (2024) is a surreal portrait of a man stuck in a slouched position with his arms over a bar and his head undernea...
Oil, Panel