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Surrealist Abstract Prints

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
René Magritte - LES AMANTS Limited Surrealism French Art Contemporary
René Magritte - LES AMANTS Limited Surrealism French Art Contemporary

René Magritte - LES AMANTS Limited Surrealism French Art Contemporary

By (after) René Magritte

Located in Madrid, Madrid

René Magritte - LES AMANTS, 1928 (THE LOVERS) Date of creation: 2010 Medium: Lithograph on BFK Rives Paper Edition: 275 Size: 60 x 45 cm Condition: New, in mint condition and never f...

Category

Mid-20th Century Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Paper, Lithograph

Spanish Modern Art by Joan Miró - Untitled
Spanish Modern Art by Joan Miró - Untitled

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...

Category

1950s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph, Archival Paper

Espana, Surrealist figure - Original lithograph, 1982
Espana, Surrealist figure - Original lithograph, 1982

Espana, Surrealist figure - Original lithograph, 1982

By Joan Miró

Located in Paris, IDF

Joan MIRO Espana, Surrealist figure, 1982 Original lithograph in colors (atelier Arte, Maeght) Printed signature in the plate On thin paper 95 x 60 cm (c. 37.4 x 23.6 in) Referenc...

Category

1980s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Untitled (Surrealist Composiition)
Untitled (Surrealist Composiition)

Untitled (Surrealist Composiition)

By Julio de Diego

Located in Fairlawn, OH

Untitled (Surrealist Composiition) Lithograph with hand coloring, 1945 Signed and dated lower right (see photo) Numbered 10/12 lower left (see photo) fragment from 6X litho In 1945, ...

Category

1940s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

For Alberti, For Spain! - Etching by Joan Mirò - 1975
For Alberti, For Spain! - Etching by Joan Mirò - 1975

For Alberti, For Spain! - Etching by Joan Mirò - 1975

By Joan Miró

Located in Roma, IT

For Alberti, For Spain!  is a contemporary artwork realized by Joan Mirò in 1975. Mixed colored etching. Hand signed and numbered on the lower margin. Edition of XXVIII/LX. There ...

Category

1970s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

Loteria Canina Giclée Print, Surrealist Style, Framed, 1970s, Signed
Loteria Canina Giclée Print, Surrealist Style, Framed, 1970s, Signed

Loteria Canina Giclée Print, Surrealist Style, Framed, 1970s, Signed

By Pedro Friedeberg

Located in Cuauhtemoc, Ciudad de México

-Pedro Friedeberg signed print featuring a collection of various dogs. Includes whimsical figures, optical art elements, and surreal details. framed in a hand-painted black and gold ...

Category

1970s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Giclée

Miro a l'Encre II, Surrealist Lithograph by Joan Miro
Miro a l'Encre II, Surrealist Lithograph by Joan Miro

Miro a l'Encre II, Surrealist Lithograph by Joan Miro

By Joan Miró

Located in Long Island City, NY

Joan Miro, Spanish (1893 - 1983) - Miro a l'Encre II, Year: 1972, Medium: Lithograph, Image Size: 13.75 x 9.75 inches, Size: 14 x 10 in. (35.56 x 25.4 cm), Frame Size: 21 x 17 inch...

Category

1970s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Lithographs II (1046), Surrealist Lithography by Joan Miro

Lithographs II (1046), Surrealist Lithography by Joan Miro

By Joan Miró

Located in Long Island City, NY

Joan Miro was a Spanish Surrealist artist, world-renowned for his unique art style that blended surrealist fantasy and modern life. This lithograph is part of the series "Lithographs...

Category

1970s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Plate VI, Le Cocu Magnifique
Plate VI, Le Cocu Magnifique

Plate VI, Le Cocu Magnifique

By Pablo Picasso

Located in Fairlawn, OH

Plate VI, Le Cocu Magnifique etching & aquatint, 1968 Unsigned as usual From the unsigned edition of 200 impressions printed on Rives BFK paper There is also a signed edition of 30 i...

Category

1960s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

365 Sueñitos Surrealistas Giclée Print, Framed, Surrealist Style, 2010
365 Sueñitos Surrealistas Giclée Print, Framed, Surrealist Style, 2010

365 Sueñitos Surrealistas Giclée Print, Framed, Surrealist Style, 2010

By Pedro Friedeberg

Located in Cuauhtemoc, Ciudad de México

-Pedro Friedeberg signed print featuring a fantastical surrealistic scene. Includes whimsical figures, optical art elements, and surreal details. framed in a hand-painted black and g...

Category

2010s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Giclée

Joan Miró “Italia 1969” Hand Signed Lithograph, Galleria del Milione, Milan 1970
Joan Miró “Italia 1969” Hand Signed Lithograph, Galleria del Milione, Milan 1970

Joan Miró “Italia 1969” Hand Signed Lithograph, Galleria del Milione, Milan 1970

By Joan Miró

Located in Miami, FL

JOAN MIRÓ (1893–1983) – “ITALIA 1969” Color Lithograph ⚜ Hand Signed and Numbered ⚜ Gilt Wood Frame PUBLISHED FOR ONE OF ITALY’S MOST IMPORTANT MODERNIST GALLERIES “Italia 1969” is...

Category

1970s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Ciudad de Medio Millon y 25 Huevos Duros Giclée Print, Surrealist Art
Ciudad de Medio Millon y 25 Huevos Duros Giclée Print, Surrealist Art

Ciudad de Medio Millon y 25 Huevos Duros Giclée Print, Surrealist Art

By Pedro Friedeberg

Located in Cuauhtemoc, Ciudad de México

-Pedro Friedeberg signed print featuring a fantastical surrealistic scene. Includes whimsical figures, optical art elements, and surreal details. framed in a hand-painted black and g...

Category

2010s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Giclée

Untitled III (Jörg Remé, Jörg Krichbaum, ~34% OFF)
Untitled III (Jörg Remé, Jörg Krichbaum, ~34% OFF)

Untitled III (Jörg Remé, Jörg Krichbaum, ~34% OFF)

By Jörg Remé

Located in Kansas City, MO

Joerg Reme Untitled III from "von den Stunden" Folio Color Lithograph on handmade paper with deckled edges 1972 Size: 11.75 x 8.325 inches (29.8 × 21.1 cm) Edition: 31 of 250 Signed ...

Category

1970s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Le Lézard aux Plumes d’Or - LIthograph by Joan Mirò - 1971
Le Lézard aux Plumes d’Or - LIthograph by Joan Mirò - 1971

Le Lézard aux Plumes d’Or - LIthograph by Joan Mirò - 1971

By Joan Miró

Located in Roma, IT

Le Lézard aux Plumes d'Or is a beautiful colored lithograph on mother-of-pearl Japan paper from the series realized by Joan Miró in 1971. Signed on the lower right corner. Printed by...

Category

1970s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Max Ernst Dada Surrealist Hand Signed Lithograph Poster for a Jewish Museum
Max Ernst Dada Surrealist Hand Signed Lithograph Poster for a Jewish Museum

Max Ernst Dada Surrealist Hand Signed Lithograph Poster for a Jewish Museum

By Max Ernst

Located in Surfside, FL

Max Ernst (German, American, 1891-1976) Color lithograph Titled, "Poster For The Jewish Museum" 1966 Hand signed lower right Hand numbered HC I/XVII Dimensions: 34.75 x 28.5 sight 25 X 19.25 Max Ernst (German 1891 – 1976) was a German-born painter, sculptor, printmaker, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was a primary pioneer of the Dada movement and surrealism in Europe. He had no formal artistic training, but his experimental attitude toward the making of art resulted in his invention of frottage—a technique that uses pencil rubbings of textured objects and relief surfaces to create images—and grattage, an analogous technique in which paint is scraped across canvas to reveal the imprints of the objects placed beneath. Max Ernst showed for the first time in 1912 at the Galerie Feldman in Cologne. At the Sonderbund exhibition of that year in Cologne he saw the work of Paul Cezanne, Edvard Munch, Pablo Picasso, Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh. In 1913 he met Guillaume Apollinaire and Robert Delaunay and traveled to Paris. Ernst participated that same year in the Erste deutsche Herbstsalon. In 1914 he met Jean Arp in Cologne who was to become a lifelong friend. In 1921 Ernst exhibited at the Galerie au Sans Pareil in Paris. He was involved in Surrealist activities in the early 1920s with Paul Eluard and André Breton. His work was exhibited that year together with that of the Das Junge Rheinland group, at Galerie Feldman in Cologne, and then in several group exhibitions in 1913. In his paintings of this period, Ernst adopted an ironic style that juxtaposed grotesque elements alongside Cubist and Expressionist motifs. Ernst fought in world war I. Several German Expressionist painters died in action during the war, among them August Macke and Franz Marc. In 1918, Ernst was demobilised and returned to Cologne. He soon married art history student Luise Straus, of Jewish ancestry, whom he had met in 1914. In 1919, he visited Paul Klee in Munich and studied paintings by Giorgio de Chirico. In the same year, inspired by de Chirico and mail-order catalogues, teaching-aide manuals and similar sources, he produced his first collage works (notably Fiat modes, a portfolio of lithographs), a technique which later dominated his artistic pursuits. Also in 1919, Ernst, social activist Johannes Theodor Baargeld and several colleagues founded the Cologne Dada group. In 1919–20, Ernst and Baargeld published various short-lived magazines such as Der Strom, die Schammade and organised Dada exhibitions. Ernst and Luise's son Ulrich Jimmy Ernst was born on 24 June 1920; he later would also become a painter. In 1921, he met Paul Éluard, who became a lifelong friend. Éluard bought two of Ernst's paintings (Celebes and Oedipus Rex) and selected six collages to illustrate his poetry collection Répétitions. A year later the two collaborated on Les malheurs des immortels and then with André Breton, whom Ernst met in 1921, on the magazine Littérature. Ernst developed a fascination with birds which was prevalent in his work. His alter ego in paintings, which he called Loplop, was a bird. He suggested that this alter-ego was an extension of himself stemming from an early confusion of birds and humans. In 1927, he married Marie-Berthe Aurenche and it is thought his relationship with her may have inspired the erotic subject matter of The Kiss and other works of that year. He collaborated with Joan Miro on designs for Sergei Diaghilev Ballet that same year. The following year the artist collaborated with Salvador Dali and the Surrealist Luis Bunuel on the film L'Age d'or. His first American show was held at the Julien Levy Gallery, New York, in 1932. In 1936 Ernst was represented in Fantastic Art, Dada, Surrealism at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Ernst began to sculpt in 1934 and spent time with Alberto Giacometti. In 1938, the American heiress and artistic patron Peggy Guggenheim acquired a number of Max Ernst's works, which she displayed in her new gallery in London. Ernst and Guggenheim were married from 1942 to 1946. In September 1939, the outbreak of World War II caused Ernst, being German, to be interned as an "undesirable foreigner" in Camp des Milles, near Aix-en-Provence, along with fellow surrealist, Hans Bellmer, who had recently emigrated to Paris. He had been living with his lover and fellow surrealist painter, Leonora Carrington who, not knowing whether he would return, saw no option but to sell their house to repay their debts and leave for Spain. Thanks to the intercession of Paul Éluard and other friends, including the journalist Varian Fry, he was released a few weeks later. Soon after the German occupation of France, he was arrested again, this time by the Gestapo, but managed to escape to America with the help of Fry and Peggy Guggenheim, a member of a wealthy American art collecting family. Ernst and Peggy Guggenheim arrived in the United States in 1941 and were married at the end of the year. Along with other artists and friends (Marcel Duchamp and Marc Chagall) who had fled from the war and lived in New York City, Ernst helped inspire the development of abstract expressionism. His marriage to Guggenheim did not last. In October 1946 he married American surrealist painter Dorothea Tanning in a double ceremony with Man Ray and Juliet P. Browner in Beverly Hills, California. The couple made their home in Sedona, Arizona from 1946 to 1953. He and Tanning hosted intellectuals and European artists such as Henri Cartier-Bresson and Yves Tanguy. Sedona proved an inspiration for the artists and for Ernst, who compiled his book Beyond Painting and completed his sculptural masterpiece Capricorn while living in Sedona. As a result of the book and its publicity, Ernst began to achieve financial success. From the 1950s he lived mainly in France. In 1954 he was awarded the Grand Prize for painting at the Venice Biennale. In 2005, "Max Ernst: A Retrospective" opened at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Contemporary artist tapestries have had their true believers. He produced a tapestry for Gloria Ross...

Category

1960s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Le Lézard aux Plumes d'Or - Lithograph by Joan Miró - 1971
Le Lézard aux Plumes d'Or - Lithograph by Joan Miró - 1971

Le Lézard aux Plumes d'Or - Lithograph by Joan Miró - 1971

By Joan Miró

Located in Roma, IT

"Le Lézard aux Plumes d'Or" is an original lithograph realized by Joan Miró in 1971, and part of the famous homonym series. Hand signed and numbered, it is an H.C. (out of commerce)...

Category

1970s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Espace-temps en fusion (Michler/Löpsinger 822-831; Field 75-13)
Espace-temps en fusion (Michler/Löpsinger 822-831; Field 75-13)

Espace-temps en fusion (Michler/Löpsinger 822-831; Field 75-13)

By Salvador Dalí­

Located in Fairfield, CT

Artist: Salvador Dali (1904-1989) Title: Espace-temps en fusion (Michler/Löpsinger 822-831; Field 75-13), Imaginations et Objets du Futur (Fusing space-time, Imaginations and Objects...

Category

1970s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Mixed Media, Drypoint, Lithograph, Screen

Abstract - Surrealist Lithograph
Abstract - Surrealist Lithograph

Abstract - Surrealist Lithograph

Located in Houston, TX

Surreal lithograph with light lavender and blue colors, 1982. Titled and numbered on lower left and signed lower right in pencil. Displayed on a white mat with a gold border and fi...

Category

1980s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Paper, Lithograph

Spanish Modern Art by Joan Miró - Tres Joans
Spanish Modern Art by Joan Miró - Tres Joans

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...

Category

1970s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph, Archival Paper

Spanish Modern Art by Joan Miró - Festa Menor
Spanish Modern Art by Joan Miró - Festa Menor

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...

Category

1970s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Archival Paper, Lithograph

Le Lézard aux Plumes d’Or - Lithograph by Joan Mirò - 1971
Le Lézard aux Plumes d’Or - Lithograph by Joan Mirò - 1971

Le Lézard aux Plumes d’Or - Lithograph by Joan Mirò - 1971

By Joan Miró

Located in Roma, IT

Hand signed, and han written in pencil "H.C." (hors commerce). Edition of 150 numbered in Arabic numerals on Rives with “Miro” watermark + 20 numbered in Roman numerals on Rives wit...

Category

1970s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

For Alberti, For Spain! - Etching by Joan Mirò - 1975
For Alberti, For Spain! - Etching by Joan Mirò - 1975

For Alberti, For Spain! - Etching by Joan Mirò - 1975

By Joan Miró

Located in Roma, IT

For Alberti, For Spain!  it's an original artwork realized by Joan Mirò in 1975. Etching,  90 x 66 cm.  Hand signed. Edition 50/90. Reference: Dupin 926 Printed on Fabriano paper...

Category

1970s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

Personnages Lithograph by R.S. Matta, Surrealist, Signed, 1980s

Personnages Lithograph by R.S. Matta, Surrealist, Signed, 1980s

By Sebastian Matta

Located in Roma, IT

Personnages is an Artwork realized by Roberto Sebastián Antonio Matta Echaurren (Santiago, Chile, 1911 - Civitavecchia, Italy, 2002). Colored Litograph on paper. Hand Signed on the lower right margin. Good conditions. After studying architecture, in 1934 Roberto Sebastian Matta moved to Paris, where he worked with Le Corbusier and came into contact with intellectuals such as Rafael Alberti and Federico García Lorca. Here, he also met André Breton and Salvador Dalí , and adhered to the Surrealist movement, elaborating a painting style focused on psychological morphologies. In 1944, Breton wrote: " Matta is the one who most faithfully keeps his star, which is perhaps on the best path to reach the supreme secret: the control of fire". An extremely dynamic Chilean artist, who met Alvar Aalto in Scandinavia, Henry Moore , Roland Penrose...

Category

1970s Surrealist Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Surrealist abstract prints for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Surrealist abstract prints available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 20th Century, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add abstract prints created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, purple, orange, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including (after) Joan Miró, Holger Bäckström, Joan Miró, and John Hultberg. Frequently made by artists working with Lithograph, and Mixed Media 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 abstract prints, so small editions measuring 2.5 inches across are also available. Prices for abstract prints 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 $88 and tops out at $1,450,000, while the average work sells for $947.