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.
1970s Salvador Dalí Signed and Dated Original Work on Paper
Located in Roma, IT
1970s Salvador Dalí Signed and Dated Work on Paper This wonderful artwork shown is a silkscreen print by Salvador Dalí (1904–1989), part of the ...
Lithograph
1960s Salvador Dalí Signed and Dated Work on Paper
Located in Roma, IT
1960s Salvador Dalí Signed and Dated Work on Paper The work shown here is a famous piece by Salvador Dalí, taken from the suite dedicated to Wil...
Lithograph
$1,200Sale Price|50% Off
Malabaristas Parapsicológicos Giclée Print, Surrealist, Framed, 2010+
Located in Cuauhtemoc, Ciudad de México
Artist and designer Pedro Friedeberg is known for his surrealist paintings, prints, and sculptural furniture. He was the subject of a 2009 retrospective at the Museo del Palacio de B...
Giclée
Mitocondria, Surrealist Screenprint by Antonio Peticov
Located in Long Island City, NY
Antonio Peticov, Brazilian (1946 - ) - Mitocondria, Year: 1979, Medium: Screenprint, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 150, Image Size: 22 x 26.5 inches, Size: 23.5 x 27.5...
Screen
Paisaje con Luna, Surrealist Mixografia by Rufino Tamayo
Located in Long Island City, NY
Rufino Tamayo, Mexican (1899 - 1991) - Paisaje con Luna, Year: 1977, Medium: Mixografia on Arches Paper, signed and numbered in crayon, Edition: 16/100, Size: 19.75 x 27.25 in. (...
Etching
$425
BUBBLE Signed Lithograph Surreal Landscape Vintage Drafting Tool, Blue Sky, Sand
Located in Union City, NJ
BUBBLE is a hand drawn limited edition lithograph by the American surrealist artist Fanny Brennan, created using traditional hand lithography techniques printed on archival Arches pa...
Lithograph
Tribute to Leonardo da Vinci, Electronics - Original Handsigned Etching
Located in Paris, IDF
Salvador DALI (1904-1969) Tribute to Leonardo da Vinci, Electronics, 1975 Original etching Signed in pencil Justified trial proof (Essai) On Arches vellum 56 x 76 cm (22 x 29.9 in) ...
Etching
$2,360Sale Price|20% Off
Dali, Femme à tete de Roses (after)
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Salvador Dali (1904-1989) Title: Femme à tete de Roses Year: 2004 Medium: Lithograph on wove paper Size: 30.25 x 22 inches Condition: Excellent Inscription: Unsigned and unnu...
Lithograph
$15,000
Drue
Located in Columbia, MO
Leonora Carrington (British-Mexican 1917 - 2011) was a painter, writer, and key figure in Surrealism whose work explored the sacred, the mystical, and the magical in everyday life. B...
Lithograph
$4,872Sale Price|20% Off
L'Empire des Lumières Lithograph, Surrealist, Signed, Edition of 275
Located in Milwaukee, WI
Framed 25.38 x 31.38 in Color lithograph after the 1964 oil on canvas by René Magritte, plate-signed by Magritte and numbered from the edition of 275. The lithograph features the ...
Lithograph
$6,264Sale Price|20% Off
Le Séducteur (The Tempter) Surrealist Lithograph, Framed and Signed
Located in Milwaukee, WI
Framed 34.25 x 38.50 in Color lithograph after the 1951 oil on canvas by René Magritte, plate-signed by Magritte and numbered from the edition of 300.
Lithograph
The Garden, Surrealist Screenprint by Antonio Peticov
Located in Long Island City, NY
Antonio Peticov, Brazilian (1946 - ) - The Garden, Year: 1983, Medium: Screenprint, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 250, 35 AP, Image Size: 31 x 21 inches, Size: 36 x 26...
Screen
$280Sale Price|22% Off
QUIET ZONE Signed Lithograph, Surreal Mini Landscape, Jingle Bell, Trees
Located in Union City, NJ
QUIET ZONE is a hand drawn limited edition lithograph by the American surrealist artist Fanny Brennan, created using traditional hand lithography techniques printed on archival Arche...
Lithograph
$318Sale Price|20% Off
CHATEAU Signed Mini Lithograph, French Countryside, Open Book, Surreal Landscape
Located in Union City, NJ
CHATEAU is a hand drawn limited edition lithograph by the American surrealist artist Fanny Brennan, created using traditional hand lithography techniques printed on archival Arches p...
Lithograph
$470Sale Price|20% Off
An umbrella. Limited edition print, Surrealism, Established Polish artist
Located in Warsaw, PL
Contemporary colorful figurative surrealistic print on paper by Polish artist Rafal Olbinski. This print shows woman with dress shaped like an umbrella from under which it rains. The...
Paper, Color
$2,800Sale Price|20% Off
Centre Noeuds (Sabatier 393), Roberto Matta
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Roberto Matta (1912-2002) Title: Centre Noeuds (Sabatier 393) Year: 1974 Edition: 38/125, plus proofs Medium: Etching on Arches paper Size: 23.875 x 17.5 inches Inscription: ...
Etching
$3,000
Sparire I Enzo Cucchi large scale abstract dream scape etching with screeprint
By Enzo Cucchi
Located in New York, NY
Sparire means "to disappear" in Italian. This large-scale, dreamlike print spans almost ten feet. Enzo Cucchi Sparire 1, 1988 Color etching, aquatint and silkscreen 30 1/2 × 118 in ...
Etching, Aquatint, Screen
Incomparable Chant D'été De L'azur, Surrealist Etching with Aquatint by Jean Sol
Located in Long Island City, NY
Jean Solombre, French (1948 - ) - Incomparable Chant D'été De L'azur, Year: 1981, Medium: Etching with Aquatint on Arches, signed, titled, numbered and dated in pencil, Edition: 1...
Etching, Aquatint
Travel : Boat on the Sea - Original etching with aquatint
Located in Paris, IDF
Pierre Alechinsky Travel : Boat on the Sea, 1998 Original etching with aquatint Unsigned On BFK Rives vellum 63 x 92 cm (c. 25 x 37 in) Authenticated with the blind stamp of chalcog...
Etching, Aquatint
$1,560Sale Price|20% Off
Convection, Braniff International Airways Flying Colors Collection
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Alexander Calder (1898-1976) Title: Convection, Braniff International Airways Flying Colors Collection Year: 1975 Medium: Lithograph on vélin d’Arches paper Size: 20 x 26 inc...
Lithograph
$425
BASTED WAVES Signed Mini Lithograph, Surreal Beach Scene, Thread, Sewing Needle
Located in Union City, NJ
BASTED WAVES is a hand drawn limited edition lithograph by the American surrealist artist Fanny Brennan, created using traditional hand lithography techniques printed on archival Arc...
Lithograph
$200Sale Price|20% Off
'L'Empire des Lumieres' 1998 Offset Poster, Vintage, Large
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Rene Magritte (1898 – 1967) was a Belgian surrealist artist. He became well known for creating a number of witty and thought-provoking images. Often depicting ordinary objects in an ...
Offset
In Memoriam, Signed Landscape Screenprint by Antonio Barrera
Located in Long Island City, NY
"In Memoriam" is a screenprint on Arches by Colombian artist Antonio Barrera, from the Graficario de la Lucha Popular en Colombia -- a 1977 portfolio of 32 works by 32 Colombian arti...
Screen
New York, New York — Budweiser Surreal Advertising Poster, 1982, Rodriguez
Located in Spokane, WA
Issued in 1982 and titled New York, New York, this Budweiser advertising poster presents a surreal, vertical composition in which an oversized Budweiser bottle rises dramatically, re...
Offset
Surrealist Lithograph 'Souvenir de Voyage', Signed, Edition of 275
Located in Milwaukee, WI
Image size: 18.25 x 15 in Paper size: 23.63 x 17.07 in Frame size: 32.38 x 29.13 in Color lithograph after the 1961 gouache on paper by René Magritte, plate-signed by Magritte an...
Lithograph
Les Betes Sauvages Dans le Desert
Located in Hollywood, FL
ARTIST: Salvador Dali TITLE: Les Betes Sauvages Dans le Desert MEDIUM: Etching SIGNED: Hand Signed by Salvador Dali PUBLISHER: Levine & Levine EDITION NUMBER: 189/450 MEASUREME...
Etching
$1,176
L'arrivée d'Iseult ("The arrival of Iseult"), Original etching, Handsigned
Located in Paris, IDF
Salvador DALI L'arrivée d'Iseult ("The arrival of Iseult") Original etching Handsigned in pencil Limited to 115 copies On vellum Rives 45 x 32.5 cm This etching is part o...
Etching
$625
CASCADE Signed Mini Lithograph, Surreal Landscape, Red Book, Waterfall, Blue Sky
Located in Union City, NJ
CASCADE is a rarely seen, hand drawn limited edition lithograph by the American surrealist artist Fanny Brennan, created using traditional hand lithography techniques printed on arch...
Lithograph
$1,600Sale Price|50% Off
Flights of Fancy original lithograph by Michel Pellus 1977
Located in Paonia, CO
Flights of Fancy is an original signed limited edition (060/250 ) lithograph by Michel Pellus showing a man in a top hat floating in the sky in a hot a...
Lithograph
The Temple of Bacchus - Etching - 1796
Located in Roma, IT
Etching on paper published by S. Merigot, London, in 1796. A finely executed late eighteenth-century topographical engraving depicting the celebrated Temple of Bacchus at Baalbek, L...
Etching
TAGGED TREE Signed Lithograph, Mini Landscape, Tree, Water, Sky, Surrealism
Located in Union City, NJ
TAGGED TREE is a rarely seen, hand drawn limited edition lithograph by the American surrealist artist Fanny Brennan, created using traditional hand lithography techniques printed on ...
Lithograph
$19,600Sale Price|20% Off
Espace-temps en fusion (Michler/Löpsinger 822-831; Field 75-13)
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...
Mixed Media, Drypoint, Lithograph, Screen
Un Longue Apres Midi
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Un Longue Apres Midi" 1984 is an original color etching with aquatint on Arches paper by French artist Jean Solombre, 1948-2005. It ...
Etching, Aquatint
Tribute to Magritte - Original handsigned lithograph
Located in Paris, IDF
Jean-Pierre HENAUT (1942-) Tribute to Magritte Original lithograph Handsigned in pencil Limited /275 copies On vellum 76 x 56 cm (c. 29.9 x 22 in) Excellent condition
Lithograph
"Le Retour (Return), " Color Lithograph after Painting by Rene Magritte
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Le Retour (Return)" is a color lithograph after the original 1940 painting by Rene Magritte. A bird which is really just the sky in the day and clouds. A nest bellow the bird has th...
Lithograph
$320Sale Price|30% Off
HIGH TIDE LOW TIDE Signed Lithograph, Mini Seascape, Islands, Beach, Blue Water
Located in Union City, NJ
HIGH TIDE, LOW TIDE is a hand drawn, limited edition lithograph by the American surrealist artist Fanny Brennan, created using traditional hand lithography techniques printed on arch...
Lithograph
Aqueduct Signed Lithograph, Surrealist Mini Landscape, 1992 Edition
Located in Union City, NJ
AQUEDUCT is a hand drawn, limited edition lithograph by the American surrealist artist Fanny Brennan, created using traditional hand lithography techniques printed on archival Arches...
Lithograph
Harps Once Played (Surrealist Landscape)
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Benton Murdoch Spruance (1904-1967). Harps Once Played, 1935. Edition of 30. Lithograph on wove paper, plate measures 10.75 x 14 inches. Sheet measures 13 x 18 inches. Signed in p...
Lithograph
Fuji Under Siege
Located in New York, NY
Created by Surrealist Fanny Brennan from 1992-96, Fuji Under Siege is an original lithograph in colors on wove paper, hand-monogrammed by the artist in pencil and numbered from the e...
Lithograph
$2,800Sale Price|20% Off
Centre Noeuds (Sabatier 393), Roberto Matta
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Roberto Matta (1912-2002) Title: Centre Noeuds (Sabatier 393) Year: 1974 Edition: 38/125, plus proofs Medium: Etching on Arches paper Size: 23.875 x 17.5 inches Inscription: ...
Etching
FALLING RIBBON Signed Mini Lithograph, Red Satin, Surreal Beach Scene
Located in Union City, NJ
FALLING RIBBON is a hand drawn limited edition lithograph by the American surrealist artist Fanny Brennan, created using traditional hand lithography techniques printed on archival A...
Lithograph
$1,560Sale Price|20% Off
Friendship, Braniff International Airways Flying Colors Collection
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Alexander Calder (1898-1976) Title: Friendship, Braniff International Airways Flying Colors Collection Year: 1975 Medium: Lithograph on vélin d’Arches paper Size: 20 x 26 inc...
Lithograph
$500
Beautiful Beasts 1978 Signed Limited Edition Lithograph Mati (Abdul) Klarwein
Located in Rochester Hills, MI
Artist Mati (Abdul) Klarwein Title: Beautiful Beasts Year: 1978 Print - Lithograph Paper Size 23" x 23½" inches Edition: signed in pencil and marked 18/300 Hand embellished by the a...
Lithograph
$337Sale Price|25% Off
Personne Seule Etendue, Mezzotint Print, Surrealist, Late 20th Century
Located in New Orleans, LA
Maurice Pasternak's imagery is not organized or presented in a way that makes literal sense. His figures and landscapes have mysterious drama that's open to individual interpretatio...
Mezzotint
Blue Bird
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Blue Bird' c.1990 is a dye sublimation print on aluminium by Ukrainian/American artist Anatole Krasnyansky. It is hand signed and number...
Other Medium
$3,880Sale Price|20% Off
Composition, Les Enfants Trouves de Magritte, Rene Magritte (after)
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Rene Magritte (1898-1967) (after) Title: Composition, Les Enfants Trouves de Magritte Year: 1968 Medium: Lithograph in colors on wove paper Size: 17.5 x 23.5 inches Edition: ...
Lithograph
!["Les Lauriers de Bonheur" [The Laurels of Happiness] Etching in Colors, 1974](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/salvador-dali-prints-works-on-paper-les-lauriers-de-bonheur-the-laurels-of-happiness-etching-in-colors-1974-for-sale/a_28452/a_183372721784669812645/item_135647_catimage_1_master.jpg?width=240)
!["Les Lauriers de Bonheur" [The Laurels of Happiness] Etching in Colors, 1974](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/salvador-dali-prints-works-on-paper-les-lauriers-de-bonheur-the-laurels-of-happiness-etching-in-colors-1974-for-sale-picture-2/a_28452/a_183372721784669824715/item_135647_catimage_2_master.jpg?width=240)
$3,700
"Les Lauriers de Bonheur" [The Laurels of Happiness] Etching in Colors, 1974
Located in Astoria, NY
Salvador Dali (Spanish, 1904-1989), "Les Lauriers de Bonheur" [The Laurels of Happiness], Drypoint Etching with Pochoir, 1974, from "After 50 Years of Surrealism", published by Ateli...
Drypoint, Etching
Standing Man Large Color Lithograph
Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL
Standing Man Large Color lithograph, edition 10/50 pencil signed, image 55x47framed 59x51x1.5 Saul Steinberg was a Romanian cartoonist and illustrator best known for his iconic co...
Lithograph
$2,800Sale Price|20% Off
Centre Noeuds (Sabatier 393), Roberto Matta
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Roberto Matta (1912-2002) Title: Centre Noeuds (Sabatier 393) Year: 1974 Edition: 38/125, plus proofs Medium: Etching on Arches paper Size: 23.875 x 17.5 inches Inscription: ...
Etching
$8,400Sale Price|20% Off
Antiombrelle à atomiseurs de liquides (Michler/Löpsinger 822-831; Field 75-13)
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Salvador Dali (1904-1989) Title: Antiombrelle à atomiseurs de liquides (Michler/Löpsinger 822-831; Field 75-13), Imaginations et Objets du Futur (Liquid atomizer anti-shade, ...
Mixed Media, Drypoint, Lithograph, Screen
Tribute to Leonardo da Vinci, The Linotype - Original Handsigned Etching
Located in Paris, IDF
Salvador DALI (1904-1969) Tribute to Leonardo da Vinci, The Linotype, 1975 Original etching Signed in pencil Justified trial proof (Essai) On Arches vellum 76 x 56 cm (29.9 x 22 in)...
Etching
$318Sale Price|25% Off
TREMOR Signed Mini Lithograph, Surreal Landscape Multicolor Sewing Thread Spools
Located in Union City, NJ
TREMOR is a hand drawn limited edition lithograph by the American surrealist artist Fanny Brennan, created using traditional hand lithography techniques printed on archival Arches pa...
Lithograph
Orange Shell
Located in Greenwich, CT
Orange Shell is a lithograph on paper with an image size of 3.75 x 3.5 inches, initialed 'FMB' lower right and annotated lower left, framed in a contemporary silver and dark gray fra...
Paper, Lithograph
$22,800Sale Price|20% Off
Téléphone-homard cybernétique (Michler/Löpsinger 822-831; Field 75-13)
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Salvador Dali (1904-1989) Title: Téléphone-homard cybernétique (Michler/Löpsinger 822-831; Field 75-13), Imaginations et Objets du Futur (Cybernetic lobster phone, Imaginatio...
Mixed Media, Drypoint, Lithograph, Screen
THE VISITOR Signed Lithograph, Mini Surreal Landscape with Seashell, 6x7 in.
Located in Union City, NJ
THE VISITOR is a hand drawn, limited edition lithograph by the American surrealist artist Fanny Brennan, created using traditional hand lithography techniques printed on archival Arc...
Lithograph
Personnes Etendues and Arbe (People seek land by tree)
Located in New Orleans, LA
Maurice Pasternak has created a surreal landscape that includes several spirit-like creatures seeming to wander in an unknown terrain. He moves images around on the paper to create a...
Mezzotint
Mont. St. Michel
Located in Greenwich, CT
Mont St. Michel is a lithograph on paper with an image size of 3 x 3 inches, initialed 'FMB' lower right and annotated lower left, framed in a contemporary silver and dark gray frame...
Paper, Lithograph
"Fountain"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
The artwork is print on silk and it is limited edition. "Fountain" – Where Mermaids Reign In the heart of the city, a grand fountain became more than just a landmark—it became home ...
Silk
Malabaristas Parapsicológicos Giclée Print, Surrealist, Framed, 2010+
Located in Cuauhtemoc, Ciudad de México
Artist and designer Pedro Friedeberg is known for his surrealist paintings, prints, and sculptural furniture. He was the subject of a 2009 retrospective at the Museo del Palacio de B...
Giclée
$200Sale Price|20% Off
Magritte 'La Page Blanche' 1998- Surrealist, Vintage
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This reproduction of the Magritte painting is the only authorized and approved copy in its current format. It has been sanctioned by the appropriate authorities managing Magritte’s e...
Offset