The Top 7 Most Expensive Surrealist Works Ever Sold

Surrealism was an important artistic and cultural movement, so it's no wonder than some of the major works of this aesthetic school of thought are worth fortunes. Some of the most prominent works by the most celebrated artists can sell for even tens of millions of dollars.

Let's take a look at the Top 7 most expensive of these works.

The Married Priest, by René Magritte

7) The Married Priest by René Magritte ($7.1m)

En tant qu’influence majeure dans le mouvement, il n’y a rien d’étonnant à ce que René Magritte apparaisse dans la liste. Le Prêtre Marié est une peinture mystérieuse qui représente deux pommes vertes agencées de telle sorte qu’elles font penser à des visages portant des masques, faisant peut-être appel subconsciemment à un symbole de fertilité. Cette peinture est typique des tendances de Magritte à proposer des objets de la vie courante dans des situations étranges et subversives.

Paysage sur les bords du fleuve Amour, by Joan Miro

6) Paysage sur les bords du fleuve Amour by Joan Miro ($10m)

A surrealist landscape by one of the firsts in the movement, it's not surprising that it would fetch this huge sum. In this painting, we can see strange characters standing by what seems to be a flowing river of reds and yellows.

The Empire of Lights, by René Magritt

5) The Empire of Lights by René Magritte ($11.5m)

Une fois de plus sur cette liste pour ses travaux extrêmement convoités, L’Empire des Lumières de René Magritte est une image fascinante d’une scène diurne, avec des objets et des constructions éclairés par des lumières nocturnes, pour créer une atmosphère d’obscurité inquiétante même avec les nuages cotonneux qui les surplombent.

Return of Ulysses, by Giorgio de Chirico

4) Return of Ulysses by Giorgio de Chirico ($12.5m)

Cette peinture représente un jeune Ulysse ramant dans son bateau sur une flaque d’eau, elle-même étalée sur ce qui semble être le plancher d’une salle de séjour. Encadrée et suspendue au mur, nous pouvons voir une œuvre antérieure de l’artiste (La Tour Rouge). Peint par le fameux surréaliste Giorgio de Chirico, cette œuvre fut adjugée à plus de 12 millions de dollars pendant son enchère.

Portrait of Paul Eluard by Salvador Dali

3) Portrait of Paul Eluard by Salvador Dali. (£12m [approx. $17m])

A portrait with a self-explanatory name, it is a famous piece by an even more famous and influential surrealist. Any Salvador Dali painting is bound to be expensive, if for no other reason than the sheer prestige of his name, but this is the most expensive of them all, clocking in at 12 million pounds.

Painting-Poem by Jan Miro

2) Painting-Poem by Jan Miro (£16.8m)

Joan Miro's paintings are some of the most valuable in surrealist art, and they consistently bring in record numbers at auctions. For his role in the early surrealist movement and his fascinating originality, his work is some of the most sought-after. In this painting, Miro combines words with visual art to create interesting calligraphy with a background and foreground of primitive lines and shapes.

Peinture (Etoile bleue) by Joan Miro

1) Peinture (Etoile bleue) by Joan Miro (£23.5)

Likely the most expensive surrealist paintings ever sold, Joan Miro once again tops the list with this famous work. The sky-blue colors of this painting are soothing and striking at the same time, and add to the impression that the painting's elements come from deep in the subconscious, from a child-like, primitive place, which is the signature style of Joan Miro.

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