Bonjour Mr Magritte! Mysterious silhouettes, bowler hats, birds with outstretched wings, brilliantly blue cloudy skies… the imagery of René Magritte is instantly recognisable. Belgium's most surrealist painter felt like a fish in water in Brussels. We set off to find traces of Magritte in the capital, will you join us?
© Rene Magritte Museum-Brussels-Jette
Looking through the keyhole: who was Magritte?
René Magritte is mentioned in the same breath as Max Ernst, Salvador Dalí and Joan Miró – the main representatives of surrealism in painting. In the early 1920s, Magritte joined the Brussels surrealist movement which brought together poets and writers, as well as composers and other artists. They had an idiosyncratic approach and distanced themselves from André Breton and the Paris group. Soon, Magritte developed a style of his own. Unlike other artists, the man with the boundless imagination led a rather more bourgeois lifestyle.
- Did you know? Portrayed as the middle-class man in his paintings, Magritte walked the dog every day. He also painted every day at set times. Repetition and the banal inspired him. Along with Georgette, his childhood sweetheart, they preferred life in quiet Brussels suburbs.
Magritte in the museums
Magritte Museum
Every year, the Magritte Museum welcomes more than 300,000 visitors, which is hardly surprising. The Magritte Museum holds the largest collection of works in the world by the Belgian surrealist. Not only paintings, but also drawings, gouaches, posters, advertising work, letters, photographs, sculptures and films. The route begins on the top floor. Be sure to look out of the window in the lift as you go up: you will see part of a Magritte painting glide by on each floor!
> 1 place Royale, 1000 Brussels
- Did you know? All of the artist's periods are amply represented and in particular Magritte's 'vache' period from the 1940s where he rebukes the Parisian surrealists, with whom he felt increasingly disconnected.
René Magritte Museum
'This is not the Magritte Museum'. This is the modest house in Jette where René and Georgette lived on the ground floor for just under a quarter of a century. The famous Belgian surrealist did not have his own studio; he painted in the kitchen or the living room. More than half of his work was created here, including some of the most startling images in modern art. Thanks to the detective work of art lover André Garitte, the house was able to be restored to its original state. Photographs, texts and testimonies from that time formed the basis for an accurate reconstruction!
> 135-137 rue Esseghem, 1090 Jette
- Did you know? When the house next door came up for sale, the René Magritte Museum gained an exciting neighbour: the Museum of Abstract Art. A wonderful opportunity to literally build a bridge on the upper floor between two art movements that were diametrically opposed in Brussels in the 1920s!
Magritte at the theatre
When the Théâtre Royal des Galeries was renovated in 1951, Magritte painted one of his signature cloudy skies on the building’s ceiling. A beautiful contrast to the red velvet and gold ornaments in the décor inspired by the Italian Renaissance.
> 32 galerie du Roi, 1000 Brussels
© Théâtre Royal des Galeries
Magritte at the Convention Centre
In the Magritte foyer of Square, the Brussels Convention Centre, you can admire 'Les barricades mystérieuses'. This is a magnificent original fresco from 1961 by the grand master. You’ll find some typical features of his work here. Highly magnified 'leaf-trees’, an enigmatic house, illuminated windows, etc. Despite all the poetry, a sense of unease pours over you, which was precisely his intention. N.B. This piece can only be viewed during events.
> Mont des Arts, 1000 Brussels
.jpg/_jcr_content/renditions/cq5dam.thumbnail.48.48.png "Magritte @ Square")
© Square
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René Magritte, La magie noire (1945) © Ch. Herscovici, avec son aimable autorisation co SABAM Belgium, Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Bruxelles, photo J. Gel.
A stroll in Jette, the home of Magritte
Jette may have a rustic vibe, but it is also strongly rooted in the capital’s urban fabric. This commune has rekindled the population’s passion for Magritte, the surrealist painter who called this place home at the height of his career. Discover beautiful ceramic masterpieces on the pavements and pops of colour on the walls. Recently, a tribe of street artists set its sights on the area, giving Jette a youthful touch once again.
Magritte at the café
La Fleur en Papier Doré
Magritte is rumoured to have sold his first painting to a regular at this historic artists' café. Fellow surrealists Marcel Mariën, Louis Scutenaire, Marcel Lecomte, E.L.T. Mesens and Marc Eemans were also familiar with it. The old furniture and paintings in the three small galleries show the dark marks of time and cigarette smoke. Enjoy an authentic Lambic while trying to decipher the countless cryptic writings on the wall. No works by Magritte, but there is a wall-sized photograph showing the master in good company in front of the café.
> 55 rue des Alexiens, 1000 Brussels
The legendary former Café Greenwich
Magritte loved a game of chess. He loved coming to this café, which was a well-known fixture for lovers of the noble sport of thought. For example, he regularly played chess with one of his muses, the Baroness Anne-Marie Crowet. He painted the iconic 'The Empire of Light' for her. After a thorough renovation, the café was restored to its former glory. Bring your favourite chess partner and be seduced by the history of this charming Art Nouveau brasserie.
> 7 rue des Chartreux, 1000 Brussels
- Did you know? "The Empire of Light" is one of his best-known masterpieces. The painter shows the fusion of day and night in an alienating, poetic image. Use your Brussels Card to marvel at it, at the Magritte Museum!
Magritte's Bar at the Hotel Amigo
Paying homage to Magritte and surrealism, Hotel Amigo’s Bar Magritte celebrates the world of this extraordinary artist. You can enjoy some astonishing cocktails in an unexpected, elegant setting.
> 1 rue de l'Amigo, 1000 Brussels
Magritte in Schaerbeek
Magritte married Georgette at St Mary's Church in 1922. For the last ten years of his life, he lived in the Quartier des Fleurs ('Flowers District'), at 97 Rue des Mimosas. After his studies, he also lived at 43 Rue François-Joseph Navez and at 207 and 404 Avenue Lambermont. He was buried in the Schaerbeek cemetery under a simple granite stone in plot 16, row 2. His beloved Georgette followed him some 20 years later. Fans from around the world sometimes leave the most bizarre things there. Companions Marcel Mariën and married couple Louis Scutenaire and Irène Hamoir also found a final resting place here.
🎵 Rene And Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After The War 🎵
Magritte was the hero of a large number of musicians. John Cale, Paul Simon and De Nieuwe Snaar dedicated songs to him. Paul McCartney even drew some inspiration from his 1966 painting 'Au Revoir' (a bright green apple) when choosing the name and logo for The Beatles' record company, Apple Music. That led to some fierce lawsuits when Steve Jobs named his company Apple Computer Company, as a tribute to his favourite band.
Fancy buying 'a Magritte'?
