Do not confuse this spectacular collection with the museum in artist René Magritte’s Brussels home. The Magritte Museum opened in 2009 and is now under the umbrella of the Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique. Located in the Hôtel Altenloh, a neoclassical mansion dating from 1779, the gallery is connected by underground passageway to the main building of the Musées Royaux next door.
The collection holds more than 230 of Magritte’s eccentric, surreal works and covers all periods of his oeuvre, exhibiting musical scores and photos of his private life as well as signature works such as his series “The Dominion of Light” and “The Domain of Arnheim.” Though you may never have viewed one of his full-scale works, Rene Magritte is already familiar to you, for his powerful images have been shamelessly copied by advertising agencies the world over. His paintings tell of anxiety and isolation in the modern world, of stultifying homogeneity and the inability to communicate, especially in that famous canvas of the group of identical persons staring wordlessly through a window into an open room. Magritte is represented here by his very greatest paintings: “L’Empire des Lumieres” (that night-lit house on a dark canal, under a bright, daytime sky); “Le Mariage de Minuit”; “L’Homme du Large”; “La Saveur des Larmes” (a decaying and corrupted dove); and “La Recherche de la Verite” (a ball, a fish, a scene of infinity).
Brussels
Travel Guide
Brussels› Attraction
Musée Magritte
1 Place Royale
Our Rating
Neighborhood
Place Royale/Mont des Arts
Hours
Tues–Fri 10am–5pm, Sat–Sun 11am–6pm
Transportation
Metro: Porte de Namur/Park, Tram 92, 94 to Royale
Phone
02/ 508-32-11
Prices
Admission 10€ adults, 8€ seniors, 3€ students, free for those under 19; combination ticket with all four museums 15€ adults, 10€ seniors, 5€ students; free 1st Wed afternoon each month.
Web site
Musée Magritte
Map
1 Place Royale BrusselsNote: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.