The Magritte Museum (Musee Magritte) is a museum dedicated to the art of Belgium artist Rene Magritte. It is located in the heart of Brussels, Belgium and is one of the constituent museums of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium.

Rene Magritte was born in 1898 in Lessines, Belgium. His father was a merchant and manufacturer. Before her marriage, his mother had been a milliner. She took her own life when Rene was 13.

In 1916, Rene moved to Brussels in order to study at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts. He tried painting in a number of styles including Impressionism, Fauvism, Futurism and Cubism. However, it was not until the early 1920s that he turned to the style for which he is best known, Surrealism.

While his new work brought him attention, it was not financially successful. Therefore, he moved to Paris, then the art capital of the world, in 1927. There, he became an important figure in the Surrealist movement, becoming friends with Andre Breton, Salvatore Dali, Joan Miro and Max Ernst.

Despite receiving some recognition, financial success still eluded Rene and so he moved back to Belgium in 1930. To make money, he opened an advertising agency with his brother and reportedly even dabbled in art forgeries but continued to work on his art in his spare time.

During the 1930s, interest in Rene's art grew and he had solo exhibitions in London and in New York. This interest continued to grow following World War II and Rene became an internationally known artist. He died in 1967.

The Magritte Museum grew out of the popularity of the Salle Magritte in Brussel's Museum of Modern Art. By 2006, the success of this gallery made it clear that there should be a dedicated museum. Accordingly, in 2008, work began to transform a historic 18th century townhouse the Hôtel Altenloh (also known as “Hôtel du Lotto”) into such a museum. It opened its doors in 2009.

The museum's collection includes over 200 works by Magritte. Although best known as a Surrealist painter, Magritte worked in a number of styles during his career. Also, he experimented with a number of different media including sculpture, photography and film.

Starting at the top floor and descending downwards two more levels, visitors travel through galleries chronologically and thematically presenting the various stages of Magritte's artistic journey. Although the building is centuries old, the galleries are modern.

For more information on visiting, see the Magritte Museum's website.

Places to see art ​ - Brussels, Belgium - Magritte Museum (Musee Magritte)