The History Of The Magritte Home Museum In 1 Minute

Tucked away in the peaceful Brussels commune of Jette lies the former home of Belgium’s most renowned 20th-century painter. Now a museum, the house where René Magritte spent over two decades dreaming up his thought-provoking images gives you a biographical view of the man behind the surrealist icon.
Not to be confused with the Magritte Museum in the center of the capital, where the world’s largest collection of his works is on display, the Magritte House Museum offers a glimpse into the personal life of the artist. Brusseleir to the core, Magritte made almost half of his body of work during his 24 years living in Jette. Most of those genius and often witty canvasses he created in the comfort of his own home, close to his wife, Georgette.

The facade and redecorated ground floor of the René Magritte-House Museum

After six years of renovation and the tracking down of original furniture and personal belongings, the house-museum was able to open its doors in 1999. The ground floor has been entirely redecorated to look exactly the way it did when René and Georgette went about their daily lives here, more than 60 years ago. Ordinary objects – such as the bowler hats that populate Magritte’s painted universes – increase the sense of walking around the couple’s actual lived-in home. A game of checkers is laid out on the table next to René’s easel, and their white-haired dog is lounging on the bed.
Upstairs, a lesser-known side of the artist waits to be discovered. A chronological exhibition traces Magritte’s personal life as well as his career. Precious personal pictures, letters and personal objects tell Magritte’s biographical story. A series of gouaches, aquarelles and drawings highlight his fascination with multiple artistic movements – take note of the Renoir-inspired works – without forgetting about surrealistic friends and contemporaries such as Paul Nougé and E.L.T. Mesens who were welcome and frequent visitors of the Magritte household.

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