Contact: Kira Sheber

Kira@visitbelgium.com

212-758-8130, ext

Stretch your imagination: Opening of NEW Magritte Museum

                                  in Brussels, June 2009

Who is René Magritte? Magritte is the 20th century's most celebrated, surrealist painter. Born in 1898 in French-speaking Belgium, Magritte moved to Brussels to study painting at the Academy of Fine Arts. Influenced by the Dadaist movement (1916-1923), Magritte rose to become renowned in the art world for his surrealist paintings. Along with his friends, such as Salvador Dali and Max Ernst, he ignited a global movement that impacted all media, including advertising, theatre and movies. He died in Brussels in August 1967.

What is Surrealism? Surrealism is a cultural movement and artistic style that was founded in 1924 by André Breton and championed by Magritte. Belgian surrealism, specifically, describes “a spirit of irreverence, absurdity and derision”. Magritte is best known for his juxtaposition of ordinary objects in unusual context.

http://www.surrealism.org/magritte.html

Where can you see his art? The New Magritte Museum opens June 2, 2009 in Brussels. It is located on the Place Royale, walking distance from the Grand’ Place, the musical instrument museum and the Royal Palace. The museum will hold 200 works, the largest collection of Magritte paintings, plus archival material, letters written by the painter, photographs and drawings.

Address: Place Royale, 1- 1000 Brussels- Tel: +32 2 508.31.11 Website: www.montdesarts.be Hours: Tuesdays to Sundays, 9.30AM-5PM, late night opening on Wednesdays until 8PM

Why can't you miss it! It was imperative for Belgium to recognize Magritte,a celebrity in the art world, as one of their own with the Magritte museum opening in,of course, the most important Belgian city, Brussels. Whether you are an art lover or not, this museum is guaranteed to wow you- Inspired by both the bizarre and the absurd, Magritte evokes a wide spectrum of themes to entice the observer. Surrounded by Brussels as your backdrop, the Magritte museum offers an out of body

experience and a course in art appreciation at the same time.

© Charly Herscovici, with his kind authorization – c/o SABAM-ADAGP, 2008

Figure 1: The Breast, 1961, oil on canvas, 90 x 110 cm

Figure 2: The Man from the Sea, 1927, oil on canvas, 139 x 105 cm

Figure 3: The Return, 1940, oil on canvas, 50 x 65 cm

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