Musée Magritte Museum

About the museum

The Musée Magritte Museum is part of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium. From 1984 onwards, the museums made the Magritte room one of the highlights of the Museum of Modern Art, and the collection kept growing until it took over other floors. In 2005, contacts with the ENGIE group and the Magritte Foundation made it possible to envisage a museum in its own right for this collection.

The museum occupies the Altenloh mansion, a listed building on the Place Royale, restored in 1984 and previously used for temporary exhibitions and for 19th-century art. Work began in 2008, and the Musée Magritte Museum opened its doors on 2 June 2009, thanks to the skills sponsorship of ENGIE and the support of the Magritte Foundation.

The museum presents about 230 works and archives by René Magritte: paintings, gouaches, drawings, sculptures, painted objects, advertising posters, sheet music, photographs and films. It also holds the largest collection of his “période vache” (cow period). The route runs from the third floor down to the ground floor and follows the artist’s development, from his constructivist beginnings to the “Domaine enchanté” period. The displays change regularly thanks to loans from collectors and institutions.

Highlights

• The largest collection in the world devoted to René Magritte
• About 230 works and archives across 2,500 m²
• Collection of the “période vache”
• Surrealist archives and amateur films by Magritte
• Audio guides for children and teenagers

Permanent exhibition

• Collection permanente René Magritte – Chronological and thematic route through about 230 works and archives, from constructivism to the large images of the “Domaine enchanté”.

Founded

2009

Operated by

Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique

Admission & discounts

Free admission: The first Wednesday of the month from 13:00 (permanent collections; collect your ticket at the ticket office)

Free with the museumPASSmusées, the Brussels Card, the Friends of the MRBAB, Maecenas Circle and ICOM cards, and for the press, teachers and City of Brussels guides (valid proof to be shown on site). Tickets are valid only on the day indicated. Online tickets work by time slot, with a 30-minute margin.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description

All rooms are accessible to people with reduced mobility; wheelchair and pushchair access is via the entrance to the right of the main staircase, rue de la Régence 3 (security agent on site), or rue de la Régence 1A. Free wheelchairs to borrow; mobility scooters are not allowed. Adapted toilets on level -2. Disabled parking spaces on rue du Musée, opposite number 9. Certified guide dogs are welcome, after contacting the service. Musée sur Mesure offers sign-language tours and dialogue tours for blind visitors, a visio guide for hard-of-hearing and deaf visitors, and an audio guide for visually impaired visitors.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Stroller-friendly

Audio guides for children aged 6 to 11 and teenagers aged 12 to 18, “Happy Sunday” activities from age 6, storytelling visits for toddlers, and holiday courses for ages 6 to 12. Pushchairs are allowed throughout the museum.

Getting there & parking

Central Brussels is a low-emission zone. Main ticket office: rue de la Régence 3 (Old Masters museum), with internal access to the Magritte Museum.

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

No dining area: no food is sold in the museums, and picnics are not allowed. Free lockers (a €1 or €2 coin, refundable) at the museum entrance. The Magritte Shop is open access, without a ticket.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

The premises can be hired for private events; contact the Events department of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium.

Plan your visit