Some people consider his works as surrealistic, others suppose they are made in magical realism, but he himself said the following: «I have found a new potential in things – their ability to gradually become something else, an object merging into an object other than itself». There is a museum which is dedicated to the long and productive work of the Belgian artist, Rene Magritte. Walking across the halls of the museum you can see how trees turn into leaves, leaves – into a bird, and a bird – into a woman. The museum is a part of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts – there are areas on its territory which are taken by the Magritte Museum. Thus, it will be more convenient to buy a single ticket, rather than a separate ticket to the Rene Magritte Museum. Besides, you will see more.

Let us go up to the roof, using an elevator, to begin. Then we will go down and get acquainted with the paradoxical and concise worlds of the artist. On the third floor, there are works of young Rene Magritte: picturesque canvases that were influenced by cubism and dadaism, as well as advertising posters and wallpaper samples. After he abandoned the art academy, he had to work as a designer in a wallpaper factory to feed himself and his wife. Halls are mysterious and dark, only works are lightened, so the images on the paintings look more like dreams.

The second floor is dedicated to the period of the artist’s prosperity – the 1930-1950s. Turning to surrealism, collaborations with other artists, joint exhibitions and... poverty again. Magritte had to work in the advertising industry, making posters, menus, advertising signs and replicating his canvases, which already were well-known. His artworks changed dramatically after the beginning of the Second World War. Images of peace and hope appeared on them – but everything is depicted through logical paradoxes and a strange combination of subjects.

The first floor – the end of earthly life. The mature artist could finally forget about money. With the rise of pop art in the early 1960s, the world was hugely interested in the works of Rene Magritte. During this time he created many of his famous works, made several monumental murals, including the murals of the Palace of Fine Arts.