Francisca Vandepitte

Publication at the occasion of the re-opening of the museum Constantin Meunier. This museum is located in Ixelles in the house-cum-studio of artist, painter, sculptor and draughtsman Constantin Meunier (1831-1905). The items on display trace more specifically the evolution of the master between 1875 and 1905, this "second life" in his own words, during which his Realist talent focused more on the social and industrial aspects of Belgium, first through painting and drawing and then, from 1885 onwards, with his return to sculpture to become one of the greatest artists of the genre. Paintings like The Broken Pot are echoed by important sculptures like The Hammerer, a whole people of plaster and bronze that deeply marked his day and continued to influence Realist art well into the first decades of the 20th century. History of the Collection Constantin Meunier (1831-1905) had this beautiful house-cum-studio built towards the end of his life. Sheltering an extensive collection of over 700 works, the house was acquired by the Belgian state in 1936 and opened to the public in 1939. Attached to the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, and subsequently renovated, it has since 1986 presented a selection of about 150 works and documents.

Rene Magritte (1898-1967) is the most famous Belgian artist of the twentieth century and a celebrated representative of the Surrealist movement. Much has been written about his practices, artistic community, and significance within the history of modernism, but little has been documented regarding his process. Though he was reluctant to discuss his techniques and materials, practical concerns over media and cost shaped his output and legacy. This volume examines fifty oil paintings made by Magritte between 1921 and 1967, now held at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium. This technical study of his works using noninvasive scientific imaging and chemical analysis reveals the artist's painting materials, his habit of overpainting previous compositions, and the origins and mechanisms of surface and pigment degradation. Of interest to conservators, scientists, curators, and enthusiasts of twentieth-century art, this book expands our understanding of Magritte the artist and provides new and useful findings that will inform strategies for the future care of his works.

The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium has evolved from a single institution (founded by decree in 1801 by Napoleon Bonaparte) into a world class, multi-museum showcase for art in Belgium. Over the past century, they have actively acquired a superb collection of modern and contemporary paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs, videos, and installations. Featured here are work by, among others, René Magritte, Max Ernst, Marc Chagall, Salvador Dalí, Francis Bacon, Henry Moore, Joseph Albers, Donald Judd, Lucio Fontana, Pierre Alechinsky, Marcel Broodthaers, and Luc Tuymans.