The Fin-de-Siècle Museum is built on an underground level that mimics a giant vault extending several stories deep.
The Oldmasters Museum features the 'Landscape with the Fall of Icarus', long attributed to Pieter Bruegel the Elder.
The museum complex is constructed on the site of the former Palace of Coudenberg, which burned down in 1731.
The Magritte Museum occupies the former Hotel Altenloh, a neoclassical building on the Place Royale.
Jacques-Louis David painted his iconic 'The Death of Marat' while in exile in Brussels, and it is part of the museum's collection.
The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium represent a multidisciplinary complex comprising six distinct museums, including the Oldmasters Museum, the Magritte Museum, and the Fin-de-Siècle Museum. The collection spans from the 15th to the 21st century, housing over 20,000 works. It serves as the primary repository for the Flemish Primitives, featuring extensive holdings of works by Rogier van der Weyden and Hans Memling. The museum complex also holds a significant collection of works by Peter Paul Rubens. The Magritte Museum holds the world's largest collection of works by the surrealist artist René Magritte. Architecture varies from the neoclassical main building to integrated modern spaces. The institution functions under the jurisdiction of the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office. It is situated on the Coudenberg hill, historically linked to the former royal palace of Brussels.
The central staircase in the main building, which provides a dramatic architectural frame for the neoclassic foyer.
Prioritize your visit by choosing 1-2 of the six museums, as visiting all in one day leads to fatigue.
Use the museum's specialized app or digital guides, which provide deeper context on the complex provenance of the Flemish Primitives.
Check if you have a valid museum pass to benefit from reciprocal entry programs common in Brussels.
Attempting to view the entire six-museum complex in a single day, as it results in 'museum fatigue' and misses the historical significance of the individual pieces.
Closed on Mondays.
Large backpacks and umbrellas must be left in the cloakroom; flash photography is strictly prohibited near oil paintings.
