The Royal Museums of Fine Arts is a true cultural gem and consists of 6 different, unique museums. With an international, but mostly national collection of more than 20,000 paintings, drawings and sculptures, the collective is the leader in fine arts from the 14th century to today. The Royal Museums of Fine Arts is the most visited museum complex in Belgium and consists of Fin de Siècle Museum, Oldmasters Museum, Modern Museum, Magritte Museum, Meunier Museum and Wiertz Museum.
Fin-de-Siècle Museum is the latest addition to the Royals Museums and exhibits mainly pieces from the art nouveau era of 1900 - to be precise: between 1868, the year the Société Libre des Beaux-Arts was founded, and 1914. Do you rather extend that era to the present, visit Modern Museum for a large collection of modern and contemporary art. If you prefer ancient art in Brussels, go to Oldmasters Museum. Walk through the exhibition spaces of the creative periods of the 15th to the 18th century, such as Flemish Baroque and the Renaissance - it even smells really authentic! These three museums are located in one venue, the Beaux-Arts building, on Rue de la Regence.
The name Magritte Museum already reveals what the museum is about: the surrealist works of Belgian René Magritte - one of the most versatile and most famous artists in the world. A similar case is the Meunier Museum, although the painter and sculptor Constantin Meunier is much less known to the general public. Here, in his old home atelier, you can find his works that reflect the industrial age and its social and political consequences. And finally, we have the Wiertz Museum to complete the list. Here you will find the experimental, or even controversial, work of sculptor, author and painter Antoine Wiertz. The romantic artist was particularly inspired by Michelangelo, Rubens and Raphael - some pretty impressive names!