Magritte is rumoured to have sold his first painting to one of the regulars in the bohemian Brussels café La Fleur en Papier Doré at Rue des Alexiens 55. The three tiny rooms are filled with old furniture, dark paintings and faded newspaper cuttings.
Hanging in the shop window next to the café is an enlarged copy of a photo showing a group of artists and writers standing outside the café, including René Magritte, second from the right.
The café was run by Geert van Bruaene, sitting on a chair at the front, from 1944 to his death in 1964.
Other well-known Belgians also dropped in for a beer, including comic book artist Hergé, artist Pierre Alechinsky and singer Jacques Brel.
Derek Blyth’s hidden secret of the day: Derek Blyth is the author of the bestselling “The 500 Hidden Secrets of Belgium”. He picks out one of his favourite hidden secrets for The Brussels Times every day.
