A giant version of one of Belgian artist René Magritte's most famous artworks can now be spotted on the side of a newly-opened hotel near Rogier in the Brussels municipality of Saint-Josse-ten-Noode.
Locals and tourists alike have spotted and marvelled at the 75-metre high and just over 55-metre wide version of Magritte's self-portrait 'Le fils de l'homme', in which the artist's face is covered by a green apple. It is displayed on the façade of Hotel Cardo Brussels, which replaced the former Sheraton Hotel on Place Rogier and welcomed its first guests earlier this year.
"When Magritte comes to Saint-Josse, we think big! The new Hôtel Cardo is already inspiring us with its surrealist façade in every sense of the word," Saint-Josse-ten-Noode Mayor Emir Kir said on social media.
The artwork – which is the largest reproduction of a work by Belgium's most famous surrealist painter to date – was commissioned to highlight the company's long-standing partnership with the Magritte Foundation. The hotel intends to install a new Magritte painting on its façade every three years.
The large artwork forms part of the hotel's efforts to highlight the authentic Belgian aspects of the new establishment's aesthetic. Several other paintings of the artist are hung across the 30-storey building, while its restaurant is named 'Gritto' (one of Magritte's nicknames). Other influences of surrealism can also be spotted, such as umbrella-shaped tables and mini bookcases adorned with the iconic bowler hat or pipe.
Nods to other Belgian icons such as Tintin, the Smurfs and Magritte are also present in all of Cardo's 532 rooms.
