To mark what would have been the Belgian surrealist artist René Magritte's 125th birthday, Hotel Amigo in Brussels opened a unique bar in celebration of him.
Magritte first began his artistic journey in the Belgian capital, becoming the most famous artist of Belgian history and one of the most influential painters of the surrealist movement.
Earlier this year, the Brussels-Capital Region unveiled the 'In the footsteps of Magritte'. A route around the city created by French street artist Julien de Casabianca, who placed immense reproductions of iconic figures from Magritte's paintings to adorn façades across the city.
One of de Casabianca's huge, ephemeral collages can also be spotted on the wall of one of Brussels' most iconic hotels: Hotel Amigo. The establishment has also decided to commemorate the influential artist with the opening of its Magritte-inspired cocktail bar this week.
Bar Magritte. Credit: Hotel Amigo
Bar Magritte is the world's only bar dedicated to the life and works of the Surrealist genius. The high-end watering hole's creators aim to bring customers expert mixology, exquisite design and a sense of mystery. On selective nights, live music will set the atmospheric scene.
Magritte's signature style – depictions of familiar objects in unfamiliar, unexpected contexts, creating dream-like imagery – is mirrored in the design of the bar in the city centre, just a stone's throw from Grand Place, while the characters of his paintings are represented in the bar's menu.
The wallpaper is inspired by an early Magritte painting: '1922 Femmes'. Other features include the pink and green chairs, the elegant long, bronze bar, and the locally-sourced stained glass windows in Art Deco style.
Bar Magritte. Credit: Hotel Amigo
The menu, crafted by world-renowned mixologist, Salvatore Calabrese, features 20 signature cocktails, split into two sections.
The first ten cocktails, 'His Works', present ten ingenious concoctions inspired by Magritte's artworks, including the pear-flavoured 'Lyricism' and 'Magritte', a nod to the artist's love of red wine.
A Bar Magritte cocktail. Credit: Hotel Amigo
The ten other cocktails, categorised under 'His World', offer classic cocktails drawn from Magritte's lifetime.
These include 'Film Maker', with a cognac and Campari base – a tribute to director Alfred Hitchcock who was inspired by surrealism and worked with Salvador Dalí, Magritte's friend and fellow surrealist artist. Another cocktail, 'Casanova', is a tribute to the Spanish artist himself who created his own cocktail book. The 'Casanova' was his favourite.
The menu also showcases a selection of small plates featuring Belgian classics inspired by Magritte's favourite foods, from Liégeoise salad and calamari carbonara, to 'Sachot' fish & chips. Although food lovers should be warned: travelling to the world of Magritte does come with a certain price tag.
For more information, see here.
