Two rare works join the Magritte Museum, shining a light on a lesser-known aspect of the Surrealist’s early career

Nearly 100 years after their creation, two fashion catalogues containing drawings by Belgian Surrealist René Magritte have joined the permanent collections of the Magritte Museum in Brussels.

The Catalogues Samuel were gifted by Charly Herscovici, the president of the Magritte Foundation and the owner of the artist’s intellectual rights.

It was a natural gesture, he said: “The scientific and symbolic value of these catalogues is inestimable, as they represent the preface to what Magritte would go on to achieve.”

He added: “Every museum in the world dreams of having them in their collection, but their place is at the Magritte Museum, here, in Brussels.” 

The Catalogues Samuel advertise the prestigious fashion house’s fur coat collections for 1926-1927 and for the year 1928. Magritte was responsible for the graphic designs.

“These two pieces, a century old yet preserved in remarkable condition, shed light on a little-known aspect of Magritte's early career. Like many of his contemporaries, the young artist turned to advertising to make ends meet — and these catalogues are the most eloquent testimony to that,” said Kim Oosterlinck, director general of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, which incorporates the Magritte Museum. 

The texts of the 1926-1927 season brochure are attributed to Camille Goemans, while for the 1928 edition Magritte joined forces with Belgian poet Paul Nougé to produce a work at the crossroads of art, fashion and literature. It went beyond its initial commercial purpose to establish itself as one of the most accomplished expressions of Belgian Surrealism. 

“The subtle alliance of image and text gives rise to a poetic universe of rare coherence. Both experimental and narrative, the work unfolds an enigmatic world in which metamorphosis reigns and the female figure occupies a central place,” according to the museum text presenting the works.

“The publication is considered a landmark work in the development of Brussels Surrealism and retains its status as a cult object,” it added.

The works are extremely  rare. The 1926-1927 catalogue is a unique copy, while there are only three known copies of the 1928 edition.

Both are on display in a showcase on the third floor of the Place Royale museum. They are cradled in supports specially designed by the Royal Library (KBR) for their preservation. The latter institution also carried out a high-definition digitisation of the works.

Photos: (main image) René Magritte, La Maison S. Samuel & Cie vous présente quelques modèles pour la saison 1926-1927, [S.l.], Agence Havas Belge S.A., [1926] © Ch Herscovici, avec son aimable autorisation c/o SABAM Belgium 2026, Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Bruxelles/photo: KBR; Paul Nougé & René Magritte, Pour l'année 1928, la Maison Samuel nous présente quelques manteaux, [S.l.], [1927] © Ch Herscovici, avec son aimable autorisation c/o SABAM Belgium 2026, Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Bruxelles/photo: KBR