Beyond a shadow of a doubt, getting a box of Belgian pralines or chocolates is a very pleasant experience and you will hardly meet a person who wouldn’t be happy to receive such a souvenir from Belgium. Yet, this country has much more to offer when it comes to shopping and it is an especially auspicious place for anyone who is interested in art. If you would like to find some unique objects of art for yourself or for your family and friends, some ideas presented in this article will definitely be useful for you.
Belgian comic books
Not everyone is aware of the fact that Belgium is one of the European countries with a highly developed art of comics. Many Belgian artists and writers create their own world-known comic books whereas this type of stories is extremely loved by people of all ages. For that reason, you will meet many adults reading comic books in public places.
If you are a fan of this genre, or one of your friends or relatives is, you should definitely use a possibility of purchasing Belgian comic books while staying in Brussels. Even though there are three official languages in Belgium which are German, French and Dutch, visiting Brussels, you will be able to find comic books in all of these languages. Interestingly, you might notice that books written in different languages have their unique styles. Of course, a number of comic books has also been translated in English. Since comic books are such bestsellers in Belgium, you will be able to purchase comics for people of any age category.
There are so many comic shops around Brussels with an abundance of books that it might even be somewhat difficult to choose the best place for shopping. You can search for the most attractive place on your own, or visit Brüsel which is particularly appealing to the real comic geeks since it also publishes the books of local authors promoting their original works. In fact, the entire first floor of the shop is earmarked for the exclusive art works you will not be able to find anywhere else. Comic books about the most popular Belgian characters such as Lucky Luke, TinTin, Asterix or Le Chat can be found here as well.
Such comic shops as Brüsel also offer other souvenirs with the scenes of comics, for example saucers or mugs.
Art objects based on the works of René Magritte
If you love visual art and are especially interested in surrealism, visiting Magritte Gallery is an absolute must for you!
First, pay a visit to the René Magritte Museum which was established by the Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium in one of its buildings in 2009. Today, the permanent exhibition of René Magritte includes more than 200 works created by this master of surrealism. In fact, this is the largest collection of the artist you can find in the world.
If you are not well-acquainted with the art works of René Magritte, pay your attention to the one of his most influential works which is L’Empire des Lumières (can be translated as ‘empire of lights’ or ‘dominion of lights’). A peculiar fact about this art work is that René Magritte created at least seventeen versions of this picture which are spread around the world located in foreign museums including the New York’s MoMA. Furthermore, according to some art critics, exactly this picture inspired the creators of The Exorcist movie poster which is itself iconic.
If you want to bring the eerie unreal atmosphere of the works of René Magritte into your own home, you can easily purchase on of the reproductions of his pictures made in the highest quality and for a moderate price. For example, the prints of L’Empire des Lumières are available for 200 euros is Magritte Gallery we have mentioned at the beginning of this part.
Magritte Gallery is located under the following address: 76-78, Coudenberg, 1000 Bruxelles. Pay your attention to the fact that gallery is closed on Mondays.
Objects of interior decoration
While being in Brussels, it is a very good idea to purchase object for interior decoration if you need ones. An especially attractive place for people who would like to have something unique at their houses is MGX by Materialise located under the following address: 31, Rue Joseph Stevens, 1000 Bruxelles.
What is so notable about this shop with items of interior design is that the company which had previously specialised in automotive and medical industries is that it is using modern 3D-printing technologies for reproducing objects of amazing design.
At the moment, you will find a remarkable collection of absolutely exclusive items in the shop, such as LILY.MGX designed by Janne Kyttanen. This is a table lamp in the shape of a flower which can expand its leaves adjusting their size to the changes of the light strength, Furthermore, you can use your own design for printing unique objects with the help of the equipment and specialists of the rapid prototyping techniques at MGX.