After 35 years, the painting in the Antwerp attic proves to be a true Magritte: “Mocked, but always believed”

The former mayor of Rijkevorsel, Gust Van de Mierop, found a painting in the attic of a building in Antwerp 35 years ago. He immediately understood that it was a painting by René Magritte, but many doubted it. “I had several buildings in Antwerp, apartments and studios for students, and that building hadn’t been rented yet,” says Van de Mierop. “I was cleaning with my kids and when we were about to move a closet, a painting that was hanging on a hook in the closet fell over.”