Welcome to Art Stories, the art merchandise department of Standaard Publishing (Standaard Uitgeverij).

We are the largest Dutch-language publishing house in Belgium, with an extensive catalogue spanning fiction and non-fiction books; literature for children, young adults, and adults; and a wide range of Dutch-language and translated comic books.

But we also have a secret weapon that allows us to expand far beyond just the realm of books: Art Stories. This department is dedicated to the creation and sale of art merchandise, based mostly on the work of René Magritte, Belgium’s greatest (Surrealist) painter of the 20th century. Of course, via Sabam and ADAGP we closely collaborate with the Magritte Foundation on the design, curation, sale, and distribution of our products.

This means that we have excellent contacts around the globe. If there is a Magritte exhibition or a museum that has some of his work in its collection, you are sure to find at least some of our products in their gift shop! From Los Angeles and New York to Brussels, Venice, and Osaka.

Licensing facilitators

Finally, we are what we would like to call ‘licensing facilitators’. If your (Belgian) brand is looking for a collaboration that is absolutely, definitely going to highlight who you are and what you do in a creative, artistic, intriguing way with a dash of the surreal, we are here for you.

We can help you set up the perfect collaboration with Magritte’s heir, suited to your needs.

But don’t take our word for it. Ask some of our satisfied (inter)national partners such as Jules Destrooper, Neuhaus, MuseARTa, Zara, Panenka, or Parastone.  

René Magritte (1898–1967) was a Belgian surrealist painter known for his thought-provoking and enigmatic works that challenge perception and reality. Born in Lessines, Belgium, he studied at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels before developing his signature style, characterized by crisp realism and paradoxical imagery.

Magritte’s art often featured ordinary objects in unexpected contexts, as seen in The Treachery of Images (1929), with its famous phrase, “Ceci n’est pas une pipe” (“This is not a pipe”), and The Son of Man (1964), depicting a suited man with his face obscured by a floating apple. His work explored themes of identity, illusion, and the subconscious, influencing movements from pop art to conceptual art.

Despite his surrealist leanings, Magritte led a relatively conventional life in Brussels with his wife, Georgette Berger. His legacy endures as one of the most recognizable and intellectually stimulating figures in 20th-century art.