Born in Brussels, Belgium on 7 June 1922, Rene Van Den Neste exhibited artistic talent from a very young age. When his school teachers encouraged his natural talents, Van Den Neste began to explore different art media, including publicity, decorative, and landscape painting and sculpture. In addition to exploring these things by himself, Van Den Neste attended workshops led by several painters. Among these was Magritte, whom he met in 1948. It was not long before Van Den Neste was a fixture in Magritte’s circle of surrealist painters and writers; he became particularly close with Paul Delvaux.

Van Den Neste painted throughout his life, in addition to exploring the art of tapestry. He also taught art, ending his professional career as the Director of the Molenbeck Academy of Drawing and Decorative Arts in Brussels. His art can be found in private and public collections around the world.