More than a retrospective, any exhibition in the Musee Yves Saint Laurent in Marrakech is a journey of inspiration and beauty.
Morocco is a veritable banquet of colour, beauty, history, traditions and exceptional hospitality. Its major cities offer up a way of life in the medinas and souks that reflect the mediaeval past in all its vibrant glory.
Marrakech is one such ‘Red City’ that has been witness to ancient empires plying their trade via Timbuktu, bringing spices, fabrics, craft, leather goods, animals and food for centuries.
But not all in Marrakech is ancient. A few years ago, the amazing Musee Yves Saint Laurent opened and visitors and locals alike have thronged to view the beauty of the French designer’s work. Exhibitions change regularly – fashion, art and specialised photography are drawcards for travellers.
Set in spectacular Jardin Majorelle, with its abundance of giant bamboo, yucca, palm, cypress and banana tree, bougainvillea and otherworldly cacti, the garden is intimate and inviting. These earthy, natural colours contrast vividly with the cobalt blue façade (called Marjorelle Blue) of the villa lovingly restored by Yves Saint Laurent.
The French fashion legend said he ‘found colour’ in Morocco and made Marrakech his second home which he shared with his partner Pierre Berge. The Musee Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech is a joy, a revelation and to see the exhibits is an emotional experience. The museum is dedicated to the couturier and his work. The building is made from local bricks and the architecture is boldly formed like the fabric of a dress with the curve of a draped cloak. There’s a rotating cast of 5000 fashion items of clothes, and 50,000 pieces of accessories on display to be absorbed.
Yves Saint Laurent presented an entire garden to Marrakesh, the city that adopted him in 1966. Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé bought the electric-blue villa and its garden to preserve the vision of its original owner, French landscape painter Jacques Majorelle, and to keep it open to the public. The garden began cultivating in 1924, and thanks to Marrakshi ethno botanist Abderrazak Benchaâbane, the psychedelic desert mirage of 300 plant species from five continents continues to be preserved.
After a visit to the fashion museum, a gentle stroll through the gardens, visit Majorelle’s art deco studio, home to the Musée Berbère, which showcases the rich panorama of Morocco’s indigenous inhabitants through displays of some 600 artefacts.
This is a stunning experience, a most beautifully curated museum; the collection includes wood, leather and metalwork, textiles, musical instruments, religious trappings, and a display of the various regional traditional dress. Best of all is the mirrored, midnight-black octagonal chamber displaying a sumptuous collection of jewellery.
From the museum you exit into the boutique with its handsome coffee-table books and pricey souvenirs: Majorelle blue slippers, perfume and pillows embroidered with YSL.
You can’t leave without a little something – in blue of course.
Vsiti the website to see what’s happening in the galleries here:
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