The Jardin Majorelle, oasis in the heart of Marrakech

2021/06/25

The Jardin Majorelle, oasis in the heart of Marrakech

The Jardin Majorelle, which extends over 9,000 m², is one of the most enchanting and mysterious gardens in Morocco. Created over the course of forty years, it is enclosed by outer walls, and consists of a labyrinth of crisscrossing alleyways on different levels and boldly-coloured buildings that blend both Art Deco and Moorish influences. The French painter Jacques Majorelle conceived of this large and luxuriant garden as a sanctuary and botanical ‘laboratory’. In 1922, he began planting it with exotic botanical specimens from the far corners of the world

In 1980, Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, who first arrived in Morocco in 1966, purchased the Jardin Majorelle to save it from destruction at the hands of hotel developers

“For many years, the Jardin Majorelle has provided me with an endless source of inspiration, and I have often dreamt of its unique colours.” Yves Saint Laurent

Source: The Jardin Majorelle

#Heritage #Escape #Nature #Culture #Historical #Museum #Fashion #Architecture #Africa #Fashion designer #Plants #Morocco #Yves saint laurent

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The painter cultivated the Majorelle Garden by 1929. The garden’s main feature is a fountain and pools of water lilies, next to the Moorish art deco style villa, created by the architect Paul Sinoir in 1931 whilst the artist worked in his atelier on the bottom floor. The villa’s blue color was inspired by the water of an Atlas, which is the nomenclature now given to the specific color. A unique and instantly recognizable color, for a rare and beautiful piece of architecture.

---- VOGUE/Paris

Majorelle Garden has given the world its own vibrant and distinctive color: Majorelle blue. The intense cobalt accents the buildings, fountains, and edges of the garden. Its French creator, Jacques Majorelle, was an illustrator and artist, but this elegant refuge he fashioned in the desert is his true masterpiece. Meticulously restored by its later owners, French designer Yves Saint Laurent and partner Pierre Bergé, it honors Moorish traditions in an intriguing tropical setting.

---- NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY

In Marrakech, a city backed by the arid Atlas Mountains, water is a sacred luxury. Every Moroccan village centers on a fountain for ablutions before Islamic prayer. Influenced by art nouveau, Majorelle painted many images of the local Berbers over his 40 years; he built his home in their traditional style. The high adobe tower flanking the garden evokes the character of the nearby casbahs, mountain fortresses that were home to fiercely independent Berbers who call themselves Amazigh, or free people.

---- National Geographic Society

The building that has become Instagram-famous (now housing the Musée Berbère) was Majorelle’s studio and workshop. The main house, where Majorelle and then Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Bergé lived, was renamed Villa Oasis by YSL. It remained a private residence until Bergé’s death in 2017.

---- lonelyplanet

The Jardin Majorelle, oasis in the heart of Marrakech

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