Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Bassins
and
fountains
The garden has a fountain
and two large
bassins
or
pools
(left),
the smaller fed
by a sloping channel. Next
to the museum, a third pool
is filled with golden carp.
^
Islamic Art
Museum
The painter's former
studio now houses a
small but well-presented
collection that includes
Berber jewellery, fine
embroidery and carved
wooden items.
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Boutique
In the northeast corner, a small boutique sells an
interesting array of quality local handicrafts including
clothing, jewellery and miscellaneous leather
products such as bags, sandals and beautifully bound
notebooks. However, there is a notable paucity of
information concerning Majorelle and his garden.
&
Doors and ceilings
Arguably the highlight
of the museum is its
collection of wooden
doors and ceilings
(below)
, all beautifully
carved. Some of the
ceiling panels are painted
but most impressive are
the huge double doors
dating from the 17th to
the 19th centuries.
Yves Saint-
Laurent
French designer Yves
Saint-Laurent first visited
the city in 1962. By the
end of the 1960s, he'd
bought his first house
here. Later, he moved
into a villa next to
Majorelle Gardens, which
he purchased and saved
from being destroyed to
make way for an
apartment complex. After
his death a small
memorial stone was
placed in the gardens,
which now belong to a
trust to ensure their
continued upkeep.
*
Majorelle's
paintings
The museum's first room
has a series of litho-
graphs depicting various
Atlas kasbahs. Some
of Majorelle's most
acclaimed works were
the tourism posters that
he created for Morocco.
(
Majorelle blue
)
Petrol station
The name Majorelle
lives on in an electrifying
shade of cobalt blue
inspired by the Berber
homes of southern
Morocco. His former
studio is strikingly
painted in this colour.
At the corner of
Boulevard de Safi, this
petrol station was desi-
gned by Jean-François
Zevaco and is possibly
the city's most striking
modernist building.
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