Opening of Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech

The Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech (mYSLm) will open on October 19.

The museum, dedicated to the work of the great couturier (located a short distance from the renowned Majorelle Garden) includes a main Yves Saint Laurent exhibition hall, a hall for temporary exhibitions and the 150-seat Pierre Bergé Auditorium in homage to the couturier’s companion and business partner.

The 4,000 m2 building features a 400 m2 permanent exhibition space, designed by Christophe Martin, showcasing the fashion work of Yves Saint Laurent. It also includes spaces such as the theatre lobby and a photography gallery for thematic exhibitions, a research library, a bookshop and a terrace café. Across these venues and facilities, the aim of the museum is not only to present the creative world of Yves Saint Laurent and his close bond with Morocco, but also to offer an ambitious and dynamic cultural program throughout the year, including recitals, conferences and colloquiums.

One of the main challenges of the museum has been the conservation of delicate couture garments and accessories designed by Yves Saint Laurent and belonging to the Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent Foundation in Paris. It was therefore essential that the architects who designed the building, Karl Fournier and Olivier Marty (Studio KO), create a large, underground space (700 m2) devoted almost exclusively to preventive and restorative conservation.

In the main YSL exhibition hall, 50 pieces are displayed around themes dear to the couturier: Masculine/Feminine, Black, A Vision of Africa, Imaginary Voyages, the Extraordinary Gardens, an Invitation to the Ball, Art, and A Curiosity Cabinet. The exhibition design offers an original interpretation of the couturier’s work using garments that, until now, have rarely been seen by the public. The garments are seen alongside immersive audiovisual elements—sketches, photographs, runway shows, films, voices and music—that, by establishing a sort of dialogue with the displayed items, reveal the couturier’s creative process and invite us into his world.

The temporary exhibitions hall is a space where diverse exhibitions related to fashion, art, contemporary art and design, anthropology and botany will be mounted. The inaugural exhibition is titled Jacques Majorelle’s Morocco, (October 19, 2017–February 4, 2018) and reveals the artist’s lifelong passion for Morocco, his fascination for the beautiful and authentic medina of Marrakech, the surrounding rural areas, and the country’s medieval kasbahs. The exhibition has been curated by a world authority on Majorelle, Félix Marcilhac.

The second exhibition, Noureddine Amir’s sculpted dresses, will feature the work of the Moroccan couturier, Noureddine Amir (February 23, 2018–April 22, 2018).

The third exhibition, Garden of Memory, curated by Mouna Mekouar, will focus on the work of Etel Adnan, Simone Fattal and Robert Wilson (May 12, 2018–September 2, 2018).