An Haute Couture Museum
…. Just 15 days after the opening of the Parisian museum, located in its former fashion house at 5 avenue Marceau, the yves saint laurent marrakech museum myslm dedicated to Yves St Laurent in Marrakech opened its doors on October 19,2017, just two steps away from the famous Jardin Majorelle Botanical Garden, on Yves St Laurent Street.
Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech Museum mYSLm | That is its name!
Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech YSL myslm
An oasis of greenery saved by the purchase of Yves St Laurent and his companion Pierre Berge in 1980, Jardin Majorelle became a foundation in 2010. Looking for a place to create a museum to the glory of his friend, Pierre Berge bought a contiguous residential plot of land of 2,630m² to transform it after 17 months of work into a sumptuous museum with a total surface area of 3,908m², including 3,086 m² of useful space.
Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech YSL myslm
The museum hopes to attract 300,000 visitors the first year, Le Jardin Majorelle, already welcomes about 800,000 visitors a year, one of the most visited sites in Marrakech after the monuments of the Medina.
The Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech Museum myslm was designed by Pierre Berge and his architects (Studio KO Marrakech Paris) to receive temporary exhibitions (with a vast and enriched program), to host colloquia, film screenings, concerts and even to listen to musical and theatrical works in its 130-seat auditorium, to welcome local and visiting public in its library and bookstore of 5000
Covering an area of almost 4,000 m², the museum also houses a permanent exhibition area of 400 m², largely made up of the Pierre Berge-Yves St Laurent Paris Foundation’s collection: approximately 5,000 garments, 15 000 haute couture accessories, thousands of drawings and sketches by YSL as well as photographs of the two protagonists.
In the basement, technical premises of an unparalleled prowess in Morocco with regard to a constant and stable air-conditioning to preserve the reserves of works of art of the fund YSL, should be noted that it is unique in the international world of Haute Couture.
Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech YSL myslm Plan | Riad Al Ksar & Spa
A building with classic modernity and very high fashion
From the front of the museum, you enter the world of YSL. Made as a draped garment with curves and straight lines, frank cuts as in its creations, the building presents itself as an assemblage of materials reminiscent of the “weave of a fabric”: lace of red earth bricks from Morocco with strong contrasting calepinages, terracotta coating and granito.
Two quotations appear on the frontispiece of the museum. The first one, signed by Yves Saint Laurent: «Although used to the light and colors of North Africa, it was later, when I discovered Morocco, that I understood that my own chromatism was that of zelliges, zouacs, djellabas and caftans. The audacious, which have been my own since then, I owe them to this country, to the violence of the agreements, to the insolence of the mixtures, to the ardor of inventions. This culture has become mine, but I didn’t just import it, I annexed it, transformed it, adapted it. »The second one by Pierre Berge«When Yves Saint Laurent discovered Marrakech in 1966, it was such a shock that he immediately decided to buy a house and return regularly. Fifty years later, it is therefore perfectly natural to build a museum dedicated to his work that owes so much to this country. »
Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech YSL myslm Patio Fontaine
The entrance, patio and large hall – a disturbing immersion
Once inside the museum, the interior of a garment is seen by the visitor – everything is smooth, velvety and luminous.
From the large sliding glass door, the patio looks like a large circular courtyard, which houses the famous YSL logo embedded on a square of pink bush-hammered rough concrete, welcomes you. Followed by the large hall giving access to the different parts of the museum (permanent and temporary exhibition room, auditorium, foyer, bookstore, etc.), it overlooks a small glazed patio with uniformly covered walls of turquoise zellige containing a minimalist fountain, where vines from the sky cascade down. A quiet, zen and relaxing atmosphere conducive to serenity thanks to the view and the refreshing sound of a seguia running along the entire hall.
Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech YSL myslm Logo
The permanent Showroom – a black velvet case
To the right in the hall, the famous permanent showroom of 400 m2 on Yves Saint LaurentMarrakech Museum myslm, black from floor to ceiling. A black case with sharp lights presenting us the most beautiful pieces of the couturier in the form of chicane and sequential life course.
From the very beginning, Mondrian’s 1965 cult dress of 1965 presents itself to us in a dramatic and frontal way, as a work of art. As the room progresses, the enchanted world of YSL offers itself to us through its 50 most beautiful emblematic pieces: the “Masculine-Feminine” (including the legendary tuxedo for women),”Le Noir”,”Africa and Morocco ” (with the sublime “cape Bougainvilliers“, or the famous dress with tapered and pointed breasts),”les Voyages”.
Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech YSL myslm Robe Mondrian
At the end of the journey, large display cases show a wide range of haute couture accessories and a huge portrait photo of YSL. Sketches, photos, text pieces and sentences from the designer are also projected directly onto the walls in a loop.
Christophe Martin’s scenography pushes the vice to broadcast YSL’s sound/voice extracts from YSL, Pierre Bergé, Catherine Deneuve and music – all for a total immersion of the visitor in the world of YSL.
The temporary exhibition room – Morocco’s cultural showcase
To the right of the permanent room, this 120m2 room is dedicated to culture. Wanted by Pierre Berge to be a cultural showcase, this room can become the host of all forms of exhibition, as well as art, fashion, botany, anthropology.
The current program is dedicated to Jacques Majorelle’s orientalist paintings (French orientalist painter 1886-1962) until February 4,18. Soon will succeed models of the young Moroccan creator Noureddine Amir from 23 February to 2 April 18, then sculptures of Simone Fatal.
Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech YSL myslm Peinture Jacques Majorelle
The Theater Lobby, the world of showbusiness
On 40 m2, the Theater Lobby of the museum sheds light on the designer’s work with cinema, theatre, ballets and even music-hall. YSL’s sketches, drawings and photographs relate his influence and passion for the world of the stage, where he has created costumes throughout his career. Among others, YSL collaboration with Roland Petit, Claude Régy, Jean-Louis Barrault, Luis Buñuel and François Truffaut for the cinema section. Costume creations for theatre, music-hall and film stars such as Jean Marais, Zizi Jeanmaire, Arletty, Jeanne Moreau, Isabelle Adjani, Catherine Deneuve, etc.
Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech YSL myslm Dessin d’YSL Zizi Jeanmaire
The Gallery
To the left of the central hall and before entering Studio Café, the 25 m2 Gallery will be dedicated each year to a photographer who has been in contact with Yves Saint Laurent’s world.
For the inaugural exhibition “Thirty Years of the Fashion House … in Marrakech” presents the work of the German photographer André Rau, published in 1992 in the magazine ELLE (France).
A wall of about ten photographs of Catherine Deneuve this time with the creations of YSL in various mythical and adorned places of the Medina of Marrakech by the couturier in the 90’s (on the place Jamaa el Fna, in the Souks, at the Palmeraie and in the villa Oasis).
Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech YSL myslm Galerie Photo
Bookshop
Located at the exit of the permanent showroom, the public is not always less immersed in Yves Saint Laurent’s decorative universe, as the bookshop takes over all the color codes of the first YSL Paris Rive Gauche boutique and subtly reminds us of a tribute to Opium perfume in terms of bottle design.
In the bookshop of the Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech Museum myslm, visitors will be able to buy books on the lives of Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Berge, fashion art, about Berber art, Morocco, Cinema…. as well as LOVE posters and postcards, «Loulou de la Falaise” jewellery (creator of jewelry for the YSL house), films and books dearly loved by the couturier (the masterpieces of Luchino Visconti, Marcel Proust’s Search for lost time,) all evoking the ideal “cinematheque” and “library” of the couturier.
Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech YSL myslm Librairie Boutique
The Research Library
On the first floor of the Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech Museum myslm, the library offers access to a collection of more than 6000 works dating from the 17th to 20th centuries on the subject:
- Morocco: its history, culture, traditional arts and literature
- the couturier being fond of Berbers, the collection contains a large part of work on Amazigh
- The fields of architecture, art, fashion, landscape design, botany and even works of universal literature.
Professors, researchers, students and readers should make an appointment on the myslm website and pre-order online the books they wish to consult on site.
Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech YSL myslm Bibliotheque d’étude
The Pierre Berge Auditorium
Also on the first floor, this multi-purpose space of 150 seats, the auditorium Pierre Berge rivals technological prowess due to its architectural design, the materials used and also due to its acoustic and diffusion qualities (in 4k) for films, classical music concertos, recitals, theatre performances, retransmissions of classical ballets, conferences, colloquia…
Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech YSL myslm Auditorium
A varied program is offered throughout the year (available online on the website)
Café bar The studio –the calm after the emotion
Located behind the Gallery, the café opens onto the outside of the museum with its terrace, its large rectangular water feature, revealing a green-water zellige and its luxuriant plantations, ideal for calm and contemplation.
The name Studio is borrowed from YSL’s Paris studio workspace, the true studio of the creator, with a peaceful and familiar atmosphere. All the materials used meet this choice of duplicating the designer’s Studioworkspace universe: light wood, wicker furniture, saffron yellow furniture, white marble.
A large panoramic drawing of Yves Saint Laurent’s studio by Ulrich Gassmann shows the authenticity of the place
With a capacity of up to 75 seats, Le Studio offers a menu of traditional Moroccan and French dishes revisited by the famous Cafe16 in Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech Museum myslm
Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech YSL myslm Café Restaurant le Studio
To note
After the Jardin Majorelle in 1980 and the opening of the Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech Museum myslm in 2017, the Pierre Berge-Yves Saint Laurent Foundation hopes to open to the public the Villa Oasis, the famous villa and private residence of the couturier in Marrakech and his mentor, a small oasis of peace where Saint Laurent abandoned himself to create and sketch out his collections.
Practical information Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech Museum myslm
OPEN EVERY DAY FROM 10 AM TO 6 PM
EXCEPT WEDNESDAY
LAST ADMISSION AT 5:30 P. M.
PUBLIC RATE: 100 DH
MOROCCAN CITIZENS AND RESIDENTS FOREIGNERS IN MOROCCO: 60 DH
CONTACTEZ-NOUS
INFO@MUSEEYSLMARRAKECH.COM / museeyslmarrakech.com T. +212 (0)524 29 86 86 86
RUE YVES SAINT LAURENT, 40000 MARRAKECH
