THE EARTHLY ELEGANT YVES SAINT LAURENT MUSEUM IN MARRAKECH TO OPEN IN AUTUMN 2017

Two museums entirely dedicated to French designer Yves Saint Laurent’s work and life are to open in Paris and Marrakech in autumn 2017.

 

The opening in Paris will coincide with one in Marrakech, a city Yves Saint Laurent discovered in 1966 and then visited regularly. Since Morocco remained essential to his inspiration and work, it feels natural to build a museum there to host the collection of the Fondation. It will be located on Rue Yves Saint Laurent near Jardin Majorelle, a garden he and Pierre Bergé saved from development in 1980 and that has now become, with its museum dedicated to Berber culture, a major cultural site in Marrakech with almost 700,000 visitors every year. 

 

French architectural practice Studio KO, who have designed numerous building projects in Morocco, Europe and the US, will lead the conception of this project. Spanning over 4,000 square meters, this building will be more than a simple museum: it will comprise a permanent display of Yves Saint Laurent’s work (5,000 items of clothing, 15,000 haute couture accessories as well as tens of thousands of sketches and assorted objects, all currently archived in paris) staged by Christophe Martin, a space for temporary exhibitions, an auditorium, a research library and a café & restaurant.  

 

Pierre Bergé, President of Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent, says about the project: 

 

These two museums not only intend to attract fashion and art lovers, but also aim to appeal to a large audience interested in discovering Yves Saint Laurent’s work, the oeuvre of a major artist of the twentieth century.