Jacques Majorelle, the Painter-Gardener
Majorelle Garden was born in 1922 when the Orientalist painter Jacques Majorelle (1886–1962) began developing a botanical garden around his studio, on a plot on the outskirts of Guéliz. Son of the famous Art Nouveau cabinetmaker Louis Majorelle, he chose Marrakech for its light and colors in 1919 and never left.
Majorelle Blue
In 1937, Jacques Majorelle developed an intense cobalt blue shade which he registered under the name "Majorelle Blue." This electric pigment, applied to the walls of his villa and the planters, became Marrakech's signature color worldwide — echoed in crafts, decor and even the jerseys of Morocco's national football team.
Yves Saint Laurent Saves the Garden (1980)
After Majorelle's death (1962), the garden fell into neglect. In 1980, Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé bought the garden — just as a developer was about to raze it for a hotel. They fully restored it and moved into the villa, renamed Villa Oasis. The Berber Museum would not open to the public until December 3, 2011, in Jacques Majorelle's former studio.
When YSL died in 2008, his ashes were scattered in the rose garden of Villa Oasis, his private residence adjoining the garden. A commemorative stele — a Roman column brought from Tangier — honors him at the heart of Majorelle Garden, which he described as "so beautiful and so moving."
The Garden Today
1.2 hectares, over 300 plant species from five continents: giant bamboo, monumental cacti, water lilies, palm trees. The Berber Museum and the adjacent YSL Museum form an unmissable cultural hub in Guéliz, attracting several hundred thousand visitors each year.
