Jacques Majorelle

Jacques Majorelle (born March 7, 1886 in Nancy , † October 14, 1962 in Paris ) was a French painter of the 20th century, whose work is mostly attributed to Orientalism .

biography

Jacques Majorelle was the son of the cabinet maker Louis Majorelle (1859–1926). At the age of 15 he enrolled at the École des Beaux Arts de Nancy , but in 1903 he moved to Paris , where he was a member of the Académie Julian . Travels took him to Spain, Italy and Egypt (1910), where his passion for light, colors, shapes and subjects of the Islamic world was awakened. In 1917 he traveled to Morocco , which had been a French protectorate since 1912 , and settled in Marrakech , where he married his companion Andrée Longueville two years later. He was particularly fascinated by the villages and kasbahs in the area north of Ouarzazate , which was still a village at the time - the place Anemiter in the Ounila valley was captured several times on canvas and paper. He had his first exhibitions in Marrakech and painted the ceiling of the Hotel Mamounia , which opened in 1925 .

With his income and the inheritance of his father, who died in 1926, he built a villa for himself outside the walled medina of Marrakech, where he also set up a studio and began to create a garden, which he opened to the public in 1947. In 1955, one foot had to be amputated as a result of an accident; he divorced a year later, but married a second time in 1961 at the age of 75. A year later he returned to Paris for treatment for a broken thigh, where he died on October 14, 1962. He was buried next to his father's grave in Nancy.

plant

Most of his paintings and gouaches, which are mainly devoted to oriental themes, are in private hands; a part can also be seen in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nancy and in the Musée de l'École de Nancy . His pictures have largely been forgotten, but for Morocco lovers they are a treasure trove of colors, impressions and memories.

Majorelle Garden

For Morocco travelers, a visit to the Majorelle Gardens ( Jardin Majorelle ) in Marrakech is usually on the program, some of which he laid out himself. In 1980 the villa, which had been vacant for years, together with the studio and the overgrown garden, was acquired and restored by the French fashion designer Yves Saint-Laurent and his partner Pierre Bergé . A foundation was established as early as 1997, which is supposed to dedicate itself permanently to the maintenance of the facility. After Yves Saint-Laurent's death in 2008, the site, which also houses a museum for Islamic art, was opened to the public for an entrance fee.

Web links

Commons : Majorelle Gardens - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

personal data
SURNAME	Majorelle, Jacques
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	French painter
DATE OF BIRTH	March 7, 1886
PLACE OF BIRTH	Nancy
DATE OF DEATH	October 14, 1962
Place of death	Paris