BE RBER MUSEUM Jardin Majorelle Marrakech 1/31 SUMMARY I. OVERVIEW 4 II. BERBER MUSEUM 5 1. AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BERBER PEOPLE 7 2. SAVOIR-FAIRE 11 3. JEWELLERY 14 4. FINERY 16 III. SYMPOSIUMS AND EXHIBITIONS 19 IV. USEFUL INFORMATION 21 V. THE JARDIN MAJORELLE 22 VI. THE FONDATION JARDIN MAJORELLE 25 VII. THE FONDATION PIERRE BERGÉ – YVES SAINT LAURENT 28 2/31 PRESS KIT Under the High Patronage of His Majesty Mohammed VI, King of Morocco, the Berber Museum at the Jardin Majorelle was o!cially inaugurated in Marrakech on December 3, 2011 by Mr. Pierre Bergé, President of the Fondation Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent, in the presence of Mr. Bensalem Himmich, Minister of Culture of the Kingdom of Morocco, Mr. Frédéric Mitterand, Minister of Culture and Communication of the French Republic, and His Excellency Mr. Bruno Joubert, Ambassador of France to Morocco. The Berber Museum at the Jardin Majorelle Berber Museum Jardin Majorelle rue Yves Saint Laurent Open every day of the year 40090 Marrakech, Morocco October 1 – April 30: 8am to 5.30pm Tel. +212 (0)5 24 31 30 47 May 1 – September 30: 8am to 6pm www.jardinmajorelle.com During the month of Ramadan: 9am to 5pm 3/31 I. OVERVIEW The Berber Museum, inaugurated in 2011, is housed in the former painting studio of the artist Jacques Majorelle. It presents a panorama of the extraordinary creativity of the Imazighen (Berber) people, the oldest of North Africa. More than 600 objects from the Rif Mountains to the Sahara, collected by Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent, attest to the richness and diversity of this vibrant culture, still very much alive today. The collection is displayed in four distinct spaces, each devoted to a particular theme: The "rst presents the history and geography of the Berber people – or Imazighen (Amazigh, sing.) – of Morocco, as well as a map showing the most signi"cant tribal regions. A comprehensive audiovisual documentation accompanies visitors throughout their tour of the museum. The public is then invited to discover the tangible and intangible savoir-faire that turns various base materials into mundane or ceremonial objects and utensils. The diversity of handmade cra#s is "nely expressed in woodwork, leatherwork, pottery, and basketry. Ornaments, in turn, hold an important place in the museum. Cra#ed by outstanding, o#en nomadic jewellers, they are an expression of tribal identity and the social status of the women who wear them; a form of disposable savings, well suited to the economic uncertainties of a rural society. The necklaces are designed by women who, in the style of their particular regions, combine amber, coral, and amazonite with silver elements – a profusion of materials and symbolic forms – imbued with medicinal virtues. Berber groups throughout Morocco, whether sedentary or nomadic, show a very de"nite taste for !nery. Clothing, jewellery, and accessories re$ect their identity and form their ‘festive apparel’, the variety of which is displayed during large social gatherings. The museum’s fourth and last exhibition space is thus entirely dedicated to costumes, as well as weapons, weavings, carpets, embellished residential doors, and musical instruments. Every year, the Berber Museum organizes a symposium which explores contemporary issues related to Berber identity and heritage. Their proceedings, published as the Cahiers du Musée Berbère, are widely disseminated to museums and international institutions. The programming of travelling exhibitions and the mobility of the museum’s collection are also part of this dynamic process, resulting in the exhibition, Berber Women of Morocco, presented in 2014 at the Fondation Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent in Paris. In 2015, it will travel to the National Museum of Bahrain in Manama, and the Bibliothèque Nationale du Royaume du Maroc in Rabat. 4/31 II. THE BERBER MUSEUM SURFACE AREA: 200m², 600 objects on view COLLECTION : 1,400 objects ARCHITECTURE AND SCENOGRAPHY: Christophe Martin MUSEOLOGY: Björn Dahlström SCIENTIFIC TEAM: Salima Naji - Architect and Doctor of Anthropology, Rabat Romain Simenel - Ethnologist, researcher at the Institut de recherche et développement, Rabat Ahmed Skounti - Anthropologist at the Institut national des sciences de l’archéologie et du patrimoine, Rabat LIGHTING - Sébastien Debant SOUND - Cyril Métreau COSTUMES - Nadège Gaubour, Sarah Pinson, Valérie Simonneau GRAPHIC DESIGN - Anthea Pender BERBER MUSEUM SCIENTIFIC STEERING COMMITTEE: Pierre Bergé - President of the Fondation Jardin Majorelle Madison Cox - Vice-President of the Fondation Jardin Majorelle Björn Dahlström - Curator of the Berber Museum, Jardin Majorelle El Mehdi Iâzzi - Professor at the Université Ibn Zohr, Agadir Driss Khrouz - Director of the Bibliothèque Nationale du Royaume du Maroc, Rabat Salima Naji - Architect and Doctor of Anthropology, Rabat Ahmed Skounti - Anthropologist at the Institut national des sciences de l’archéologie et du patrimoine, Rabat 115,000 people visited the Berber Museum in 2013, of which 17% were Moroccan citizens. The museum expects 150,000 visitors in 2014. 5/31 THE BERBER MUSEUM Since my arrival in Marrakech in 1966, I have remained fascinated by Berber art and culture. Over the years, I have collected and admired this art which extends over many countries at the same time. The Berbers have always been rightly proud of their culture, and have not ceased to reclaim their identity in spite of the vicissitudes they have faced. In Marrakech, in Berber country, in the Jardin Majorelle created by an artist who painted so many scenes of Berber men and women, the idea of this museum occurred to us quite naturally. It is with great pride and pleasure that we open the museum to the public, so that they share our enthusiasm and accompany us in the footsteps of a culture very much alive today. Pierre Bergé Jacques Majorelle, Berber Woman, Marrakech, 1921. 6/31 1. AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BERBER PEOPLE The Imazighen (singular Amazigh) or Berbers, are among the original peoples of North Africa. Their myths, legends and history span 9,000 years, and can be traced to the Proto-Mediterraneans. They have achieved unity by maintaining their unique language and culture which are, like their land, both African and Mediterranean. The Berbers of Morocco share this duality, re$ecting the diversity of their nature and stormy history. %rough close contact with other peoples of the Mediterranean, they created kingdoms as well as vast territories organised into powerful, democratic, warmongering, tribal communities. Both aspects of this sociopolitical organisation have le# a mark on recent historical events and the country’s history spanning two millennia. As opposed to the pagan Mediterranean kingdoms of antiquity, Berber empires developed inland and were Muslim. Judaism continued to be practiced, and the Sunni Islam majority gradually took on a Berber hue with its brotherhoods, zaouias, marabouts and rituals. Imilchil region, High Atlas 7/31 The roots of Berber culture reach deep into Morocco’s protohistory. They are illustrated by a strong link with the land, a sense of community, hospitality, sharing food and a speci"c relationship with spirituality. Its openness to many in$uences, whether Mediterranean, African, Oriental, European, or International have helped de"ne its current characteristics. The Berber language, an Afro-Asian idiom, is a historical and cultural melting pot of the country. It has outlived most languages of antiquity such as Ancient Greek, Latin, Phoenician and Egyptian. It used to be written but is now mainly oral. Although there are fewer now that can speak it, the language is nevertheless still used by a substantial number of Moroccans. A true symbol of identity, the language crystallizes political demands and unleashes passions. The recent recognition of the country’s Berberity would seem to signify a will to preserve the language for future generations, including its ancient alphabet called Ti"nagh. Ahmed Skounti Anthropologist at the Institut national des sciences de l’archéologie et du patrimoine, Rabat. Berber women from the Souss region, (Besancenot, 1936-39) 8/31 M N E D A I T E R R A N E Ta•n gier S E Tetou•an A R Rhomara • THE KINGDOM OF MOROCCO I F Nador Ouez•zane Aït Beni Ouriaghel Sidel Oujda• • Beni Taounate Bou Ifrah Meknes • Tsoul R•abat Fes Zemm•our Aït Aït Ndhir Ouaraïn Cas•ablanca Aïn Leuh Aït Aït Sgougou• Sadden Aït S Zaïane Mguild A • L N Khenifra E T L A D N Beni Mellal D Aït I Seghrouchen • Aït M A Oumalou W E Marrakech E S T A F I L A L T A Aït Essaouira • L Aït Hadiddou • T Bou Guemmez Rissani C H A Aït • G Bou Oulli T O D R H A T I Glaoua Telouet Ihahane H Aït • D A D È S S S O Ouaouzguite •Ouarzazate A S I R O U A Taznakht E Agadir • Aït H • S D R A A Atta T C S O U S S A U Ida L Zenaga O MassaOu Zeddoute A T Ida Foum Zguid •Zagora S I • - Ou Nad•if •Tamgrout Tahala T I Ida T N Ou Kensous Ti•znit • A Tagm•out Tata B A N I Issaffène Ak•ka Ida Tafrao•ut • A R A N Ou Semlal A H Ammeln - S A Lakhsass E R L • P T Guelmim A Tan•-Tan Tekna K E Y : Laâyoune R I F : mountains • A T O D R H A : geographical and historical regions Aït Ouriaghel : tribe, confederation of tribes R Zagora : city, locality, or named place • A 0 50 100 150 200 km H A S Principal places of origin of the exhibited objects The map shows only the provenance in Morocco – either regions, • Dakhla places, or social groups – of the Berber Museum’s collection. The Berber domain covers a vast crescent which extends from the Mediterranean to the fringes of the desert, including the land towards the Sahara (beyond the Tekna), the Atlantic plains of Casablanca and Rabat, the Fes-Saiss basin, and the Tingitana (Tangier) Peninsula.