Two museums entirely dedicated to French designer Yves Saint Laurent’s (1936-2008) work and life to open on 3 October in Paris and 16 October in Marrakech.
A UNIQUE HERITAGE
Fondation Pierre Bergé - Yves Saint Laurent ensures, first and foremost, the conservation of the designer’s 40 years of creativity (1962-2002). Its collection comprises five thousand haute couture garments and fifteen thousand accessories, as well as thousands of sketches, collection boards, photographs, and objects. To this day, this collection has no equivalent in the international haute couture milieu. A real pioneer, Yves Saint Laurent is the only designer of his generation who decided to systematically archive his work since the creation of his couture house in 1961. From original sketches to prototypes, warehouse records to retailing books, the collection is unique in scope, scale and range. Heritage conservator Aurélie Samuel has just been named Director of Collections and joined the Foundation at the beginning of 2017.
MUSÉE YVES SAINT LAURENT PARIS
The Parisian museum will be hosted in the historical couture house, 5 avenue Marceau, where Yves Saint Laurent designed and created his work for almost 30 years, from 1974 to 2002; and home to the Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent since 2004. The public will explore the richness of this heritage through a constantly updated display of the collection. By walking through the former haute couture salons and Yves Saint Laurent’s studio, visitors will experience the essence of the creation process within the haute couture house.
Stage designer Nathalie Crinière and interior designer Jacques Grange, who both collaborated on numerous past projects, will rethink the exhibition space, an area to be doubled in size and refurbished in the style of the designer’s original couture house.
MUSÉE YVES SAINT LAURENT MARRAKECH
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 Foundation.
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 has 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 staged by Christophe Martin, a space for temporary exhibitions, an auditorium, a research library and a café and restaurant.
