Jacques MAJORELLE – Morocco, its painting and its marvelous garden.

Jacques MAJORELLE (1886.1962)

Signed autograph letter.

Two quarto pages on paper bearing his letterhead.

« Jacques Majorelle. Painter. Marrakech – Guéliz.

Marrakesh. 1 ^, 1959.

"I am terribly disturbed, having become, through my garden and my painting, one of the curiosities of Marrakech."

A magnificent letter from the Orientalist painter concerning Morocco, his painting, and his sublime garden in Marrakech. Jacques Majorelle expresses a very somber view of the economic and social situation in Morocco, which had gained its independence three years earlier. Confessing that he had become "one of the curiosities of Marrakech" thanks to his painting and his garden, he inquires about new plantings for the latter.

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"My dear Maurice, It appears from your last two letters that you are experiencing some difficulties settling in. I won't hide from you that I had anticipated this. Bertrand and I discussed the possibilities of finding you something here, and he, like me, given the worsening situation, agreed that it would be like starting over with half the chance of success, something you had to abandon. I therefore think it would be a mistake to delude you about the possibility of returning to Morocco. This country is far from regaining order, wisdom, and especially the mindset that would allow for economic recovery."

The new leaders flounder with grand pronouncements and lofty speeches, hiding behind a veneer of patriotism a relentless struggle for their own interests. Morocco has been drained of its substance, forcing us to relinquish our position. Those who remain must make do with the crumbs of what's left of the French legacy. It's a sorry spectacle.

My health is very precarious, with ups and downs. Since I no longer have a single canvas, it's essential that I resume work , but not at the pace I used to, and I'm terribly unwell, having become, through my garden and my painting, one of the curiosities of Marrakech. I have the distinct honor of having to give interviews. There are many journalists because of Churchill ^* and the Walters [the famous collector Domenica Walter].

I would like to increase the volume of my Carma plants, which are still flowering even in January. Do you know anyone who could supply me with rhizomes at a good price? Purple leaves , low-growing plants orange , pink or red flowers , no yellow. If the price is reasonable, I would need about a hundred rhizomes. Please reply to me on this matter. Maithé [Marie-Thérèse Hamann, his partner] and I send you our warmest regards. Jacques.

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In 1923, Jacques Majorelle acquired one and a half hectares of land northwest of the Marrakech medina and built his villa there, later expanding his property to create his own botanical garden. In 1931, he commissioned the French architect Paul Sinoir to design an Art Deco-style artist's studio and covered its facades in the electric blue that now bears his name, "Majorelle blue".

Around the house, he developed a living work of art: The Majorelle Garden. Composed of exotic plants and rare species – cacti, yuccas, banana trees, coconut trees, palm trees, bamboos, aquatic plants – the garden constitutes one of the most beautiful natural tableaux in the city.

Opened to the public in 1947, the garden fell into disrepair after the artist's death in 1962. In 1980, it was revived thanks to Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent, who acquired it to save it from a real estate development. The garden was restored and the plant collection expanded to over 300 different species. It remains considered one of the most beautiful gardens in the world.

^* In January and February 1959, while staying at La Mamounia, Winston Churchill made the last of his six trips to Marrakech, a Moroccan land that enchanted him and where he passionately devoted himself to painting.