The French painter Jacques Majorelle (1886-1962) created this wonderful botanic garden in the 1920’s. Passionate about botany, he brought back exotic plants from his travels (cacti, palm trees, bamboo, coconut palms, jasmine, agaves, bougainvilleas…). He uses the famous Majorelle blue to paint his villa and the garden : an ultramarine, a cobalt blue. He wanted to evoke Africa through this intense colour.
The Jardin Majorelle opened to the public in 1947 but in the 1980 an hotel was to replace it. Fortunately, the famous fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé decided to buy the Jardin Majorelle and the villa. They were seduced by “this oasis where colours used by Matisse were mixed with those of nature”.
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