Le Monde des Arts de la Parure: Marrakech’s Global Museum

Culture / January 04, 2024

Jewelry and clothing can tell us a lot about human civilizations and cultures. Outside and beyond their current status as providers of aesthetics, each amulet, necklace, or bracelet was worn for a much different purpose—for example, prior to the Spanish occupation in the Philippines, talismans and charms (also widely known as anting-anting and agimat) were worn in connection to local beliefs in the spiritual. 

As civilizations crumble and fall, and their history lost to time, each beautifully crafted piece serves as our connection to a bygone time—evidences of their existence that we can study, appreciate, and maybe even learn from.


A look at some of the pieces on display at Le Monde des Arts de la Parure

At Kasbah, Marrakech, Le Monde des Arts de la Parure seeks to examine finery throughout the world and understand the traditions and practices of other cultures through them.

MAP Marrakech aims to question the functions and uses of jewelry. To open up avenues for understanding jewelry in all its complexity… [Our] mission is to explore the functions and uses of finery, reminding us that to be understood, it cannot be dissociated from the practices and thoughts that shape it.”

About Le Monde des Arts de la Parure


Garb worn by women from Le Monde des Arts de la Parure

Le Monde des Arts de la Parure was designed by Franco-Lebanese interior architects, Michel Charrière and Joseph Achkar. Using terracotta bricks and cedar beams, the three-story museum embodies medieval Marrakech and takes inspiration from the Mederssa Ben Youssef

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Le Monde des Arts de la Parure (@lemapmarrakech)

At the center, the heart of which Le Monde des Arts de la Parure is built around is an octagonal skylight that illuminates the space. Atop is also a hanging garden designed by landscape architect Marius Boulesteix.

Le Monde des Arts de la Parure was founded by Swiss-born Marlène and Paolo Gallone, whose 40-year collection fills the museum.

The collection


Headpieces with Oriental designs from Le Monde des Arts de la Parure

The 3,000 pieces displayed at Le Monde des Arts de la Parure are chosen from a collection of 7,000 ornaments, jewelry, clothing, textiles, and other ethnographic objects—from tiaras, brooches, and necklaces worn by both men and women to ​​costumes and ceremonial pieces made especially for horses.


Specialized pieces to be worn by horses and their riders—for either warriors or royalty from Le Monde des Arts de la Parure

“The exhibition unfolds the objects according to several themes around the timeless notion of finery and its different interpretations in traditional societies. In this way, it allows us to survey the world through the diverse aesthetic sensibilities and social realities of the places and peoples represented,” shares Le Monde des Arts de la Parure.

The pieces come from over 50 different countries and various tribes and ethnic groups originating from Africa, Asia, and Europe.


An assortment of bracelets, cuffs, and earrings from Le Monde des Arts de la Parure

For more information on Le Monde des Arts de la Parure, you can visit their website or check them out on Instagram.


STORIES YOU MAY LIKE

SOCIAL MEDIA

LATEST STORIES
INSTAGRAM