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| Musée de la Fondation Abderrahman Slaoui | |
|---|---|
| Name | Musée de la Fondation Abderrahman Slaoui |
| Native name lang | fr |
| Established | 2012 |
| Location | Casablanca, Morocco |
| Type | Art museum |
| Founder | Abderrahman Slaoui |
Musée de la Fondation Abderrahman Slaoui is a private museum and foundation located in Casablanca, Morocco devoted to the preservation and exhibition of Moroccan decorative arts, Moroccan jewelry, Silverwork, and 19th–20th century graphic arts. The institution operates within the landscape of North African cultural sites and engages with regional museums such as the Musée d'Art Contemporain de Casablanca, the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech, and international partners including the British Museum, the Louvre, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art for loans and collaborative research. The foundation reflects the collecting legacy of the businessman and collector Abderrahman Slaoui and connects to wider histories involving French Protectorate in Morocco, Postcolonialism, and Mediterranean art networks like Tunis and Algiers.
The foundation grew from the private collections assembled by Abderrahman Slaoui, whose activities in banking and collecting paralleled figures such as Baron Empain, Jacques Majorelle, Pierre Bergé, and Yves Saint Laurent. Established in 2012, the museum opened amid civic debates similar to those surrounding the reopening of the Museum of Moroccan Judaism and the expansion of institutions like the Institut du Monde Arabe. In its early years the foundation hosted exhibitions referencing the work of artists and designers including Rachid Koraïchi, Yto Barrada, Mohammed Melehi, Ahmed Cherkaoui, and invoked comparative displays with objects in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum, Musée des Arts Décoratifs (Paris), and the Smithsonian Institution.
The core collection focuses on Moroccan and North African silver, gemstones, and jewelry, alongside Moroccan graphic arts, posters, and postcards from the colonial and early independence eras. Highlights often compared to objects in the Museum of Fine Arts of Boston include ornate silver belts, fibulae, and bridal ensembles associated with Amazigh communities of the Atlas Mountains, the Rif, and the Anti-Atlas. The graphic arts holdings contain posters akin to works by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Jules Chéret, and modernists represented in institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art and the Centre Pompidou. The numismatic, philatelic, and print collections draw parallels with archives at the British Library, the Bibliothèque nationale de France, and the National Archives (United Kingdom).
The museum occupies a renovated 20th-century villa in central Casablanca, situated in proximity to the Hassan II Mosque and urban landmarks like the Place Mohammed V and the Casablanca Cathedral. Its architectural program negotiates references to Art Deco, Moroccan architecture, and modernist interventions visible in Casablanca's heritage sites such as the Anfa district and edifices by M. P. Manara and Auguste Perret. Conservation work on facades and interior courtyards involved specialists who have collaborated with the ICOMOS and architects experienced with the Historic Urban Landscape approach and restoration projects similar to those at the Medina of Fez.
Temporary exhibitions have juxtaposed historical jewelry with contemporary commissions, echoing curatorial models used by the Fondation Louis Vuitton, the Guggenheim Museum, and the Musée du Quai Branly. Past shows referenced designers and artists such as Christian Louboutin, Azzedine Alaïa, Issey Miyake, Zaha Hadid (design collaborations), and Moroccan creatives like Fatima Haddad and Meriem Berrada. The foundation organizes thematic displays around subjects comparable to exhibitions at the Victoria and Albert Museum on dress and adornment, and collaborates with scholarly institutions including the École du Louvre and the Université Hassan II Casablanca.
Education programs target school groups, university researchers, and international curators in formats similar to outreach at the Getty Museum, the Fondation Beyeler, and the Rijksmuseum. Workshops address craftsmanship traditions associated with entities such as Artisanat, apprenticeship models akin to those promoted by UNESCO lists like the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and professional training comparable to initiatives by the Prince Claus Fund. The foundation hosts lectures, catalog publications, and conferences with participation from scholars linked to institutions including the Institut Français, the American University of Beirut, and the School of Oriental and African Studies.
The foundation is governed by a board of trustees with ties to Moroccan business families and cultural institutions, and it operates through private endowment, philanthropic donations, and revenue streams modeled on mechanisms used by the Ford Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and corporate supporters such as regional banks comparable to Attijariwafa Bank. Collaborative grantmaking and partnerships reflect practices seen in programs by the European Union cultural funds, the Prince Claus Fund, and bilateral cultural agreements similar to Franco-Moroccan accords.
Located in the urban fabric of Casablanca, the museum is accessible from transport hubs including Casa-Voyageurs and the Hassan II Airport corridor, and is near hospitality venues like the Hyatt Regency Casablanca and cultural nodes such as the Anfa Place Mall. Opening hours, ticketing, guided tours, and accessibility services follow standards comparable to those at the Musée d'Orsay, the Hermitage Museum, and regional museums in Rabat and Marrakesh.
Category:Museums in Morocco