PAINTER'S GARDEN, THE

Jacques Majorelle s garden, created over four decades by the French painter, was an oasis in Marrakech, where he lived for most of his life. Starting in the early 1920s on a generous plot of land just outside the old city, Majorelle radically added colour to the many shades of botanical green by painting fountains, pots and his own studio in vibrant hues. But Majorelle was not a botanist. He was not even a gardener. He was an artist and, in seamlessly combining art and nature, this was his masterpiece. Divided at the end of his life and later threatened with destruction, it was acquired by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé in 1980. Today, a century after its inception, Jardin Majorelle is one the most beloved and visited gardens in the world. This is the story of the painter s garden.