20 Facts About Jacques Majorelle

Jacques Majorelle, son of the celebrated Art Nouveau furniture designer Louis Majorelle, was a French painter.

Jacques Majorelle studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Nancy in 1901 and later at the Academie Julian in Paris with Schommer and Royer.

Jacques Majorelle was the son of a celebrated furniture designer, Louis Majorelle.

Jacques Majorelle' childhood was spent among the draftsmen, cabinetmakers and marquetry inlayers from his father's workshops at a time when the Art Nouveau movement was in its ascendancy.

Jacques Majorelle received his art education at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Nancy in 1901 and later at the Academie Julian in Paris with Schommer and Royer.

Jacques Majorelle first exhibited at the Salon de Beaux Artes in 1908.

Jacques Majorelle drew inspiration for his paintings from his trips and from Marrakesh itself.

Jacques Majorelle's paintings include many street scenes, souks and kasbahs as well as portraits of local inhabitants.

Jacques Majorelle opened a handicrafts workshop in Marrakech and designed posters to promote travel to Morocco.

Jacques Majorelle's work was profoundly affected by his voyage to Morocco and Marrakesh.

Jacques Majorelle introduced a more coloured vision, bathed in light where the drawing disappears and the image emerges from large spots of colour laid flat.

In 1923, Jacques Majorelle bought a four-acre plot, situated on the border of a palm grove in Marrakech and began planting a luxuriant garden which would become known as the Jardins Majorelle or Majorelle Garden.

In 1937, he painted the villa in a special shade of the blue, which Jacques Majorelle had developed after being inspired by the blue tiles prevalent in southern Morocco.

Jacques Majorelle gradually purchased additional land, extending his holding by almost 10 acres.

Jacques Majorelle continued to work on the garden for almost forty years and it is said to be his finest work.

The garden proved costly to run and in 1947, Jacques Majorelle opened the garden to the public with an admission fee designed to defray the cost of maintenance.

Jacques Majorelle sold the house and land in the 1950s, after which it fell into disrepair.

Jacques Majorelle was sent to France for medical treatment in 1962 following a car accident, and died in Paris, later that year of complications from his injuries.

Jacques Majorelle is buried in Nancy, the place of his birth, alongside his father.

Jacques Majorelle is recognised as one of the early modernist Orientalists.