“I am very happy to discover Villa Harris, which is a place of history and memory for Tangiers and Moroccans in general”, said El Ferdaous, praising the exceptional work carried out by the FNM to “Arranging the meeting between a collection and a place, a meeting which illustrates well the dual function of heritage in Morocco”.
The opening of “Villa Harris, museum of Tangier” will first of all make it possible to promote this exceptional place which was abandoned, the minister said in a statement to the press, highlighting the strong democratization component of the region. culture that characterizes this place.
“Thanks to this policy instilled by the Sovereign, Morocco is taken as an example in the world”, affirmed the president of the FNM, noting that “Culture plays and will play an even more important role than before in the tourism policy of the Kingdom”.
History and art in Morocco in 4 major periods
The inaugural exhibition of the museum unfolds on a route which traces the history of art in Morocco through 4 major periods. The first is that of the fascination of Western painters for the light, color and hospitality offered by the natural, urban and social landscape of Morocco. This section features paintings by several painters, including Delacroix, Jacques Majorelle, Edy-Legrand, Claudio Bravo and Jacques Veyrassat.
The second period focuses on the first Moroccan painters who worked alongside European artists, such as Mohammed Ben Ali R’bati, Mohamed Ben Allal, Ahmed Yacoubi and Mohamed Hamri. It is also the period of the first Moroccan artists to have benefited from artistic training at the National School of Fine Arts in Tetouan (ENBA).
The third period covers the 50s, 60s and 70s and announces the affirmation of Moroccan artistic modernity and the diversity of plastic approaches which accompanies it with a theoretical and conceptual mastery of the debates which crossed the panorama of the period at the time. world art. This is the period of the great masters of Moroccan painting like Jilali Gharbaoui and Ahmed Cherkaoui.
As for the fourth period, it encompasses contemporary works that reflect the eclectic character of Moroccan art, as well as the aesthetic experiments offered by new creative media.
In addition, a new educational space dedicated to young people accompanies the exhibition, with an interactive terminal and a library which allow for a deeper understanding of the works and artists exhibited.
