On October 7, the city of Rabat officially opened the doors to Morocco’s first contemporary art museum, and the first major museum since the country gained independence from France in 1956. Named Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, under the patronage of the King, the museum has been under construction in Rabat for about a decade. Architecturally inspired by traditional Moroccan design, the inaugural exhibition celebrates 100 years of creation from 1914 – 2014 and exhibits the work of 150 various Moroccan artists of different disciplines, sharing the vast diversity of artistic talent found in the North African country.
Consisting of three floors, the museum holds exhibitions for some of Morocco’s most renowned artists, like Ahmed Cherkaoui, Meryem Meziana, Hassan Glaoui and Chaibia Talal in addition to a lab for art restoration, a library and a VIP lounge. Nearby the museum is the new Grand Theater, which was designed by renowned Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid. Both projects represent the King’s desire to make Morocco more of a blossoming cultural and artistic community.
For more information: Follow @MuseeMMVI on Twitter, and keep up with their exhibitions and events on Facebook.