Morocco's museum of modern art celebrates 10-year anniversary

In the 10 years since Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art opened its doors in Morocco, the venue has featured artwork by some of the world's most renowned artists.

It has become a landmark of the Moroccan capital Rabat over the past decade, hosting more than 35 major exhibitions and retrospectives.

"Even in my wildest dreams, I could not have imagined that we would have been able to organise exhibitions of such huge and important artists such as Picasso, Delacroix, Matisse,” said Mehdi Kotbi, chairman of the National Foundation of Museums.

Art by Moroccan artists was displayed alongside works by Alberto Giacometti, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Francisco Goya.

Kotbi said with plans in place to host more exhibition with major artists, the future of the museum is also looking promising.

The institution marked a turning point in Morocco's cultural scene becoming the first space solely dedicated to modern and contemporary art to meet international museum standards.

It aims to open up more to Arab and African artists.

Two monumental art installations by Portuguese artist Joanna Vasconcelos are on display at the museum as part of the 10th anniversary celebration.

Portugal’s ambassador to Morocco, Carlos Marques, said both of them have already been on show in the Chateau de Versailles in France and the Royal Academy of Arts in London.

Powerful in both size and symbolism, the artworks reflect the point where femininity intersects with power.

"One is called Mary Poppins while the other is called Royal. They represent Valkyries, the mythical warriors, strong women. They were also were sewn, assembled, and handmade by women."

The current show, "Cobra: a Multi-Headed Snake", features works from the avant-garde movement led by European artists after World War II.

"In reality, Cobra is an experimental and artistic school with a surrealist side to it. Another aspect of it was the search for colours, trying to overcome the visual limits that were dominant at the time,” said the museum’s director, Mohammed El Idrissi.

The exhibition is open until 3 March, giving art connoisseurs in Rabat ample time to study the way these European artists challenged norms and experimented with colour.