In Marrakech, the Denise Masson House has inaugurated a new permanent museum space dedicated to honoring the life and work of this distinguished French intellectual, who dedicated a significant portion of her life to Morocco and the dialogue between cultures. On October 3rd, the French Ambassador to Morocco, Philippe Lalliot, officially opened this new space alongside Chloé Goupille, the General Director of the French Institute of Morocco, and Flora Boillot, Director of its Marrakech branch. Housed within a 19th-century riad bequeathed to the French state by Denise Masson in 1984, this residence, where she lived for nearly sixty years, continues to serve its purpose as a site of memory, transmission, and creation.
The museum’s exhibition features a rich array of archives, manuscripts, correspondence, personal objects, paintings, and antiquarian books that collectively narrate the story of Denise Masson, an esteemed scholar of Islam, writer, and a prominent figure in Franco-Moroccan intercultural dialogue. She is particularly renowned for her translation of the Quran, which was published in the prestigious Bibliothèque de la Pléiade in 1967. Following restoration after the damage incurred during the 2023 earthquake, the Denise Masson House now embraces this new museum space, alongside hosting exhibitions, meetings, and artist residencies. To mark the occasion of this inauguration, the Denise Masson House is featuring two temporary exhibitions: "Interreligiosités marocaines" by Manoël Pénicaud, in collaboration with the Jacques Berque Center, and "J’ai connu Dieu" by Youssef El Mekaoui, in partnership with Gallery 208 Paris-Marrakech.
As reported by femmesdumaroc.com.
