This year, the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech opens an unusual window into the personal world of one of fashion’s greatest names. The exhibition Yves Saint Laurent and His Dogs revisits the bond the designer formed with the dogs that accompanied him throughout his life, on both an emotional and artistic level. Curated by Martin Bethenod, the exhibition will be open until September 29, 2026. A comprehensive selection of archival documents, drawings, letters, photographs, and works of art, centered around Saint Laurent’s statement, “I am a dog person,” invites viewers into the artist’s most private realm.
In Saint Laurent’s life story, dogs are not just friends, but also an element of emotional balance. Two figures that guided his life are at the center of the exhibition: his Chihuahua named Hazel and his four French bulldogs named Moujik. Hazel reflects Saint Laurent’s theatrical side mixed with elegance, while the Moujiks appear as silent witnesses accompanying the artist’s melancholic spirit with their loyalty.
These dogs are not only present in the home but also in the creative process. They can be found in Saint Laurent’s office, at his drawing table, and even during fashion show preparations. In the sketches and private letters featured in the exhibition, it becomes almost possible to see the place these companions hold in his inner world. They play a key role in the delicate balance an artist strikes with loneliness, anxiety, and the pressure to succeed.
Dogs, Fashion, and Myth: A Cultural Reading
The exhibition approaches the figure of the dog not only as an element of personal narrative, but also as one of the cultural symbols of modern fashion. For example, in the world of Saint Laurent, the Chihuahua is not an accessory; it signifies uncertainty, gender fluidity, and defiance of social norms. The exhibition links this figure to Marlene Dietrich’s androgynous elegance, Coccinelle’s courage in transforming gender identity, and Jayne Mansfield’s exaggerated Hollywood femininity. Thus, the dog is redefined as an entity that transcends identity boundaries, much like the space Saint Laurent opened up in fashion.
The exhibition’s art selection also features artists who transformed Saint Laurent’s dogs into an iconography. Andy Warhol’s 1986 portrait Moujik II, David Hockney’s Moujik IV paintings, and Saint Laurent’s own “LOVE” cards stand out in this context. Moujik’s drawings frequently appear on these cards, which he prepared annually for his lover—emphasizing the dog’s continuity in the designer’s emotional universe.
The photography section features images captured by the lenses of names such as Horst P. Horst, Bettina Rheims, and Pierre & Alexandra Boulat. In these frames, it is possible to see Saint Laurent not only as an iconic figure in fashion history, but also as a fragile, lonely individual with a world of his own.
The exhibition’s opening in Marrakech is no coincidence. Saint Laurent fell under the spell of the city in the 1960s and built a second life there. Marrakech was not just a geography for him; it was a state of mind where colors, textures, and emotions were reborn. The quiet mornings he spent in the gardens with his dogs shaped the calm yet striking aesthetic of his designs. This exhibition makes the traces of that world visible once again.
