Collection

3,000 pieces chosen from a collection of 7,000 ornaments, jewels, garments and textiles, gathered by Marlène and Paolo GALLONE over decades of travel and fervent research.

The MAP collection: between objects of passion and passion for objects

It's a passion that Marlène and Paolo GALLONE have nurtured with great enthusiasm, traveling the world in search of aesthetic emotions. Over the decades, the collectors have come across thousands of jewels, ornaments, and ornaments whose singular ability to arouse feelings has been preserved. The choice of pieces in this collection therefore depends not exclusively on their materials or shapes, their social dimensions, rarity or prestige, but rather, on their emotional power.

A rich ethnographic journey

Born in Morocco and nurtured over more than 40 years, this collection is now open to the public at the Monde des Arts et de la Parure in Marrakech. It comprises almost 3,000 pieces of finery, ornaments, jewelry, clothing, textiles and other ethnographic objects. The exhibition unfolds the objects according to several themes around the timeless notion of finery and its different interpretations in traditional societies. In this way, it allows us to survey the world through the diverse aesthetic sensibilities and social realities of the places and peoples represented.

Passing on a heritage as intangible as it is tangible

This collection is not simply an accumulation of beautiful objects; its primary vocation is to bring together what is scattered. It aims to preserve and pass on individual and collective histories, as well as ancestral know-how, forms of expression and traditions at risk of being lost. In its formation, it is not neutral. It seeks to give meaning to the union of its constituent parts. The addition or removal of an object alters the overall perception and meaning. This collection carries within it a concern for unity and legibility that hopes to sufficiently indicate that Marlène and Paolo GALLONE's aim is not to possess, but to pass on. Through this place, they wish to remove from the world, from the market value and utility, a piece of universal heritage, and share it with as many people as possible.

Africa

Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Chad, Ethiopia, Sudan, Namibia, Cameroon...

Amazigh peoples: Touaregs, Kabyles...
Saharian nomads : Maures, Toubou...
Sahel ethnic groups: Toucouleurs, Bambara, Peuls, Lobi, Haoussa, Dogons...
Gulf of Guinea: Akan, Dan, Fon...
Austral Africa: Zulu, Himbas.
East Africa: Amhara, Dinka, Harrar, Rashaida, Nubian...

EUROPE

Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, Macedonia, Russia

  • Pomaks
  • Albanais
  • Macedonians
  • Crimean Tatars
  • Nogaï
  • Greeks from Asia Minor...
ASIA

Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, Iran, Pakistan, India, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Vietnam, Mongolia, China.

  • Arabia desert Bedouins
  • Kurds
  • Maronite Christians, Assyrians, Chaldeans...
  • Circassians
  • Peoples of the Caucasus
  • Tatars and Turkic-speaking nomads of Central Asia
  • Kuchi, Pashtuns, kashmiris, Hazaras….
  • Ethnic groups of the Indonesian archipelago: Bataks, Minangkabau, Bugis...
  • Minorities of the Golden Triangle: Hmong, Lisu, Shan, Karen...
  • Diaspora Chinese, Chinese-Malaysian, Malacca Straits Chinese...