A stage set still in use
Built in 1930, the Immeuble Assayag has never been a monument to be admired only from a distance. Behind its three Art Deco towers, recognisable against the Casablanca sky, beats a cultural life that is discreet but very real: exhibitions, film shoots, talks and celebrations of heritage follow one another season by season. Marius Boyer’s work thus remains, to this day, a living place.
Exhibitions, film shoots and talks
It must be said that the setting lends itself admirably. The great verrières (the tall glazed screens) that bathe the stairwells in natural light, the terraces open to the city, the play of lines and curves that belongs to Art Deco: every corner makes a singular setting for the artists, photographers and film crews who take over the space from time to time.
These occasions take a variety of forms:
- Exhibitions and hangs, carried by the building’s very particular light;
- Film shoots, the building serving as a set on screen — a facet to be explored on the Cinematography page;
- Talks on architecture, heritage and the memory of Casablanca.
To follow the day-to-day news of these events, see the News page; the Gallery, for its part, keeps a record of them in pictures.
The Journées du Patrimoine, a special occasion
The Immeuble Assayag remains a private, lived-in residence: it is not open to the public, and that is part of what makes the occasions when its doors do open so valuable. Cultural events, the Journées du Patrimoine (Casablanca’s annual heritage open days) among them, are the ideal moment to discover this masterpiece of 1930 from the inside — its glazed screens, its volumes, its views over the city. Since these openings are occasional, the announcements published on the News page are the authoritative source.
Proposing an event
An exhibition, a film shoot, an editorial project, a talk on Casablanca’s heritage: if you have in mind an event in dialogue with the spirit of the place, we would be glad to talk it over. Write to us through the Contact page, describing your project; every proposal is considered carefully, with respect for the residents and for the building’s lived-in character.