The Nouveau Musée National de Monaco hosts the exhibition ‘CACTUS’ 6 July 2025 – 11 January 2026 – Villa Sauber, 17 Avenue Princesse Grace

Works by Jean-François Fourtou. ©Communication Department - Manuel Vitali

The Nouveau Musée National de Monaco is hosting an original exhibition dedicated to cacti and succulents, in collaboration with the YVES SAINT LAURENT Museum in Marrakech, which unveiled the exhibition in 2024. Curated by Marc Jeanson and Laurent Le Bon, with scenography by Jasmin Oezcebi, Cactus presents both a botanical and an artistic perspective on these plants.

Cacti intrigue and fascinate with their distinctive shapes, prickly or velvety textures, and muted or vibrant colours. Symbols of resistance and adaptation, they captivated the Western world through major scientific expeditions and the boom in horticulture in the 19th century, becoming a staple of botanical gardens and prestigious collections, particularly on the Riviera, to which the exhibition pays special tribute through more than 200 works brought together for the exhibition: botanical treasures, archives, paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs, installations, film clips, design objects, and more.

Cacti and succulents are proven muses that fuel the imagination of artists, architects and designers. Their unique forms have inspired the most daring designs — from Surrealism to Pop Art. ‘Cactus’ reveals its many interpretations through a rich collection of works, including a film by Eisenstein, a cult piece coat rack by Gufram, and an iPad drawing by David Hockney, among others.

The exhibition spills into the gardens of the Villa Sauber, which, with help from the team at the Jardin Exotique de Monaco, has been transformed into a spectacular cactus garden.