More than just a museum, Villa Harris is a historic building unit that, in the last century, witnessed an incredible past amidst international affairs in and around Tangier. Conceived and built at the end of the 19th century by British journalist Walter Burton Harris, a special correspondent for The Times, the villa sits almost facing the Mediterranean, the cradle of numerous civilizations. The villa has withstood time, wars, occupations, and more only to become what is today, a cultural museum of heritage legacies passed on to future generations.

In line with the desire of His Majesty King Mohammed VI and the National Museums Foundation (FNM) to broaden access and leverage culture and arts as a national priority, Villa Harris adds to Tangier’s offerings, as an international city at the crossroads of Europe and Africa. The museum has reinvented itself as a hub of exchange and culture, housing two centuries of Moroccan art history while highlighting the artistic influence of the Mediterranean world and the ongoing dialogue between its two shores.

The inaugural exhibition collection highlights the colors, landscapes, traditions, and everyday scenes that also includes an entire array of Western painters.

Paintings by major artists from the early 20th century, such as Frank Tapiro, Jacques Majorelle, Claudio Bravo, and Edy-Legrand, are juxtaposed with works from other generations of Moroccan artists who shaped the artistic modernity of the Kingdom as well including Ben Ali R’bati and Mohamed Sarghini to Jilali Gharbaoui, Fatima Hassan, Mohamed Hamri, and Farid Belkahia, amongst others.

Tickets are sold at the Museum for just 20 dirhams per person while youth under the age of 18 as well as school groups are just 10 dirhams or under per person. Villa Harris is open Monday to Sunday, from 10 am to 6 pm, and closed on Tuesday.