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Ornellaia unveils designs for 2013 ‘L’Eleganza’
Japanese artist Yutaka Sone has been named as the label designer for the 2013 ‘L’Eleganza Vendemmia d’Artista’ series by Ornellaia.
Since 2009 Ornellaia has commissioned an artist to design limited edition labels for around 100 large format bottles of the latest vintage, which are then auctioned for the benefit of art foundations and museums.
Giovanni Geddes da Filicaja, Ornellaia’s CEO, said: “Today Vendemmia d’Artista reaches its 8th edition and its proceeds will continue to go towards restoration of artworks that are part of our international heritage. In six years, we have been successful in donating more than one million euros across the globe, just a very small part of what we have committed ourselves to raise in the future.”
For the latest edition, Sone drew his inspiration from the local Carrara marble quarries, the same source used by Michelangelo for his sculptures.
He said: “When I began this project, and as I have worked with marble all my life, I knew exactly where I needed to go to interpret L’Eleganza of Ornellaia 2013 vintage.
“I decided to visit the marble quarries of Carrara where Michelangelo used to take the stone for his celebrated sculptures. My two dear friends, Luc Tuymans & Rirkrit Tiravanija, accompanied me on this special journey and together we enjoyed a picnic in this magical place, high in the mountains, surrounded by the pure white marble cliffs facing out to the sea and beyond.
“For me this place epitomises the sublime elegance of nature and it inspired me as we shared food, great wine, conversation and our close friendship. As you see from the labels I have created, I wanted to interpret the values of sharing, of friendship and the extraordinary uniqueness of this experience”.
His design will adorn 109 bottles of the 2013 vintage; 100 double magnums, eight imperials and one Salmanazar. In addition, one bottle in each six-bottle case of Ornellaia 2013 will bear a special label by Sone.
The bottles will be auctioned by Sotheby’s in Los Angeles on 19 May, with the proceeds going to the city’s Hammer Museum, to benefit the institution’s exhibitions and public programmes.
Jamie Ritchie, president of Sotheby’s Americas & Asia, added: “The Vendemmia d’Artista series is a wonderful way of combining the characteristics of each vintage of Ornellaia with a world class artist’s interpretation of that specific year. “For the eighth edition, Sotheby’s Wine are delighted to continue our collaboration with the launch of Ornellaia 2013 L’Eleganza Vendemmia d’Artista, through a very special dinner and auction benefiting the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles.”
In January this year it was announced that Ornellaia and Sotheby’s had announced a partnership to give fine wine collectors the chance to buy rare vintages of the Super Tuscan at various sales.