Art Of The Label: Ornellaia Wines' 25th Anniversary Bottles
Michelangelo Pistoletto created the 25th anniversary bottle for Ornellaia
To help celebrate its 25th anniversary, Italian wine maker Ornellaia enlisted artist Michelangelo Pistoletto to craft the bottle design for its 2010 vintage. His gold and ivory silkscreened logo for "La Celebrazione" is an attention-getter to be sure, and even more impressive is the special limited-edition set he created to be auctioned off in New York and London, with proceeds benefitting the Royal Opera House Foundation. (The Sotheby's auction last week in Manhattan brought in over $55,000, and included an insane 12-liter bottle among the lots; the London charity gala dinner will take place at the Royal Opera House May 16.)
This marks the fifth year of the Tuscan coast winemaker's "Vendemmia d'Artista" series, pairing contemporary artists with new-release vintages of Ornellaia's big-drinking reds. Past artists included Luigi Ontani, Ghada Amer and Rebecca Horn, and the bottles have attracted attention not only among fans of bold Tuscan wines, but in the art world as well. Pistoletto continues the inspired series with "La Celebrazione," of which he says in a release, "I decided to utilise the mirror for the Ornellaia project, creating its profile through curving, sensuous lines that transgress the traditional square shape of a wine label. I wanted this artwork to be fluid, flexible, dynamic, just like the flowing movement of a thought."
More artist collaborations: