Vineyards Magazine

Carrara marble, international icon of elegance, becomes a supple masterpiece in the hands of this Japanese artist.

This project has donated to date more than 1 million euros to art foundations & museums across the globe.

Artist Yutaka Sone has created special-edition labels that will adorn a limited number of large-size bottles of Ornellaia.

Sotheby’s will preside over an auction of 9 rare lots during a gala evening at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, which will receive the proceeds.

For the 8th edition of Vendemmia d’Artista, the project that Ornellaia launched in 2009, which commissions an artist of world fame to interpret the distinctive character of each individual vintage, Ornellaia has selected Japanese Artist Yutaka Sone to exercise his creativity for Ornellaia 2013 “L’Eleganza” (Elegance).  http://www.ornellaia.com/en/vendemmia-d-artista/  

The project has gathered more than 1 million euros and donated the entire proceeds to foundations and museums across the globe that support art across the range of its expressions, including the Whitney Museum in New York, the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, the Royal Opera House in London, and the H2 Foundation in Hong Kong and Shanghai, as well as the Museo Poldi Pezzoli in Milan, the AGO in Toronto, and the Beyeler Foundation in Basel.

On 19 May, ORNELLAIA will be the exclusive focus in a benefit auction offering 9 lots, which will include 9 of the special-edition bottles created by Yutaka Sone for Ornellaia 2013 L’Eleganza Vendemmia d’Artista. The auction will take place as part of a gala dinner, during which Andrea Fiuczynski, Sotheby’s Executive Vice President, Chairman of the Americas, Head of Sotheby’s West Coast, will oversee the bidding, with all proceeds going to the organisation hosting the event, the Hammer Museum of Los Angeles, directed by Ann Philbin. Proceeds from the auction will benefit the Hammer Museum’s exhibitions, collections and nearly 300 annual public programs, all of which are free to the public.

In addition, on the following 23 June, the Italian Embassy in Tokyo will be the venue for a special program celebrating 150 years of diplomatic relations between Japan and Italy, during which the art bottles will be introduced and exhibited.  

To interpret the unique concept of L’Eleganza, the characteristic selected for Vendemmia 2013, Ornellaia commissioned Japanese artist Yutaka Sone to create an artwork that would be site-specific to the Ornellaia estate and exclusive bottle labels, individually signed, that will dress the 109 large-size bottles of Ornellaia: 100 3-litre double-magnums, 8 6-litre Imperials, and a single 9-litre Salmanazar. In addition, the artist created a special 750-ml bottle of Ornellaia that will be included in every 6-bottle wood box. 

 Antonio Gala