Marinella Senatore interprets the character of Ornellaia 2021 “La Generosità”
From 22 May to 5 June 2024, Sotheby’s will auction large-format bottles with Vendemmia d’Artista artwork labels.
The profits will support the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation’s Mind’s Eye program.
“La Generosità” (Generosity) is the character of Ornellaia 2021. The theme is in harmony with Marinella Senatore, an Italian artist who works all over the world, conveying the dynamics and poetics of communities. The pride and dedication of the people who make Ornellaia, inspired the artist, who designed a set of labels as unique artistic prints of the original collages, a sculpture for the Salmanazar (9 litres) and a site-specific work for the 16th edition of Vendemmia d’Artista.
In the works dedicated to Ornellaia 2021 “La Generosità”, Marinella Senatore used her artistic motifs and translated the character of the wine into a universal language. Collages and “luminarie” can be seen in the labels for the 750ml bottles, the 100 double magnums, 10 imperials and the sculpture dedicated to the one and only Salmanazar. “I observed and studied Ornellaia at length. The energy of the natural elements, like the sea, wind and stars found here, merge with the energy of the people who work here and create correlations that are declarations of awareness: it’s human empowerment,” explains the artist.
The “La Generosità” character filters through the artist’s beloved concept of care and giving, which is where hands come into play, one of Marinella Senatore’s defining features. Outlines of the hands of the people who work every day to craft the excellence of Ornellaia were included in the collages made for the labels and become both a portrait and a feeling. Dance is another important motif. Dancing is an archetypical gesture whereby the community celebrates itself and Marinella Senatore wanted to show this ancestral movement, citing the harvest festival, through an original score and dancing figures.
Lamberto Frescobaldi, President and member of the family that owns Ornellaia, reiterates: “Our identity is based on the place, our work and being a team. The 2021 character is centred on the generosity of the land and Marinella Senatore’s interpretation revealed additional meaning: the generosity of the land creates an ecosystem, to which we all belong and it is also significant for me that the harvest celebration is part of her work.”
The light sculpture created for the Salmanazar forms the zenith of Marinella Senatore’s artistic process.
On the 9-litre bottle, the artist installed one of her famous “luminarie”, which were used in the past to unite people in temporary places defined by light and colour. The work for the Ornellaia 2021 Salmanazar is inspired by a Baroque rose window. It is made from innovative cold neon (so as not to have any heat impact on the wine) and contains no mercury out of respect for the environment. The Salmanazar also bears an important message: “I contain multitudes”, in the words of the American poet Walt Whitman. “The distinguishing phrases of my works are not based on personal taste, but on the collective. For me, it is interesting to bring together different communities connected by invisible threads.”
Some of the 110 large formats embellished by Marinella Senatore’s art and the sole Salmanazar will be sold by Sotheby’s in an online auction held between 22 May and 5 June, 2024.
For the sixth consecutive year, the profits will be donated in their entirety by the owners Marchesi Frescobaldi to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation to support the Mind’s Eye program, which increases accessibility to art for people who are blind or have low vision through multisensory exploration.
The original collages, handcrafted by the artist, will form the site-specific work that will be added to Ornellaia’s priceless art collection. Finally, with the aim of sharing Vendemmia d’Artista with its community of collectors, in every case containing six 750ml bottles of Ornellaia 2021, one will feature a special label styled by the artist, as in previous editions.
Ornellaia 2021 is on the market since 1st of April.
Link to the auction page:
Vineyards Magazine 