The 2015 Mouton Rothschild label is now emerging in distribution and Fine Wine retailers.
The
2015 label was designed by German artist
Gerhard Richter who is well
known for a broad portfolio of paintings, abstracts,
photographs and paintings on photographs dating back to 1962.
Since the
mid 1980's he has created more than 2,000 Overpainted Photographs. His
creation for the Mouton label is an abstract 'photo painting' using a
unique 'flux' technique that combines photography and painting. The
technique, involves spreading enamel paint on a plate of plexiglass
which is then pressed against a glass plate. For the design, he
photographed the fluctuating colours at the point he considered the
composition to be 'momentarily harmonious'. The completed work consists
of the one plate affixed of top of the other. His abstract style has
been likened to famous artists including Picasso.
This
year's artist and deign were chosen by Camille and Philippe Sereys de
Rothschild and Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild, the next-generation
owners of the famous wine estate.
Richter
was born in Germany in 1932. His 1986 painting ‘Abstraktes Bild’ set a
record auction price for a work by a living artist in October 2015, when
it sold at Sotheby’s for over $40 million.
E
arlier Mouton Rothschild Artist Label Library:
Mouton Rothschild 2014 Artist Label by David Hockney
British contemporary artist David
Hockney, a longtime personal friend of Baroness
Philippine de Rothschild designed the 2014 Mouton
Rothschild label. It depicts a drawing of two wine
glasses seemingly floating on a cloud, one full and
one empty.
According to the estate, the pair
of glasses symbolizes the ‘constantly renewed
miracle of the birth of a great wine’.
Above the wine glasses are the
words ‘In tribute to Philippine’ in honor of the
owner.
Hockney, a leader of the 20th
Century pop art movement was recently
featured in an exhibition at the Royal Academy in
London.
Hockney, age 80, was born in 1937
in
Bradford,
West Riding of Yorkshire, England. Hockney is the fifth British artist to
design a Mouton label, following Lucien Freud in 2006,
Prince Charles in 2004, Francis Bacon in 1990 and Henry
Moore in 1964.
Mouton Rothschild 2013 Artist Label by Lee Ufan
Château Mouton Rothschild selected reputed minimalist painter and
sculptor
Lee Ufan to design the label of the 2013 vintage release. This
year's label design was selected by Philippe Sereys de Rothschild, son
of the Baroness Philippine Rothschild, who passed away at 80 years of
age, August 22, 2014.
Korean born Lee Ufan moved to Japan in 1956
where he studied philosophy and art. Ufan's minimalist style is
reflected in the design for the 2013 Mouton Rothschild label which shows
shades of deepening purple that evoke the colors of the wine.
Lee Ufan works of art can be found in some of the most important
museums in the world including: MoMA, New York, The Guggenheim Museum,
New York, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, The Tate Gallery, London; and
the National Museums of Modern Art in Tokyo Japan.
Mouton Rothschild 2012 Artist Label by Miquel-Barcelo
The 2012 label was designed by Spanish abstract artist Miquel
Barceló who used the château’s emblem, the ram, as a highlight and focal
point for the work. The label features a watercolour abstract
representation of two rutting rams standing on their hind legs set
against a muted background of a green pasture amidst a blue sky and
white clouds.
Considered one of the most influential living Spanish
artists, born in Felanitx, Majorca, the 57-year-old has had his work exhibited at the
Paris Museum of Modern Art and the Louvre. He also works in sculpture,
drawing, ceramics and cast iron, in addition to painting.
One of his most noted works, is the Miquel Barceló decorated
ceiling of the Human Rights and Alliance of Civilizations Room, used
by the United Nations Human Rights Council, in the Palace of Nations in
Geneva. The work of art is a massive sculptural installation in the
domed ceiling, officially presented to the United Nations by the Spanish
government. The chamber was inaugurated by the King and Queen of Spain,
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the prime ministers of Spain and
Turkey, and Swiss president Pascal Couchepin. The massive 16,000 ft ²
(1,500 m²) project used 100 tons of paint, took a year to produce and
cost $23 million.
Mouton Rothschild 2011 Artist Label by Guy de Rougemont
Guy de Rougemont, a member of the
Academy des Beaux Arts, follows a trio of Chinese, American and British painters commissioned for the annual vintage label.
He is the first Frenchman to design the label since
Bernard Venet
in 2007. His design is intended to represent the evolution of vines and
wine during their early years of life, according to the first-growth
Chateau.
‘Guy de Rougemont is an old friend of mine,’ Chateau owner
Baroness de Rothschild told
decanter.com. ‘We first met when I was 18 years old, and I have followed his career ever since.’
De Rougemont is known for his huge frescoes in public places, such as the forecourt of the
Musée d’Orsay in
Paris, but also his sculptures and modern geometric-styled furniture.
His is the first label commissioned since
Mouton Rothschild opened a gallery to house all original art work dating back to when Baron Philippe de Rothschild asked
Jean Carlu to design a vintage label in 1924.
Read more at
http://www.decanter.com/news/wine-news/584570/mouton-rothschild-picks-french-artist-for-2011-vintage-label#A4fCd6Gm0CErwRLG.99
The
2011 label features brightly colored "sinuous, random" undulating
shapes, in a style attributable to French artist
Guy de Rougemont.
Chateau Mouton Rothschild says the artwork encompasses "the clarity of
vines in sunshine to the darkness of the cellars – all the stages of the
birth of a great wine."
According to Chateau owner Baroness de Rothschild, ‘Guy de Rougemont is
an old friend of mine. We first met when I was 18 years old, and I have
followed his career ever since.’
De Rougemont is known for huge
frescoes in public places including the forecourt of the Musée d’Orsay
in Paris. He also has produced sculptures and modern geometric-shaped
furniture.
Mouton Rothschild label and other art by Guy de Rougemont.
Mouton Rothschild 2010 Artist Label by Jeff Koons
The 2010 label was designed by
Jeff Koons, Pennsylvania-born sculptor
known for his reproductions of objects like giant, shiny balloon dog
sculptures made out of colored stainless steel. Influenced by both
Marcel Duchamp and Andy Warhol, his design mixes classical with
contemporary and a hint of whimsical humor - a ancient Pompeii fresco of
'The Birth of Venus' with a silver line drawing of a ship sailing under
a bright sun.
A former commodities broker, Koons was at one point the world’s most expensive living artist. In 1997, his work
Puppy, a
giant dog covered in bright flowers, was installed at the entrance to
the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. In 2008, 17 of his works were
featured in an exhibition at the Château de Versailles.
Mouton Rothschild label and other artwork by Jeff Koons.
Mouton Rothschild 2009 Artist Label by Anish Kapoor
Mouton Rothschild has unveiled the label for its 2009 vintage - a design by British artist
Anish Kapoor
who was selected to design the label for Chateau Mouton Rothschild 2009 vintage release.
The
dramatic label features contrasts of brilliant red against black,
described by the chateau as "at once austere and flamboyant, the gouache
he has created for Mouton Rothschild 2009 expresses the fertile thrust
of plant life, the result of an intense encounter between matter and
light."
Kapoor, a sculptor, painter and visual
artist is a British citizen of Indian origin. He was was born in Mumbai
(Bombay) in 1954 and settled in England in 1972. His recent works
include the giant
sculpture, "Orbit", that towers over London's Olympic park.
The pre-release Mouton 2009 vintage received top
scores in the high 90s from all of the leading reviewers.
Mouton Rothschild 2008 Artist Label by Xu Lei
Chinese Artist
Xu Lei has designed the label for the 2008 vintage of Chateau Mouton Rothschild, a sign of the growing importance of the Chinese wine market.
Lei restyled the traditional Mouton emblem with an ink drawing
which shows the famous ram standing between two halves of the moon.
As
soon as rumors circulated in late 2009 that a Chinese artist would
design the prestigious Mouton label, the Chinese market responded.
Prices immediately shot upwards from the starting base of £1800 per case
to £2200, and now prices are at least £6,000 per case.
The news comes hot on the heels of a Chinese
led surge for Chateau Lafite Rothschild after it was announced a few
weeks ago that all bottles and magnums of the 2008 vintage would feature
a neck engraving of the Chinese symbol for the figure eight. Prices for
2008 Lafite likewise soared and it’s now changing hands at £10,000 per
case.
Lei is a graduate from the Nanjing Academy of Fine Arts and artistic director of Beijing’s Today Art Museum.
Mouton Rothschild 2007 Artist Label by Bernar Venet
The 2007 label was designed by French sculptor
Bernar Venet. Philippine
de Rothschild, owner of Mouton, chose a painting by Bernar Venet for the
2007 vintage.
Venet is well known for his curved,
mathematically precise metal sculptures made of
steel bars and for his material
exploration of coal, asphalt, and tar.
Venet was born on April 20, 1941 in
Château-Arnoux-Saint-Auban. The painter and sculptor studied at La Villa
Thiole in Nice in 1958 for a year before pursuing a career as an
artist. Venet worked within Minimalist and Conceptualist modes during the 1960s
and 1970s. He was awarded the Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur in 2005, in
2012.
In another artist series commercial engagement, Venet collaborated with the car manufacturer Bugatti to create a
unique piece which was debuted at the Rubell Family Collection at Art
Basel Miami.
Venet established the Venet Foundation in 2014, which
serves as a museum and archive of his work.
He currently lives and
works between New York, NY and Le Muy, France. Venet’s works are featured in
the collections of the Art
Institute of Chicago, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, Fotomuseum Winterthur in Switzerland, and the
National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., among others.
Mouton Rothschild label and other artwork by Bernar Venet.
Mouton Rothschild Announcement of their 2006 Label by artist Lucien Freud
MIAMI BEACH, Fla., Feb. 19
/PRNewswire/ -- Each year since 1945, a great artist has created an
original artwork for the Chateau Mouton Rothschild label.
Today, at a
press luncheon that also previews the opening of MOUTON ROTHSCHILD -
PAINTINGS FOR THE LABELS at The Wolfsonian-Florida International University, Baroness Philippine de Rothschild, the owner of Mouton, announced that she has given the commission for the 2006 vintage to the British painter Lucian Freud,
born in 1922, a universally acknowledged master of contemporary
portraiture.
Last year, one of his works was sold for the highest price
ever attained by a living artist. Far from the tormented portraits and
nudes for which he is renowned, for Mouton 2006 Lucian Freud has chosen a
joyously exotic transposition of the pleasure of drinking, in which the
vinestock is transformed into a springing palm tree and the wine lover
into a happily anticipatory zebra.
Mouton Rothschild label and other artwork by Lucien Freud.
Mouton Rothschild 2005 Artist Label by Guiseppe Penone
For the highly anticipated
2005 vintage, Baroness Philippine de Rothschild selected Italian artist and sculptor
Guiseppe Penone, known for his large-scale sculptures of
trees that are interested in the link between man and the natural world.
His early work is often associated with the Arte povera movement. In
2014, Penone was awarded the prestigious Praemium Imperiale award.
According to the artist, his Mouton 2005 label was designed to represent
the growth of the vine leaf and, at the same time, the splayed hand of
the drinker, soon to grab a glass of Mouton.
Born 3 April 1947 in Garessio, Italy, Peneome
currently lives and works in Turin, Italy.
Mouton Rothschild label and artwork by Guiseppe Penone.
Mouton Rothschild 2004 Label Artist HRH The Prince of Wales
While each year the Mouton label features original artwork by a contemporary artist, generally it is based on the theme of
wine and the vine, it sometimes celebrates an historic event.
The
2004 vintage occupies a special place in Mouton history and memories since it marks the
Centenary of the Entente Cordiale, concluded by Britain and France on 8
April 1904. King Edward VII is known to have played a prominent part in
the agreement, which would herald a genuine alliance during the First
World War and forever transform two rival powers into sisters by choice.
For the 2004 vintage artist label, Baroness Philippine de Rothschild approached
HRH The Prince of Wales, a talented artist and a direct descendant of Edward VII.
The Prince agreed that the label for Mouton Rothschild 2004 could be illustrated with one of his watercolors, inspired by a French landscape, in celebration of the Entente Cordiale. He has added in his own hand: "To celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Entente Cordiale – Charles, 2004". The commemoration of such an important milestone in Franco-British relations was the occasion for many celebrations in 2004, culminating in official visits by both Heads of State.
Mouton Rothschild 2003 Artist Label Features Historic Period Photograph
While generally each year a well known great artist's work is featured on the Château Mouton Rothschild label, the 2003 vintage is an exception. Marking the 150th anniversary of
Mouton's entry into the family to which it has belonged without
interruption for five generations, Baroness Philippine de Rothschild decided to depart from tradition.
This year the label is devoted to Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild
(1812-1870), direct ancestor from the English branch of the family
who acquired the Mouton estate on 11 May 1853. Baron Nathaniel is
depicted on the label in a period photograph.
The
background shows part of the deed of sale. This document, carefully
preserved in the Mouton archives, marks the beginning of a long love
story between the Rothschild's and the great wines of Bordeaux.
Mouton Rothschild 2002 Label Artist Ilya Kabakov
On February 8, 2005, Château Mouton-Rothchild released its artist's label for its 2002 vintage. The 2002 label features artwork by Ilya Kabakov, a Russian-born artist who has emigrated to the USA.
Kabakov titled his drawing Okho,
the Russian word for window. A Mouton Rothschild spokesperson for the Pauillac estate said, 'Behind the
"pane" of the bottle, the artist shows us another world: whirling to
infinity, a myriad wings trace its outlines, at the same time bearing us
off joyfully towards the realm of dreams and bliss, in a transparent
allegory of the magic of a great wine.'
Mouton Rothschild 2001 Label Artist Robert Wilson
On January 8, 2004 Château Mouton-Rothchild released its artist's label for its 2001 vintage. The 2001 label was by American artist Robert Wilson and features a dyptich-style douple print of Baroness Philippine de Rothschild,
the owner of the estate.
According to a press release, Wilson chose to
set the baroness "in a symphony of colours in which the green vine
shoots and the gold of the sun harmonise with the chromatic scale of the
wine, from light red to deep purple."
The Baroness chose an American
artist in order to express her solidarity with the American people after
the terrorist attacks on the New York World Trade Center on 9/11. As is
the tradition at Mouton-Rothschild, Robert Wilson was reimbursed
with several cases of the 2001 Grand Vin.
Mouton Rothschild label and other artwork by Robert Wilson.
Mouton Rothschild 2000 Bottle Artwork by Jakob Schenauer
Unveiled at the Vinexpos Americas trade show in New
York in October 2002, the 2000 release bottle design featured a
reproduction of the "Augsburg Ram," a silver-gilt drinking vessel
created circa 1590 by Jakob Schenauer, a German master metalsmith.
The
original work is in the Château's Museum of Wine in Art. Enameled in
gold on the glass by Glassmaker B.S.N. who developed a new technique for
enameling in relief in order to capture the look of the original work.
The
ram, Mouton's symbol, has previously appeared on labels, initially on
the first artist label, an art deco version created by the poster artist
Jean Carlu for the 1924 vintage, then again on the image created by
poster artist Raymond Savignac for the 1999 vintage.
The
2000 bottle carries the Mouton name and coat of arms, the vintage and
the signature of Baroness Philippine de Rothschild, all in gold. Each
bottle has the Château Mouton-Rothschild name engraved in this base as
proof of authenticity.
Mouton Rothschild 1999 Label Artist Raymond Savignac
In December 2001, Château Mouton-Rothschild announced that renowned poster
artist Raymond Savignac created the artist's label for the 1999
vintage. The label art featured a colorful and light-hearted portrait of the Mouton
ram.
Savignac, 93 in 2001, rose to prominence in
1949 with the success of his "Monsavon Cow" poster, an advertisement for
a milk-soap product.
Showcasing his levity and whimsical humor,
Savignac began his memoirs with the declaration, 'I was born at the age
of 41 from the udder of the Monsavon cow.'
Savignac was awarded the
Grand Prix de l'Affiche in 1951.
He has designed art for companies such
as Air France, Bic, and Pepsi.
Mouton Rothschild label and other artwork by Raymond Savignac.
Mouton Rothschild 1998 Label Artist Rufino Tamayo
December, 2000 - The work of late Mexican painter
Rufino Tamayo adorns the 1998 vintage label, a depiction of a man
toasting with a wineglass under a glaring sun.
Tamayo,
whose work was influenced by pre-Columbian art, drew inspiration for
his works from the lives of the indigenous people in his hometown of
Oaxaca, Mexico. While many of his contemporaries, such as Diego Rivero,
featured struggle and revolution, Tamayo preferred to focus on daily
activities and pleasures, such as the man toasting with a wineglass
under the glaring sun depicted on the label.
Tamayo
died in 1991, a year after agreeing to Baroness Philippine de
Rothschild's request to paint an original work for the Mouton label.
Unfortunately, he never fulfilled his promise, but his family
contributed an earlier work of his, El Brindis, in his honor.
See my complete Mouton Rothschild Artist Labels Library on my
legacy McNees.org/WineSite Mouton Rothschild Art Label Library page.
This label is from Piazza Del Dotto, Del Dotto's newest project, a new winery south on St Helena Highway featuring an Italian-inspired
“barchessa,” or barn, magnificently appointed with tasting rooms and dining areas. It is surrounded by fountain gardens with al
fresco tasting cabanas, vegetable gardens, 17th century
fountains and an outdoor barn with turkeys, peacocks, pheasants and
doves. There are wine caves as well, all surrounded by 8.5 acres of cabernet sauvignon vineyards. 
