Jan Fabre – La Grazia – Ornellaia Vendemmia d’Artista 2018

Posted by jeh ⋅ February 26, 2021 ⋅ 1 Comment

Filed Under Jan Fabre, la grazia, ornellaia, vendemmia d'artista

Belgian artist Jan Fabre was invited to interpret ‘La Grazia’ for the Ornellaia Vendemmia d’Artista 2018 project, through his work influenced by a range of disciplines – visual art, theatre, literature and the world of symbolism.

Every year, since the release of Ornellaia 2006 in May 2009, a contemporary artist celebrates the character of the new vintage. For the 13th edition of Vendemmia d’Artista Ornellaia 2018 Jan Fabre used the image of red coral found in the Bay of Naples for the sculptures that crown three 9-litre Salmanazars: A Candle of Mercy, The Crown of Kindness, and The Heart of Virtue. Fabre explained: “I believe that art should conciliate ethical values and aesthetic principles. For this reason, I decided to use forms such as the heart, crown, candle and wings in the sculptures for Ornellaia 2018. These are symbols of passion, virtue and purity, which come alive by means of twigs and red coral pearls; in ‘A Candle of Mercy’ or ‘The Heart of Virtue’ they liquefy, like the melting grace of Ornellaia wine.”

In addition to the coral artworks for the 111 large formats of Ornellaia, Fabre designed a special label for the 750ml bottles and a site-specific installation for the winery’s dining room – Orciaia: a set of drawings inspired by the sculptures and their symbolism.

Axel Heinz, Director of the Bolgheri estate chose ‘La Grazia’ to describe the personality of the 2018 vintage: “Synergy and interaction among the varied terroirs on the estate created proportion and complexity. The outcome is a rounded and silky wine in which all the elements blend together in an expression of grace and beauty.”

The Ornellaia Vendemmia d’Artista in its first ten editions, has donated more than two million dollars across the globe to organisations including the Whitney Museum in New York, the Neue National Galerie in Berlin, the Fondation Beyeler in Basel, the Royal Opera House in London, and the H2 Foundation in Hong Kong and Shanghai. An online wine and art auction of ‘La Grazia’, Ornellaia Vendemmia d’Artista 2018, through Sotheby’s in September 2021 will raise funds to support the Solomon R. Guggenheim ‘Mind’s Eye’ programme, concerned with the artistic perception of the blind and visually impaired.