Leading Chinese artist and writer, Xu Bing has been commissioned to design the label for the Château Mouton Rothschild 2018 Vintage.
There are very few families in the world who can boast to be greater supporters of art than the Rothschilds. Be it pieces commissioned or collected, it seems that no part of their lives are not in some way committed to supporting artists, not even when it comes to their wine.
Château Mouton Rothschild is a brand that certainly needs to introduction. The name itself has become synonymous with exceptional produce and has grown to become a sought after wine the world over. And yes, even here, the family has managed to find a way to support the arts.
Each year since 1945, great artists have illustrated the label of Château Mouton Rothschild. These have included the likes of Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Joan Miró, César Baldaccini, Salvador Dalí and Andy Warhol to name but a few. Joining their ranks, having been commissioned to design the label for the 2018 vintage, is the leading Chinese artist Xu Bing.
For his design, the artist based the work on his iconic Square Word Calligraphy. The artwork, although made up of letters from the Latin alphabet, has been masterfully camouflaged and stylised to seemingly make up a part of Chinese characters.
Designed to look like two Chinese characters, the makeup, upon further inspection, clearly reads “Mouton Rothschild” in two words. Commenting on this work, artist Xu Bing said: “I am honoured to have been contacted by the Rothschild Family to imagine the label for the 2018 vintage of Château Mouton Rothschild. My inspiration for creating the label comes from the reality of our lives. Viewers will realise that their existing knowledge no longer works as they view this piece, and it is the same principle they face in today’s world. We are urged to seek a new perspective and pivot our point of view to comprehend what is going on in the world. This concept also applies perfectly to the legacy of Château Mouton Rothschild, behind its name are layers of rich history waiting to be discovered.”
Expanding further on the collaboration, Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild, the Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors, Baron Philippe de Rothschild S.A. said “When I discovered Xu Bing, I was captivated by him as an inventor of signs endowed with incredible poetic power. And then I said to myself that our labels were also signs, each work of art referring to a year: the 1973 vintage can also be called the “Picasso Mouton” as the 2018 vintage will be called the “Xu Bing Mouton”
Bold and concise, yet extremely complex and masterful, the label’s design is the perfect compliment and even mirror to the wine itself. This world where contemporary and seemingly ancient tradition comes together has become the calling card of the Rothchilds themselves.