Ornellaia’s Vendemmia d’Artista project continues to support the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and Museum
Bolgheri, Italy, June 12, 2024 – Bolgheri wine estate Ornellaia has announced that this year’s Vendemmia d’Artista project is concluding with a donation in favor of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. Ornellaia estate, with the support of the charity auction organized by Sotheby’s, has donated $325,000 to the Mind’s Eye program, which increases accessibility to art for people who are blind or have low vision through multisensory exploration.
A series of large formats of Ornellaia Vendemmia d’Artista 2021 La Generosità, created by Marinella Senatore, have been sold during a dedicated charity auction organized by Sotheby’s. The Italian artist has used the language of collages and light to interpret the character of the 2021 vintage.
She says: “The sense of care and belonging that is implicit in generosity is the bedrock of what becomes cohabitation. Generosity and cooperation, coexistence and, lastly, participation: these have always been the core concepts of my research. For the labels,” she continues, “I used the collage technique that I love so much and that enables me to organize many details, images, energy flows and thoughts on a piece of paper. The labels were conceived as a set of collages, which describes the land, the generosity of its traits, and the relationship between the land, energy and human beings.”
President Lamberto Frescobaldi remarks: “I would like to thank both Sotheby’s, which has been a partner of this project for years, and all the collectors who took part in the auction. We are proud to support Mind’s Eye and to see this project grow year after year, involving more and more people from all over the world.”
The Mind’s Eye program is now active in the Guggenheim museums in Venice, New York and Bilbao. Cyra Levenson, Deputy Director, Education and Public Engagement, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, explains: “With Ornellaia’s Global Partnership and support, the Mind’s Eye program is now an international initiative, providing a way to experience the Guggenheim’s one-of-a-kind architectural sites and inspiring collections in the digital space for anyone anywhere.“
Art and wine share the experience of all the senses. By donating the funds raised by Vendemmia d’Artista to the Mind’s Eye program, Ornellaia underlines the shared value and importance of having an active stakeholder in today’s cultural and social community.
About Ornellaia
The name ORNELLAIA evokes the authentic expression of Tuscan beauty and Mediterranean elegance. The estate is situated along the Tuscan coast, a short distance from the medieval town of Bolgheri and its iconic cypress-lined approach. Ornellaia Bolgheri DOC Superiore and Ornellaia Bianco are the estate’s top wines, ensued by the second vin Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia Bolgheri DOC Rosso, Le Volte dell’Ornellaia and the white Poggio alle Gazze dell’Ornellaia. The team’s dedication, in addition to optimal geological characteristics and an exemplary microclimate, has resulted in critical acclaim and public success.
About Ornellaia Vendemmia d’Artista
The Ornellaia Vendemmia d’Artista project celebrates the character of each new vintage of Ornellaia. Starting with the 2006 vintage, every year a contemporary artist is invited to create a site-specific work and a set of limited-edition labels based on a word chosen by the technical team to describe the vintage. In every case of Ornellaia, one of the six 750ml bottles will include a label crafted by the artist, while the project also includes 111 limited-edition, large-format bottles – 100 Jeroboam (3 liters), 10 Imperial (6 liters) and 1 Salmanazar (9 liters), all numbered and signed by the artist. Every year, a selection of these bottles is auctioned by Sotheby’s and the profits are donated to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation’s “Mind’s Eye” program.
About The Mind’s Eye program
The Mind’s Eye program, which was created and developed by the Guggenheim’s Education Department, offers a sensory-focused approach to experiencing art for visitors who are blind or have low vision. With the support of all departments across the Museum, Mind’s Eye programming includes vivid verbal descriptions of artworks, sensory objects, artmaking, participatory activities, and lively conversation. As with art, the appreciation of fine wines requires engagement of all the senses. Sharing this idea inspired Ornellaia to support the development of this program. Donations collected through Ornellaia’s Vendemmia d’Artista project enable the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation to further develop the Mind’s Eye program, including the global expansion of Mind’s Eye audio resources across the Guggenheim’s constellation of museums in New York, Venice, and Bilbao.
