Since 1945, the Château Mouton Rothschild wine estate has commissioned an artist ever year to design the label for each new vintage. Euronews Culture spoke with Julien De Beaumarchais De Rothschild to discuss his family's long-standing tradition.
ADVERTISEMENTNearly a century ago, Baron Philippe de Rothschild, who inherited the Château Mouton Rothschild in 1922, conceived the idea of transforming the prestigious estate's wine labels into miniature works of art.
In 1924, French graphic designer Jean Carlu became the first artist to be commissioned to create an original artwork to illustrate a vintage label.
The concept took full flight in 1945 after the war, with each subsequent year featuring labels created by the likes of Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Salvador Dalì, Francis Bacon, and Anish Kapoor. The list of art world titans goes on.
King Charles III himself even dipped his royal brush into the mix with a watercolour landscape for the 2004 Mouton label.
Fast forward to the present and the tradition is still thriving. The estate's latest vintage, Château Mouton Rothschild 2021, features an original artwork created by Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota.
Euronews Culture spoke with Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild, a sixth-generation family member and the co-owner of the Château Mouton Rothschild, to learn more about the historic 'Paintings for the Labels' initiative, as well as Shiota's recent contribution.
Euronews Culture: Can you tell us about the significance and history of the "Paintings for the Labels" initiative at Chateau Mouton Rothschild, and how it has evolved?
Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild: Initially, when the story of Château Mouton Rothschild and art began in 1924, the intention was not to associate a great artist with the label but rather to celebrate the birth of a revolutionary initiative: the first vintage to be entirely bottled at the estate, on the insistence of my grandfather Baron Philippe de Rothschild.
To give his decision an eye-catching visual dimension he commissioned the design for the label from the poster artist Jean Carlu (1900-1996). The result is one of the most successful examples of the influence of Cubism in the applied arts. The label, with its strikingly modern illustration, was ahead of its time and met with disapproval. But Baron Philippe was not one to let go of an idea lightly and 1945 brought a new opportunity, this time to celebrate an event of global significance: the return of peace. He decided to crown the label for the vintage with the “V” for Victory, drawn by the young painter Philippe Jullian. My grandfather very soon realised that no event could unite people as much as the end of a world war and was wise enough to move on from celebrating the history of humankind to contributing to the history of art. So an exceptional event in 1945 gave birth to a tradition, and since 1946 a different artist has been invited each year to create an original artwork for the vintage.
Baron Philippe initially chose the painters from among his own circle of friends, such as Jean Hugo, Léonor Fini and Jean Cocteau. Then in 1955 Georges Braque himself agreed to illustrate the vintage. He was subsequently joined by the greatest artists of our time, including Dalì, César, Miró, Chagall, Picasso, Warhol, Soulages, Bacon, Balthus, Tàpies, Jeff Koons and, more recently, Peter Doig and Chiharu Shiota. Over a period spanning more than 75 vintages, they have formed a fascinating collection to which a new work is added each year.
The collaboration with different artists for the wine labels has been a tradition since 1945. How do you approach the selection of artists each year, and what criteria do you consider in making these choices?
The artists we commission are as eminent in the art world as Mouton Rothschild is in the wine world, which explains our policy of only approaching those who are already world-famous. But we must also like their work. The choice of artist is a family decision, made with my sister Camille Sereys de Rothschild and my brother Philippe Sereys de Rothschild, co-owners with me of Château Mouton Rothschild.
Our mother, Baroness Philippine de Rothschild (1933-2014) used to give the following answer to this question, which still holds true today: “I have no particular method or five-year plan: my choice is based on my enthusiasm for an artist’s work. I always establish a personal relationship with them, which often turns into friendship, because I deeply love the art of the painter I ask, and for me each work is an expression of the artist’s love for Mouton and its magic.”
If you had to choose, which artist's label stands out the most to you? Do you have a personal favourite among them?
The most recent one is always my favourite! Seriously, though, each label for Château Mouton Rothschild is exciting, each one has its own story and each one is unique. That makes it impossible for me to choose.
What role do you personally play in the collaboration process with artists, particularly in the creation of the label artwork? How much creative freedom do the artists have?
Since Baroness Philippine’s death in 2014, I have been responsible for Château Mouton Rothschild’s artistic and cultural activity. In that capacity, I am more particularly responsible for initiating and maintaining relations with the artist who, each year, creates an original artwork to illustrate the label for Château Mouton Rothschild.
This year, the famous Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota accepted our invitation to illustrate the label for the 2021 vintage.
ADVERTISEMENTArtists are not given any particular instructions when they create a label for Château Mouton Rothschild: they have entire creative freedom. That being said, many artists have chosen to base their illustration, each in their own way, on subjects related to Mouton, such as the ram, the vine or wine.
Can you share the thought process behind commissioning Shiota for this particular year, and what qualities in her work aligned with the essence of Chateau Mouton Rothschild?
There is no link between the choice of artist and the vintage. We choose the artist before the particular qualities of “their” vintage are known and they have complete creative freedom. As a result, the annual encounter between the wine and the artwork has all the attraction of the unexpected, even for me.
When Chiharu Shiota came to Mouton, she deeply felt the vital connection between humans and nature, which comes across so well in her drawing “Universe of Mouton”, showing both humility and determination. Humility can be seen in the fragile human figure that faces both nature, as generous as it is unpredictable, and the demands of a magnificent terroir. Getting the best out of them takes constant effort, a determination to stay on top all year round represented by the four threads symbolising the four seasons. These, I believe, are the values and the philosophy needed to make a truly great wine such as Mouton Rothschild.
The Great Barrel Hall at Chateau Mouton Rothschild is mentioned as the place where the wine is matured in new French oak barrels. How does the physical setting of the estate influence or inspire the artistic choices made for the wine labels?
ADVERTISEMENTIt is very important for us that the artist we choose should come and spend some time at Château Mouton Rothschild in order to meet the people who work there and to get a feel for the place, a better understanding of our history, of our terroir and of the way we make our wine. Their stay at Mouton is often a source of inspiration that the artist expresses in their work for the label.
Following her visit at Château Mouton Rothschild, Chiharu Shiota told us: “When I visited Château Mouton Rothschild, I was very inspired by their relationship with nature. They depend on the weather and do not interfere with mother nature. They accept the conditions in which the grapes grow. I think Mouton is holding on to the balance of human and nature.”
