Mouton Rothschild reveals 2016 label by William Kentridge

Château Mouton Rothschild has commissioned South African artist William Kentridge to design the label for its 2016 vintage grand vin. See the design in full below.

Kentridge has created an artwork named ‘The Triumphs of Bacchus’ and involving a series of silhouettes for the Mouton Rothschild 2016 label.

The Pauillac estate has commissioned an artist to design every grand vin vintage label since 1945, having first started the concept in 1924.

Mouton said that Kentridge, who was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1955, was ‘the first world-famous artist from the African continent to illustrate a Mouton label’.

Kentridge’s label design shows a variety of silhouettes of Bacchus in what the first growth Château described as a joyful procession.

The work was inspired by Bacchic characters from the paintings of great artists, from Titian to Matisse, Mouton said.

The label in full

One of the art forms most closely associated with Kentridge is the creation of animated film using charcoal drawings or black-card cut-outs, Mouton said.

Kentridge has also become well-known for a variety of art forms, including sculpture and theatre.

There has been a political edge to several of his works.

Kentridge recently exhibited his ‘The Head and the Load’ artwork at the Tate Modern in London. Involving film projections, mechanised sculptures and music, the artwork told the story of African porters and carriers who served European powers in the First World War.

This year’s wine label follows the design by German artist Gerhard Richter for the Mouton 2015 vintage.