“Artists for Frescobaldi”: bronzes looking at the vineyards and a “figurehead of the rows”

Gilded bronze sculptures that look out over the vineyards from the overlooks of the Estate, evoking in their simple and essential gestures the different stages of the life of wine, from fermentation to must transformation to maturation, and emphasizing the harmonious relationship between human beings, landscape and nature, and a seasoned oak figurehead at the head of the rows, like the female figures of marine and mythological character on the prow of ancient sailing ships demonstrating the wealth of the owner, immortalized in a pensive expression turned in the direction of the sea, positioned with the intent to surprise the visitor with their unexpected presence in a vineyard. They are Daniela De Lorenzo’s “Sogno sottile” (2023) and Massimo Bartolini’s “Rosa Sirena” (2022-2023), the new works in “Artisti per Frescobaldi”, the project that continues the historic Italian wine family Marchesi Frescobaldi’s centuries-old tradition of art commissions, from the Renaissance to contemporary art, created at the culmination of an artistic residency and which, as of today, enrich the site-spefic collection of the Tenuta di CastelGiocondo estate in Montalcino, and will become a brand new label for a limited and numbered edition of 111 bottles of Brunello di Montalcino 2018 d’artista, to be presented in September 2023.
Now in its 6th edition, “Artists for Frescobaldi”, conceived by Tiziana Frescobaldi and curated by Ludovico Pratesi, revolutionizes and imparts a new course to its tradition. Embracing the legacy of the post-pandemic period and the consequent challenge of an overall rethinking of its role without disregarding its own history, the project goes to the essence of its rationale and, from an International Prize, becomes a commission, consistent with the goal of generating an artistic program dedicated to the most interesting voices of our time. With this formula Frescobaldi this year wants to give greater impetus to the dialogue with the specificity of the place to which the works are destined, establishing an original, unprecedented and specific relationship entrusted to two exceptional artists.
Inspired by the link between art, wine and nature, the unpublished and site-specific works of Daniela De Lorenzo (Florence, 1959) and Massimo Bartolini (Cecina, 1962), protagonists of the contemporary horizon linked to the Tuscan territory, are included in the artistic program with the intention of emphasizing the dialogue with the soul of CastelGiocondo, a place historically devoted to wine production, and to return a unique narrative that evokes the multiple links between art, nature and wine. Indeed, the beating heart of the project is the relationship with the CastelGiocondo wine estate, owned by the Frescobaldi family since 1989. With its 235 hectares planted with vineyards, the estate is famous for starting the production of Brunello di Montalcino in the early 19th century and is an institution of Italian wine production. Its landscapes combine precious natural vistas with the latest innovations in wine production and constant care for the natural environment, in a unique blend that contemporary art is called upon to interpret.
In the wake of the legacy of a long tradition of patronage, which has seen the Frescobaldi family flank illustrious artists such as Filippo Brunelleschi and Donatello over the centuries, the “Artists for Frescobaldi” project is rooted in the firm belief that today, as in the past, art has the capacity to represent and change the present, inspiring new generations. The newly commissioned works become part of the “Artists for Frescobaldi Collection”, joining the works of artists who have taken part in previous editions, from Erica Mahinay to Andrew Dadson, from Gian Maria Tosatti to Claudia Comte, from Sonia Kacem to Francesco Arena, from Patrizio di Massimo to Eric Wesley, from Michael Sailstorfer to Jorinde Voigt, from Yuri Ancarani, from Elisa Sighicelli to Giovanni Ozzola, from Rä Di Martino to Matthew Brannon, and which have become the labels for a unique collection of Brunello di Montalcino d’artista.