Each year, Château Mouton Rothschild invites a leading international artist to reinterpret the tradition of wine labels, fusing art, craftsmanship, and viniculture in one iconic design.
Celebrated for her monumental sculptures and installations, Joana Vasconcelos is the first Portuguese artist entrusted with this creative task since the tradition started in 1924 and solidified in 1945. Known for her playful use of fiber and contemporary references paired with a joyful palette, Vasconcelos usually works at a grand scale… But for the 2023 vintage of Mouton Rothschild, she condensed her immersive visual universe into the compact, intimate space of a wine label.
Titled “Paraíso”, Vasconcelos’ vision offers a colorful blend of art, craft, and tradition. The design centers on a stylized bunch of grapes, encircled by swirling forms that represent four essential elements: earth, water, sunshine, and a starry night. These motifs pay tribute to the natural forces that shape each vintage into a Grand Cru under Pauillac’s sun, near Bordeaux. To the left, a purple triangle represents the guiding hand of the winemaker that embodies the union of technique and terroir, urging us to protect the fragile balance between nature and mankind.
While “Paraíso” was made with the French terroir in mind, it fits in Vasconcelos’ thematic exploration of everyday objects and the interface between beauty and utility. Her large-scale installations and crochet works, like her tentacular Valkyries which have sprawled over the world’s most revered institutions, including the Château de Versailles, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, and Boston MassArt, reveal an ability to turn historic settings into immersive environments.
Château Mouton Rothschild’s label tradition is legendary, with past contributors reading like a who’s-who of Modern Art, from Pablo Picasso to David Hockney, Olafur Eliasson, and Annette Messager, among others. Tapped by Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild, in charge of the artistic projects of the Maison, Vasconcelos brings a sense of joy that follows in the footsteps of the ongoing dialogue between art and wine.
As every label is unique each year, the 2023 vintage goes beyond an artistic expression on its own. It is a collector’s item, and living proof that tradition and innovation thrive best when they meet, ideally over a glass of Mouton Rothschild.
About the artist
Born in 1971, Joana Vasconcelos is a Portuguese visual artist with a career spanning over 30 years and
a huge variety of media. Recognised for her monumental sculptures and immersive installations, she
decontextualises everyday objects and updates the arts and crafts concept for the 21st century,
establishing a dialogue between the private sphere and public space, popular heritage and refined
culture. She questions the status of women, consumer society and collective identity with humour and
irony.
International acclaim arrived in 2005 with The Bride at the first Venice Biennale curated by women where she has returned three times to date. In 2013 at the helm of Trafaria Praia she represented Portugal as the first ever floating pavilion at the event. She was the first woman and youngest artist to exhibit at the Palace of Versailles. In 2012 her exhibition was the most visited in France in 50 years. In 2018 she became the first Portuguese artist to have an individual exhibition at Guggenheim Bilbao. In 2023 she
was granted the honour to exhibit at the Uffizi Galleries and Pitti Palace in Florence alongside classical masters such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo or Caravaggio. Her Wedding Cake for Waddesdon Manor was considered “the first wholeheartedly joyful artistic masterpiece of the 21st century” by The Guardian and came second in its “best art and architecture” 2023 list.
Her artworks have also graced exhibits around the world such as Grassi Palace in Venice, Thyssen- Bornemisza, Royal Academy of Arts in London, Manchester Art Gallery, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Kunsthal Rotterdam, São Paulo’s CCBB and Pinacoteca, Istanbul Modern, Garage Centre for Contemporary Culture in Moscow, Le Centquatre and La Monnaie Paris, Palais de Tokyo and
Hermitage. They also feature in several private collections.
She received the rank of Commander of the Order of Infante D. Henrique by the Presidency of the Portuguese Republic in 2009 and became an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Culture in 2022. She manages the Joana Vasconcelos Studio with over 50 employees since 2006 and founded the Joana Vasconcelos Foundation in 2012 to support social causes, grant scholarships and promote art for all.
