New York – Bonhams, in partnership with Ornellaia, one of Italy's most esteemed and influential wine estates, will host an auction featuring large-format bottles of Vendemmia d'Artista 2022 "La Determinazione," adorned with labels designed by acclaimed Cameroonian artist Pascale Marthine Tayou (b. 1967), running from June 12 to 24. Ornellaia has committed its sale proceeds from the June 2025 Vendemmia d'Artista auction to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation to support the upcoming exhibition titled Collections in Focus: Modern European Currents, which will open July 2025 at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. The funds are intended to assist with the conservation of remarkable artworks from the Guggenheim collection.

Since the release of its 2006 vintage, Ornellaia has upheld the tradition of selecting a contemporary artist for its Vendemmia d'Artista project to create a work of art for the estate and a series of limited-edition labels, inspired by a word chosen by the estate's winemaker to describe the new vintage. With the labels designed by Pascale Marthine Tayou to celebrate Ornellaia 2022 "La Determinazione," the artist remained faithful to his practice intrinsically linked with the materiality of colour and the joy of living. His oeuvre stands out for its variability, unrestricted by a single medium or a particular set of themes. For 2022 vintage, Tayou focused on the life cycle of the plant, starting with the seed, its germination and resilience in adapting to the climate in order to flower and bear fruit.

"We are proud to present Vendemmia d'Artista for the first time at Bonhams — a landmark auction where the worlds of fine wine, contemporary art, and philanthropy converge. This extraordinary collaboration with Ornellaia not only offers collectors access to one-of-a-kind bottles, but also supports the Guggenheim Museum in New York, furthering the shared mission of enriching culture globally. It's an honor to bring this vision to the international stage," commented Amayès Aouli, Global Head of Wine & Spirits, Bonhams.

Tayou's concept for the vintage character is vividly expressed throughout the fourteen unique lots offered in the sale. For the Double Magnums, Tayou took a photograph that depicts a plant growing in a desert area, emerging through the cracks in the soil. Each label is unique, like a sequence that shows the various stages of the plant as it manages to sprout with determination. Meanwhile, the 10 Imperials (6 litre), with estimates starting at $9,000 and reaching up to $17,000, and the sole Salmanazar (9 litre), estimated between $15,000 – 25,000, become sculptures with textile artworks reclaimed from recycled materials forming uniquely crafted colorful patchwork cases. For the 750ml label, estimated at $5,000 – 8,000, the artist created a design based on concentric circles formed by a series of signs of different colors. These represent the energy generated by the union of many individual elements when they form a single whole.

Pascale Marthine Tayou commented, "For me, determination is a form of commitment and courage. It could even be related to resilience and resistance. Artistically, I was in a determined mental state, so I used materials and a technique that would push me to focus on their repetition as I was seeking some kind of poetry. I wanted to consider determination from the point of view of the relationship between humans and nature, and the environment in its broadest sense."

"It moved me to see the way in which Pascale Marthine Tayou had interpreted the vintage character La Determinazione (Determination)," commented Lamberto Frescobaldi, President of the group. "His art demonstrates how courage and resilience always bring joy within reach. His vision remains close to the wine world where the ties between humans and nature form the basis of everything we do."