Mouton Rothschild

Baron Philippe de Rothschild first became involved in the family's wine production in 1922 and became proprietor upon the death of his father in 1947. The brand produces some of the finest wine available, but there's plenty of that around: more importantly, Baron Philippe developed the notion of incorporating the product with the most prestigious contemporary art by commissioning artists' labels.

Some of the participants: 1955 Braque;  1958 Dali; 1964 Henry Moore; 1969 Miró; 1979 Chagall; 1973 Picasso; 1975 Warhol. The 1993 nude by Balthus was banned in the USA and therefore released there with a blank label.

Regrettably, Mondrian's death in 1944 excluded him from the process. Had he lived a few years longer, he would surely have been invited to participate and produce a label. I had to fake this one.

There's a terrific source on the real labels here, images here and a good book, Mouton Rothschild: Paintings for the Labels, 1945-81, available at sensible prices second-hand.

Mark Caywood

Mark is the most creative of the Mondrian homagistes with two (or three) entries on the homage pages.

Three Hotels on Broadway Boogie-Woogie - 1949 (oil on canvas, 56x46 inches) echoes the 1940s New York pictures.


Jail Cell, Designed by Piet Mondrian
(Cement, Desk, Bed, Iron Bars: painted and furnished in 1941) evokes New York City, 1942 more directly.



 




Reitveld rather than Mondrian, but still De Stijl,  Red & Blue Electric Chair (Plywood, pine, leather, electric wires, 4' x 2') continues the theme of incarceration.




Mark's descriptions of the pieces is as witty as the pictures themselves and he also writes perceptively and acerbically on art and particularly art institutions. Mark's work is shown here.