UK Wins Noilly Prat Sculpture Competition
3 April 2009 | By Popsop Team
One of the most respected and celebrated drinks brands in the world NOILLY PRAT Dry vermouth has announced the winner of the international sculpture competition Le Prix de la Sculpture NOILLY PRAT.
The overall winner Gregory Nordberg, an architecture graduate from University College London, was presented with the prize of €6,000 by renowned French artist Renaud Auguste-Dormeuil for his sculptural concept ‘Madeleine’.
The competition invited emerging artists working with natural materials to create a sculpture, for the beautiful sunny courtyard at the home of NOILLY PRAT in Marseillan, on the edge of the Mediterranean sea.
The intertwining oak shells of the winning sculpture echo the oak casks used in the production process of NOILLY PRAT, where fine wines are aged outdoors exposed to the sun, wind and air of the South of France for 12 months.
When the sculpture is installed in the courtyard at the home of NOILLY PRAT the oak shells will be vulnerable to the effects of weathering over time. The artist will also infuse the oak with the different spices used in the production of NOILLY PRAT, imparting a unique scent into the air.
Representing the judging panel, Henri-Jobbé Duval, Director of ArtParis, was full of praise for the winning artist’s sculpture: “What we loved was the fusion between tradition and modernity. Through craftsmanship the artist has created an ambitious sculptural form – one you smell as well as see and touch. ‘Madeleine’ creates a sensory space for reverie.”
The Prix de la Sculpture awards presentation took place at the ArtParis exhibition, which is staged each year in the beautiful turn of the century Grand Palais building, with its stunning art deco vaulted glass and iron roof and classic stone façade. The winning artist receives a commissioning budget of €22,000 to produce the final sculpture.
The Prix de la Sculpture is a key initiative of the Académie NOILLY PRAT set up to encourage, reward and support emerging artists working in the field of sculpture.
Masterfully handcrafted in the South of France for almost 200 years, NOILLY PRAT owes much of its unique flavour to the climate of this area. The production process makes NOILLY PRAT a work of art in its own right: aged outdoors in oak barrels, it takes over two years to create a single drop of this classic French aperitif.
The two other finalist artists in le Prix de la Sculpture NOILLY PRAT were Susan Begy, a Masters Fine Art student at the School of Visual Arts in New York and Ariane Schick, who is studying art at L’Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. All three finalists presented their sculpture concepts to a high profile panel of judges from the art world.
Popsop.com
Tags: alcohol drinks, Bacardi, Noilly Prat
