Beyond the Pour II:
The Creative Process
August 20, 2016 – January 22, 2017
Sol LeWitt, Benziger Print, woodblock print. Image courtesy of Ed Aiona.
Guest curated by artist Bob Nugent, Beyond the Pour II showcases original works of art with a focus on the creative methods artists engage to bring their inspirations to fruition.
For over thirty years, Nugent has commissioned established and emerging visual artists, including Lynn Hershman Leeson, Sol LeWitt, and Catherine Wagner, to create works of art for translation to vintage varietal wine labels for the Imagery Estate Winery. The only artistic requirement Nugent and the Imagery Estate stipulate is the inclusion of the winery’s trademark “Parthenon” image in the finished artwork–not the Athenian Acropolis Temple, but the funky structure that sits on the terraced hillside vineyards overlooking the Benziger Family Ranch in Glen Ellen, California. Notes Nugent, “researching the history of the wine label, concentrating on paper labels produced from the late 18th century to current developments, I discovered that Baron Phillipe de Rothschild had commissioned his first labels from modern artists in the late 1950’s. As payment for the commissioned artwork, he rewarded the artists with five cases of wine from the bottles upon which their artwork was featured and five cases of wine from Rothschild’s private cellar.” The Benziger family decided to adopt a similar policy for the Estate’s program.
Presenting more than 50 original works of art, from photography and works on paper to painting, collage and sculpture, Beyond the Pour II utilizes the ubiquitous wine label to highlight the collection and to provide visitors with unique insights into select artists’ creative methodologies. Through the presentation of video, text, and visual documentation, the exhibition highlights the artistic processes of a number of the featured commissioned artists, from inspiration, conceptualization, execution, to final presentation of the artwork on the estate’s wine labels.
Participating Exhibition Artists: Jenny Honnert Abell, Barton Benes, Tony Berlant, James Brown, Patti Buttitta, Barry Buxkamper, Elaine Coombs, Richard Derwingson, Christel Dillbohner, Dominic DiMare, Ken Edwards, Carlos Estevez, Don and Era Farnsworth, Tom Foolery, John Fraser, Stephen Galloway, Sam Gilliam, Guy Laramée, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Sol LeWitt, Pam Longobardi, Winifred Lutz, Robert McCauley, Robin McCauley, Carrie McGee, Jim Melchert, Kenna Moser, Dann Nardi, Heather Patterson, Judy Pfaff, Otavio Roth, Sylvia Seventy, Alan Shepp, Steven Sorman, Buzz Spector, Monika Steiner, Catherine Wagner, Michelle Word, and Cybele Young.
