The Antinori nel Chianti Classico winery is the symbol that represents the deep rooted bond between the Antinori family and their passion for the fine arts: painting, sculpture, architecture and of course the art of turning the fruits of the earth into fine wines – a tradition that dates back to 1385.
For over 600 years the Marchesi Antinori family name has been synonymous with excellence in the art of winemaking and as a passionate patron of the arts. These two apparently different areas of interest have actually progressed together in parallel. The Antinori family has often entrusted to the fine arts the responsibility of narrating their family values and history; the family coat of arms is a masterpiece from the beginning of the 1500s made by sculptor Giovanni Della Robbia in his Florentine workshop. Most recently, for the inauguration of the new winery in 2012, a monumental and innovative architectural achievement built into the Chianti hillside, part of the family’s art collection was moved to the new museum area. Paintings, ceramics, valuable textiles and antique manuscripts were brought from historic Palazzo Antinori in Florence to the new location making it accessible to all those visitors who come to the Chianti Classico region year-round who seek local tasting events and unique sensory experiences. In order to create a framework to further promote projects devoted to the visual arts of our own era, the family launched the Antinori Art Project, based on the idea of continuing the family’s tradition of collecting art but focusing on contemporary art and artists. The Antinori Art Project is a platform for contemporary art installations, exhibitions and seminars organized together with well-known and respected curators all under one single organization.
In addition to the museum area where the family’s historic art collection is shown, shown as part of the guided tour of the new winery, a special program was introduced that commissions site-specific installations on an annual basis from young yet already successful artists who play a leading role in both the national and international art scene.
During 2012/2013, Chiara Parisi curated projects that involved artists Yona Friedman, Rosa Barba and Jean-Baptiste Decavèle.
Ilaria Bonacossa became artistic director of the project in 2014 and under her guidance numerous AAP projects were realized: artist Tomàs Saraceno designed the piece “Biosphere 06, cluster of 3” that is exhibited in the vertical internal stairwell located inside the winery; in 2015 she curated the exhibition “Still Life Remix” dedicated to the timeless theme of still life art; the installation of artist Giorgio Andreotta Calò’s work “Clessidra”; in 2016 the acquisition of Nicolas Party’s site-specific installation “Giant Fruit”; the commissioning of the sculpture “Portal del Angelo” by Jorge Peris, a precarious arc de triumph created using found local materials such as antique terracotta amphorae used for preserving olive oil.
