London auction will delight collectors

Philippe Sereys de Rothschild, the head of French wine empire Chateaux Mouton Rothschild, is on a mission to help restore one of France’s most historic and significant landmarks, the Palace of Versailles.

The French winery has teamed up with the palace situated just outside Paris to auction 75 limited-edition celebration wine cases featuring five Chateau Mouton Rothschild vintages with the proceeds going towards the restoration.

Each of the bottle’s labels are designed by contemporary artists who have also exhibited at the Palace,Giuseppe Penone, Bernar Venet, Anish Kapoor, Jeff Koons and Lee Ufan.

“The idea of the partnership came from the president of the Palace of Versailles, Catherine Pegard,”Sereys de Rothschild told China Daily.“The five artists have done contemporary art exhibitions in Versailles and to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the link between contemporary artists to Versailles, they asked us if we could do this special case with them.”

Sereys de Rothschild wanted a part in the restoration of the Palace because“Versailles is part of everybody’s history.

“Restoring Versailles is a never-ending process, once you finish one end, you have to start again in the other,”he said.“It’s a huge adventure to restore this incredible palace and all the profits will go to Versailles.”

The money raised will assist in the conservation and restoration of the royal apartments and certain fountains in the Grand Trianon.