News Release, 3 August 2012 For immediate release
Ben Timmins wins Winesale.co.nz Wine Label Award
The winner of the $10,000 Winesale.co.nz Wine Label Art Award 2012 is Paekakariki artist Ben Timmins. The Award was
announced last night at the 2012 New Zealand Art Show’s Gala Evening attended by over 1,500 people.
Yesterday, Winesale.co.nz representatives viewed some 3,000 artworks by 420 artists before choosing to award this year’s
Wine Label Art Award to Ben for his painting ‘Perry’.
Ben won the Signature Piece Art Award at last year’s New Zealand Art Show and has exhibited at the Show since 2007. His
paintings are larger works, often featuring birds, on natural wood grain panels, framed with a copper band.
The winesale.co.nz Wine Label Award is open to any artist whose work is selected for exhibition at the New Zealand Art
Show. Winesale.co.nz’s General Manager Michael Mebus created the award concept. Michael is a Wairarapa winemaker, an art
collector and General Manager of Winesale.co.nz.
Michael Mebus said, “Perry will feature on the label of two wines, a Martinborough Pinot Noir and a Marlborough
Sauvignon Blanc. Five thousand bottles of each varietal will be produced in time for Christmas and be named the
‘Timmins’ Wine Series.”
The ‘Timmins’ Series wines will be sold online by winesale.co.nz and the New Zealand Art Show website, and be available
at the Museum Hotel’s Hippopotamus restaurant.
This prestigious Award aims to promote the work of emerging New Zealand artists, provide national recognition for the
winning artist and highlight the relationship between fine wine and fine art. This is the third year Winesale.co.nz have
offered the Wine Label Art Award. Last year’s winner was Auckland artist Belinda Griffith whose painting ‘Breeze’ took
out the award and in 2010 the winner was Seatoun artist Richard Thurston.
Art and wine have a long association. Since 1924, Chateau Mouton Rothschild has commissioned a contemporary artist to
create an original work to illustrate its label. Artists commissioned have included Salvador Dali 1958, Henry Moore
1964, Joan Miro 1969, Marc Chagall 1970, Pablo Picasso 1973 and Andy Warhol 1975.
The Winesale.co.nz Wine Label Award builds on this association between wine and art, but aims to assist an emerging New
Zealand artist rather than reward an established name.
Michael Mebus said, “We salute Ben, making great wine takes time and passion, just like great art. This Award is a
celebration of the natural association between art and wine, and winesale.co.nz is pleased to be able to sponsor this
Award. We are committed to support the New Zealand Art Show and, through the Wine Label Award, helping this country’s
emerging artists develop their art and careers.”
ENDS
.