De Buris Illustre is a project that is deeply rooted in the richness of the Valpolicella Classica zone and which, by means of images as symbols, speaks of today’s luxury of time, and the cultural heritage of Amarone.
The new vintage of the Tommasi family’s ambitious project is unveiled through the art of illustration, a universal vocabulary which conveys the inherent culture and terroir of this great Amarone.
De Buris means considering a great Amarone as part of a broader cultural project open to new avenues of communication.
Illustration was chosen because it is creative and spontaneous like the design of nature, and necessitates a technical mastery which can be likened to the skill of a winemaker.
The Tommasi family entrusted to four Italian artists – Giacomo Bagnara, Andrea Mongia, Antonio Sortino and Alice Piaggio – the assignment of representing Time, Place and Heritage through the universal language of illustration: hence De Buris Illustre (“Illustrious De Buris”, but also “De Buris Illustrated”).
The focal concept is that of Time, the real luxury of today: each illustrator was given one of the seasons, with the task of interpreting it – seeking inspiration from the time of year itself and showing it in the moments when wine is consumed, in the places that make up De Buris (such as the Villa and the La Groletta vineyard), and in the technical aspects linked to the production of the wine itself – always in line with the artist’s poetic vision.
«With De Buris we wanted to illustrate the handover from one generation to the next, but even more we wanted to celebrate the area to which we belong and where we grew up, not only with a great Amarone but also with a communication project that was innovative for us, aimed at a wide audience and requiring profound contents and values», explains enologist Giancarlo Tommasi.
With the Winter Solstice, we greet and thank Giacomo Bagnara, who took care of the 2009 vintage launch and told the Autumn, and we welcome Andrea Mongia, who with his illustrations will describe Winter colors and emotions.
Andrea Mongia: Whether his approach is narrative or conceptual, he fascinates you with his essential yet refined style, in which the light and colors seem to be fixed in his landscapes and panoramic views with the aim of drawing the observer into the world of his imagination. Freelance illustrator, he lives and works in Rome. He has been selected by Forbes in the 30 under 30 in Art & Culture list. Andrea Mongia’s illustrations have illuminated the pages of The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Guardian, The Economist and multiple books. He has exhibited in Italy and the US and is a member of Studio Pilar, a cultural association and collective of four illustrators.
Giacomo Bagnara: His capacity for synthesis and use of colors, together with a rigorous research on shapes, is what makes Giacomo’s work unique,bold and explosive. Freelance illustrator, collaborates with The New Yorker, The New York Times, Die Zeit, Mondadori, Apple, Sony. His work has been selected and recognized from American Illustration, 3x3Magazine and the Society of Illustrators. He has a degree in Architecture and currently lives and works in Verona.