SKYY Spirits News

Three Internationally Renowned Artists Reinterpret Campari’s Famous Bottle Label to Help Celebrate the Italian Aperitif’s Sesquicentennial 

Sesto San Giovanni, Italy (March 3, 2010) – As part of the brand’s 150-year anniversary celebration, Campari® announced today it is reinterpreting the label of the world’s most popular aperitif.  Italy’s most famous red spirit has enlisted three contemporary international artists: avaf, Tobias Rehberger and Vanessa Beecroft, for the Campari Art Label Project, a collaborative initiative which highlights the long-standing relationship between the brand and the art world.   A great gift for fans of the visual arts and Campari aficionados, these limited-edition works of art will be on shelves in selected cities for a limited time starting in March worldwide and in July in the US. 

The Campari Art Label project, curated by Caroline Corbetta, offered the three artists the possibility to express their own personal interpretations of Campari in designing the custom labels.  Inspired by the essence of the spirit’s red hue and from various milestones achieved by this internationally famous aperitif, the artists created three different art works featuring three diverse aesthetic identities. 

“This project represents the occasion to give a memento of our 150-year anniversary to our consumers,” says Cesare Vandini, Group Marketing Director, Gruppo Campari. “This milestone anniversary is a starting point not a finishing post. Tradition has allowed us to look at Campari as a continuously evolving brand and our goal is to continue to establish ourselves as a pioneering brand, dictating and interpreting new trends and cultures.” 

For the initiative, Campari selected artists who had already participated in some of the world’s most prestigious art exhibitions, from the Venice Biennale and the Bienal de São Paulo, to several art shows at the most renowned art organizations such as the MoMA, the Guggenheim in New York, the Moderna Museet in Stockholm and the Kunsthalle in Basel.  Campari gave these artists the task of delivering a message that goes beyond the language of art and the end result is three different but complementary labels that together create an exclusive collection that touches upon a variety of facets from the brand’s rich history. 

avaf, an art collective self-described as “nomads,” presents an extravagant and hybrid artwork; a typical example of their style. Their interpretation translated into a strong and independent female image, a cross-breed between the jazz singer Nina Simone and the Egyptian queen Nefertiti: “We wanted to enrich the Campari female world,” explains avaf, “to create something like a goddess, an icon.” Like Campari, avaf’s identity is a secret to almost the entire world; Campari’s recipe has been a highly-guarded secret since its creation, known only to those few involved in the production process, and this collective’s identity is also shrouded in mystery – only one spokesman appears in public and is always disguised by masks created by the artists of the group. 

Vanessa Beecroft, a well-known artist celebrated for her performances and her watercolours, also expressed her own passion for Campari by focusing on the female image, coherent with a frequent theme in Beecroft’s work that uses women’s prototypes to project the artist’s own image. The artist imagined an ethereal female character wrapped in a fantastic head of hair, red, like the glass of Campari she is holding. “A symbol of beauty, elegance and charm, gifts that Campari has been giving to the public for 150 years,” describes Beecroft. 

Artist Tobias Rehberger rounds out the artistic trio, bringing his neo-rationalist world to life by means of digital design. Rehberger’s Campari label is built around the concept of a “magic potion,” a “bewitched beverage” emphasized by the bright colours employed in his art work. “My work is abstract and it is open to various interpretations, like Campari. Similarly to my work, Campari is like no other existing drink: it is unique and recognizable even when mixed in cocktails. My works are alike for their uniqueness,” says Rehberger. 

The Campari bottles with the artistic label will be available in 750 ml and 1 L sizes in selected markets, beginning in late July 2010. 

Note to Editors

For additional information on Campari, please the visit Brands History page

www.camparigroup.com/en/press_media/history_communication/campari_html.jsp

To download high resolution images of Campari Art Label, please visit

www.camparigroup.com/en/press_media/image_gallery/campari_download.jsp 

About Gruppo Campari

Gruppo Campari is a major player in the global beverage sector, trading in over 190 nations around the world with a leading position in the Italian and Brazilian markets and a strong presence in the US and Continental Europe. The Group has an extensive portfolio that spans three business segments: spirits, wines and soft drinks. In the spirits segment its internationally renowned brands, such as Campari and SKYY Vodka, stand out. It also has leading regional brands including Aperol, Cabo Wabo, Camparisoda, Cynar, Glen Grant, Ouzo 12, Zedda Piras, X-Rated and the local Brazilian brands Dreher, Old Eight and Drury’s. Its wine segment boasts the global brand Cinzano, as well as important regional brands including Liebfraumilch, Mondoro, Odessa, Riccadonna, Sella & Mosca and Teruzzi & Puthod. The soft drinks segment comprises the non-alcoholic aperitif Crodino and Lemonsoda as well as its respective line extension dominating the Italian market. The Group employs over 2,000 people. The shares of the parent company, Davide Campari-Milano, are listed on the Italian Stock Exchange. www.camparigroup.com. 

About Skyy Spirits, LLC
Skyy Spirits, LLC is the US-based wholly owned subsidiary of Gruppo Campari (Reuters CPRI.MI – Bloomberg CPR IM) and the definitive marketer and distributor of super-premium and luxury spirits brands in North America.  Launched in 1992 with the introduction of its flagship brand, SKYY® Vodka, Skyy Spirits has grown exponentially, building a portfolio unrivaled in its quality, innovation and style, making it a top choice among distributors, retailers and consumers.  Skyy Spirits manages Gruppo Campari’s portfolio in the US of such leading brands as SKYY® Vodka, SKYY90®, SKYY Infusions®, Campari®, Wild Turkey® Straight Kentucky Bourbon, American Honey®, Russell’s Reserve®, Cabo Wabo® Tequila, Ouzo 12®, X-Rated® Fusion Liqueur® and Jean-Marc XO Vodka®.  Skyy Spirits is also the exclusive US distributor of Cutty Sark® Scotch Whisky, The Glenrothes® Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Bowmore® Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Auchentoshan® Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Glen Garioch® Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Flor de Caña® Rum, Carolans Irish Cream®, Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey®, Irish Mist® Liqueur, Midori® Melon Liqueur, ZEN Green Tea Liqueur ^TM, Hibiki® Whisky and The Yamazaki® Single Malt Whisky. 

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