Born in Moscow, Serge Poliakoff (1900-1969) was forced to leave Russia by the Revolution of 1919, and spent time in Turkey and various European cities before he settled in Paris in 1923, where he met Kandinsky. He was also influenced by the colour theory of Robert and Sonia Delaunay. From 1945 he found his own personal style: highly organised, almost architectural planes of colour in the form of irregular polygons, their colours sometimes violently contrasted, sometimes closely related. Despite its austerity, his brushwork produces effects of surprising depth.

Balance, colour, richness: his work for the Mouton Rothschild 1972 label has all the qualities of a great wine.