illy and the Arts

illy is a leader in arts and culture

Since 1992, illy has also fostered an obsession among collectors with its signed, limited edition artist series of espresso and cappuccino cups. The list reads like a veritable who's who of world famous artists: Louise Bourgeois, David Byrne, Francis Ford Coppola, Federico Fellini, Jeff Koons, Nam June Paik, Robert Rauschenberg, James Rosenquist and Julian Schnabel are just a few of the amazing alum who have made the illy signature on the cup an object of art with each artist using the illy cup as if it was an actual wall on which to express individual personal, expressional and conceptual artistic styles.

Illy values its artist relationships, which go beyond the illy cup collections. The illy logo, designed by artist James Rosenquist, has become a true reflection of the overall artistic values for the illy brand and was created in a specific brilliant red color that is now affiliated with all things illy. Illy continues its support of art and culture with involvement in worldwide art and design events, including an active sponsorship in the Armory Show, an annual international art fair devoted exclusively to contemporary art, and participation with events at the international level such as the Biennale International Art Exhibit. Decorated coffee cups In all of its inspirational art collaborations, illy has transformed drinking coffee into a beautiful and artistic experience

illy collection

Coffee-drinking is a habit and a ritual; it both revives us and gives us pleasure. The consumption of this beverage has a dual effect, both physiological and esthetic; these different effects are reflected in the various ways in which coffee is consumed. If the morning cup is a source of strength and a means of reviving us, during the day coffee is a facilitator of dialogue and social interaction, a stimulus for the intellect and the senses. And it is the sensory and esthetic aspects of this beverage that explain why coffee and culture have shared an inseparable bond that has lasted for centuries.

Love for beauty and well done also play a role in illycaffe's emphasis on quality and its quest for perfection. Its goal is to provide consumers with the ultimate coffee experience, one that involves both the eye and the intellect. Thus, it is only natural that illy has chosen to use the language of art and creative expression to communicate its values and philosophy to the public.

In 1992 the company introduced illy collections, sets of espresso cups and saucers decorated by artists that have become the symbol of illycaffe's close ties with the art world. Through their fantasy and ingenuity, individual artists have transformed an everyday item, an espresso cup-in this case one re-invented by the architect and designer Matteo Thun-into an object of beauty that greatly enriches the coffee-drinking experience.

Some of the most important representatives of the international art community, as well as a number of emerging young talents, have contributed to this project: from Rauschenberg to Koons, and from Kosuth to Rosenquist. In 1996, illycaffe also commissioned James Rosenquist to design its current company logo.

From 1992 until today, over fifty artists have created illy collections, and illy continues to support their work in a variety of ways and to celebrate ten years of illy collection, illycaffe has paid homage to Louise Bourgeois, one of the most emblematic figure in the contemporary art scene, with an exhibition at Palais de Tokyo in Paris and with an illy collection designed by the French-American artist.

illy collection

illy galeria

Nomadic Galleria, a temporary event Galleria illy is a temporary event, a place where the products, expressions, passions and people in the illy world all come together, ready to be discovered.

It is where taste, culture, art and beauty converge to offer visitors an extraordinary experience.

Extraordinary because it is held in a container which is specially created each time, for a limited but intense period, with daily events to involve all the senses, the body and the mind.

There is coffee and gastronomy, all the illy art collections, books and their writers, photography and design, the great contemporary artists and young artists who illustrate the illystories and the illywords magazine.

And the Galleria is also a coffee bar, a lounge, a library, a classroom, and a theater stage, depending on what is on the agenda at the time.

In 2005 in New York, in 2006 in Milan, in other cities around the world in the future.

It shows the same spirit, sharing and offering the experience of illy's values and passions, from coffee to art, always in keeping with its taste for beautiful, well-made things. But each time the emphasis, contents and nuances are different, as are the cities and the people you meet in the Galleria.

Advertising

illycaffe, returns to television with beauty as the catchword. "Beauty has a taste" is the claim of the new illy campaign planned by JWT Italia, to be broadcast from 2 April onwards on Italy's main television channels.

What is beauty? We only really notice it when we find ourselves in its presence. We see it, and remain entranced. We hear it, and its sound remains with us for a long time. We touch it, and out hands memorise its outlines. And, through the advertisement, we discover that it also has a taste: that of a perfect espresso. illy.

In the film, a succession of images inspired by the natural elements of air and water appear in unexpected fashion, blending dream and reality and giving substance to a depiction of beauty that is evocative of the taste and unique aroma of illy.

"Anyone seeking excellence in taste will not satisfy himself with a compromise: he wants a unique, complete experience that stimulates the senses and opens a world of emotions", comments Giacomo Biviano, general director of EMEA markets for illycaffe. "With this campaign, we are aiming at bringing in new consumers into the world of illy".

The decision to highlight the aspect of beauty originates in a reflection on the Greek philosophical concept of "kalokagathia", according to which taste and beauty are inseparable: that which is good cannot but be beautiful, and vice versa. It is this reflection that underlies the bond that has always existed between illy and the world of art.

The advertisement that has been broadcast since Sunday, bearing the title Seeing beauty, is the first in a series of subjects that will follow each other over the next few months, in which images of dreamlike beauty play with each of the four natural elements. The filming was done in March 2006.