NEW YORK, U.S. — illycaffè, global leader in the high-quality coffee segment, presents its new illy Art Collection designed by Marc Quinn. The British artist from London is renowned for his impactful and emotional works, centered on the human body and its relationship with nature and the theme of beauty.
Working with illy’s iconic coffee cup designed by Matteo Thun in 1991 as the medium, Quinn takes inspiration from his series called Iris, the collection of paintings on circular canvas that reproduce the eye’s iris, the thin, circular structure that defines eye colour and is responsible for controlling the diameter and size of the eye.
Quinn creates six variations on the theme. A genuine play of gazes, exchanged between the observer and the colourful patterns impressed on the plate, that are, in turn, mirrored on the reflective surface of the coffee cup.
“With Marc Quinn we have placed our coffee at the centre of a brightly colored iris, in essence, it is a pupil that curiously observes the surrounding world to get to know it and to be observed by it,” said Massimiliano Pogliani, CEO of illycaffè.
“At the same time, the glossy surface of the cup becomes a mirror of infinite reflections that stimulate the eye, symbolic of our unique illy blend, which stimulates both mind and palate.”
The Marc Quinn illy Art Collection is available in a set of six cappuccino cups, set of six espresso cups, set of two mugs, set of two cappuccino cups, set of two espresso cups , and a single espresso cup.
This new collection is sold in North America at illy caffè bars and shops, specialty retailers, and online at www.illy.com.
