MILAN, Italy – Celebrations for the 30th anniversary of the illy Art Collection are continuing during Milan Design Week bringing together celebrities, designers, artists, and curators for the inauguration of illy: 30 Years of Beauty, an exhibition hosted by Around Gallery in Corso Venezia 6.
Featured speakers at the launch event included illycaffè CEO Cristina Scocchia, Matteo Thun, who designed the illy espresso cup, Elisabetta Illy and her daughter Andrea Dominique Illy, Italian actresses Cristiana Capotondi and Greta Ferro, and entrepreneur Carlo Sestini.
The exhibition illy: 30 Years of Beauty, which will run through Friday, June 10th,, traces the history of the iconic illy cup and details the origins of the creative process that led to its design: sketches, drawings, and other original materials that illustrate for visitors the spirit and artistic élan of Matteo Thun, who in 1991 was picked by illy to create what over the years has become a veritable icon of design: the illy cup.
Since 1992, it has been a blank canvas for internationally renowned artists to decorate as they please.
The exhibition serves as the backdrop for the launch of the book illy Art Collection – 30 Years of Beauty (published by Silvana Editoriale), which details one-by-one each illy Art Collection and its decorations through essays, explanations, trivia, and images.
The book, with text in Italian and English, will be available in Italy starting in June on illy.it shop, silvanaeditoriale.it single-brand retail outlets (illy Caffè and illy Shop), as well as in major bookstores and museum bookshops. The book will be available in the U.S. in fall 2022.
