illy is one of the biggest fans of contemporary art and contently proves it by launching themed projects and awards as well as releases new additions to its bespoke illy Art Collection of cups and limited-edition cans. Recently, the brand redefined its basic range’s identity—now the coffee canisters feature brush strokes of different colours, which help distinguish between the various preparation types and roasts. The new can became the canvas for the latest ‘coffee’ design ‘Energie Love Difference’ by Michelangelo Pistoletto.
The illy Art Collection has an almost two-decade history—it was started in 1992 and now includes over 70 collector cups featuring awesome patterns by aspiring talents and celebrated international artists such as Robert Rauschenberg, David Byrne, Louise Bourgeois, Jeff Koons, Pedro Almodóvar, and Julian Schnabel to name a few. Starting 2006, the collection includes artistic coffee cans which can be viewed in the online gallery on the official brand’s website—the range of artistiс canisters welcomes a new addition every year (the previous contribution was made by Tobias Rehberger).
The new canister is decorated by 78-year old celebrated artist Michelangelo Pistoletto, a winner of the Leone d’Oro for lifetime achievement at the Venice Biennale in 2003, whose works are on display in a such museums as the Tate Modern (London), the Pompidou Center (Paris), MoMa and the Guggenheim Museum (New York), the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art (Rome). The new canister is already available to purchase from the brand’s online store at € 41.40.
“Love Difference is an artistic movement promoted by the artist; its aim is to bring together, around the regions facing onto the Mediterranean Sea, people and institutions interested in creating new outlooks, reaching beyond the conflict between different cultures. Here the Mediterranean is represented by a mirror, to symbolize the liquid surface merging the energies of the countries on its shores,” this is how the brand explains the pattern on the new can.