PARIS, Oct. 18, 2024 - illycaffè, a global coffee brand renowned for its sustainable quality and its unique communication with the world of contemporary art, is proud to announce its first-time official partnership with Art Basel Paris. The event will take place from October 18 to 20 at the Grand Palais, in the heart of the French capital.
Visitors and exhibitors at the international fair can enjoy the unique illy blend at all refreshment points throughout the event. Additionally, they can immerse themselves in the exclusive illy lounge, located on the ground floor. This space showcases the beauty of the iconic illy collectible cups, which have transformed an everyday object into a canvas for internationally renowned artists. The lounge provides a unique visual and tactile experience, celebrating both the aroma of illy coffee and the artistic designs on the cups.
For the first time in France, the illy lounge will feature the illy Art Collection by artists Simone Fattal (Syrian), Shirin Neshat (Iranian), Monica Bonvicini (Italian), and Binta Diaw (Milanese artist of Senegalese origin). These four artists have used the illy cup to highlight urgent cultural, environmental, and social issues, sharing their experiences as women from diverse geographical and social backgrounds. Their works speak to the condition of women worldwide through the language of contemporary art.
The lounge will also display the history of the illy Art Collection, a series of cups that, since 1992, has become one of the largest contemporary art collections globally. An exhibit of selected decorations from the 130 great masters of contemporary art who have contributed to the illy Art Collection over the past thirty years will be featured in one area of the stand.
Cristina Scocchia, CEO of illycaffè, comments on this collaboration: "We are proud to be a first-time partner of Art Basel Paris, one of the most prestigious contemporary art fairs in the world. For us, art represents a privileged language useful for combining the culture of coffee with aesthetic and social value, a powerful tool to raise awareness and inspire change. Our new collection of cups, created by four talented female artists, reflects the diversity and richness of contemporary artistic perspectives, inviting the public to an open and stimulating dialogue on current and increasingly relevant issues, capable of enriching those who observe and use them".
The illy Art Collection by Simone Fattal, Shirin Neshat, Monica Bonvicini, and Binta Diaw will be available in sets of 2 and 4 cups for both espresso and cappuccino starting October 2024. These sets can be purchased from the illy e-shop, select international museums, illy Caffè and illy Shop stores, large-scale retail distribution channels, and indirect e-commerce platforms.
illycaffè
illycaffè is an Italian family-owned company, founded in Trieste in 1933 which has always set itself the mission of offering the best coffee to the world. It produces a unique 100% Arabica blend composed of 9 different ingredients. The company selects only 1% of the best Arabica beans. Every day more than 8 million cups of illy coffee are served in over 140 countries around the globe, in the cafés, restaurants and hotels, in single-brand cafés and shops, at home and in the office, in which the company is present through subsidiaries and distributors.
Since its foundation, illycaffè has oriented its strategies towards a sustainable business model, commitment that it strengthened in 2019 by adopting the status of Benefit Company and in 2021 becoming the first Italian coffee company to obtain the international B Corp certification. Everything that is "made in illy" is about beauty and art, the founding principles of the brand, starting from its logo, designed by artist James Rosenquist, up to illy Art Collection cups, decorated by over 130 international artists, or coffee machines designed by internationally renowned designers. With the aim of spreading the culture of quality to growers, baristas and coffee lovers, the company has developed its Università del Caffè which today holds courses in 23 countries around the world. In 2023, the company had a turnover of €595,1 million. The illy single-brand network has 159 points of sale in 30 countries.
Art Basel
Founded in 1970 by gallerists from Basel, Art Basel today stages the world's premier art shows for Modern and contemporary art, sited in Basel, Miami Beach, Hong Kong, and Paris. Defined by its host city and region, each show is unique, which is reflected in its participating galleries, artworks presented, and the content of parallel programming produced in collaboration with local institutions for each edition. Art Basel's engagement has expanded beyond art fairs through new digital platforms and a number of new initiatives such as the Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report and Intersections: The Art Basel Podcast. Art Basel's Global Media Partner is The Financial Times. For further information, please visit artbasel.com.
SOURCE illycaffè
