Enjoying the optimal illy experience requires not just the world’s finest coffee and a high-quality coffee maker, it also means paying attention to the last link in the chain: the cup that will transport the coffee to your lips. For this reason, in 1990, illy commissioned Italian designer Matteo Thun to redesign the espresso cup, giving birth to the signature classic illy cup with its unmistakable handle and easily recognized shape. Cappuccino cups, mugs for brewed coffee and other accessories have followed, all with the ultimate goal of achieving ‘perfection in the cup’ and thus the ultimate enjoyment of the coffee experience

This signed and numbered, limited edition illy Art Collection cup set was designed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar for illy caffè. Almodóvar’s six-cup series – each entry paired with an equally vivid saucer -- takes inspiration from six of the famed Spanish director’s most admired films; Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988), Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1990), High Heels (1991), The Flower of My Secret (1995), Bad Education (2004) and Volver (2006). The individually decorated cups depict his signature themes of love, women — including his favorite lead actress Penélope Cruz — desire, passion and family.

This signed and numbered, limited edition illy Art Collection cup set was designed exclusively for illy by Tobias Rehberger, one of Germany’s most renowned contemporary artists, to mark the 53rd International Art Exhibition (Venice Biennale). His design treats the white surface of the cup and saucer as a blank canvas, with striking optical effects and patterns. Each collection is elegantly presented in a beautiful gift-box with an art collection brochure. More