Kalòs kài agathòs, goodness and beauty. The Greek philosopher Plato believed that goodness and beauty are inseparable ideals that together represent the concept of perfection. In the Platonic sphere of ideas, that which is beautiful (Kalòs) is also good (Agatòos) and true. Their union as kalokagathia represents a constant striving for excellence, in seeking and creating beauty, and in aspiring to harmony.
Designed in 1996, the illy brand bears the signature of James Rosenquist, an artist among the founders of American Pop Art of the 1960s. A way to emphasize the strong bond between illy and the contemporary artistic spirit.
If coffee is experienced with all five senses, the very objects that hold coffee should please the eye. Twenty years ago, illy considered how an everyday object like a coffee cup could be rethought – elevated, in fact, to meld the sensory pleasures of coffee and art.
This insight gave rise to the illy Art Collection: small works of art, taking ceramic cup as medium, transforming the simple pleasure of drinking an espresso into an experience that fully engages the senses and the mind.
EUROPE