Illy's 80 artful years

Kiki Smith for Illy.

Italy's iconic coffee-maker Illy just turned 80 and it ushers a new phase with its continued focus on the arts. The brand, which commissioned its logo back in 1995 to art icon James Rosenquist, just unveiled a series of coffee cups with American artist Kiki Smith. This extends the brands tradition of taking its daily interactions with consumers in the form of coffee packaging and cups to  an inspirational art form. Past collaborations have included Jeff Koons, Julian Schnabel and Marina Abramovic.

Most recently, the brand added a bit of a much need caffeine rush to the Venice Biennale, where it brought to life the Italian coffee bar staple, giving art aficionados the world over an extra kick to explore the Biennale's ample offerings.