illycaffè celebrates Barcolana 2025 with a new illy Art Collection designed by Robert Wilson

TRIESTE, Italy, Sept. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Once again this year, illycaffè celebrates and supports Barcolana, the historic international regatta that symbolizes Trieste, with a special illy Art Collection designed by Robert Wilson, one of the world's greatest visual and theater artists, who recently passed away.

This collection carries an even more special meaning: it represents the last creation the artist dedicated to illycaffè and to the city of Trieste, sealing a relationship nurtured over time through his aesthetic vision and his unique ability to blend light, space, and storytelling.

For the Barcolana 2025 poster and cup, Wilson chose a rigorous and theatrical composition: each element is arranged with scenographic precision, where light takes center stage. Thanks to the use of powerful, primary graphic elements, blue transforms into sky, sea, and sails—bringing the event back to its essence and celebrating the union of art and the sea. The inspiration comes from a line in Lady from the Sea, rewritten by Susan Sontag for Wilson: "And so there are people who think they belong to the sea." A declaration of belonging that perfectly mirrors the spirit of Barcolana and the visceral bond between Trieste and its sea.

The relationship between illycaffè and Robert Wilson is rooted in a long-standing collaboration: in 2014 the artist had already created an illy Art Collection with a group of young talents from the Watermill Center, and in 2017 he produced The Dish Ran Away with the Spoon in Venice to mark the 25th anniversary of the illy Art Collection. This new collection is therefore the natural continuation of a dialogue with the American artist, whose brilliant and eclectic personality embodies the very spirit of the illy Art Collection.

"Supporting Barcolana again this year, in its 57th edition, carries an even deeper meaning for us. Celebrating it through the poster and a special illy Art Collection designed by Robert Wilson means paying tribute to his extraordinary talent and continuing to give voice to his vision, even after his passing. With this final creation, Wilson leaves us a message of light and belonging that resonates with the soul of Trieste and with its unbreakable bond with the sea," said Cristina Scocchia, CEO of illycaffè.

The illy Art Collection designed by Robert Wilson for Barcolana 2025 is available at the recommended retail price of €26.90 in illy's stores (illy Caffè and illy Shop), on the e-shop www.illy.com, and in the dedicated Barcolana spaces.

ILLYCAFFE' 
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 10 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 135 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 24 countries around the world. In 2024, the company had a turnover of €630 million. The illy single-brand network has 157 points of sale in 28 countries.

SOURCE illycaffè