Galleria illy - hosted by FLOS and MOROSO

Coffee and culture have shared an inseparable bond that has lasted for centuries. Now, following runs in New York, Milan, Trieste, Istanbul and Berlin, Galleria illy – hosted by lighting and furnishings designers FLOS and Moroso – will open in London on 12 September 2011.

The Galleria represents the efforts of illy – the high quality Italian coffee company – to express physically its love of art, culture and science with its passion for the finest coffee. It is a gallery in every sense, stimulating every sense.

Last year, the Istanbul and Berlin Gallerias featured a unique installation created by the German artist Tobias Rehberger in his trademark optical-pop style. Details of London’s month-long (and free) exhibition will be revealed later in the summer.

The temporary exhibition space will play host to a programme of art, literature, science, design and food & wine events presented by internationally renowned personalities.

In Galleria’s past, arts events have been created by contributors such as Marina Abramovic, James Rosenquist, Julian Schnabel, Sebastião Salgado and Michael Lin. The names of the artists, designers and chefs contributing to the London Galleria will be announced in late July.

One certainty is that the artist Francesco Clemente will be revealing his take on the espresso cup as part of the illy Art Collection. Also, the London Galleria will not display illy’s traditional 286 espresso cup chandelier. Instead a new installation to showcase the coffee cups interpreted by some of the greatest artists and most influential contributors to film and music of our generation, including Anish Kapoor, Jeff Koons, Robert Rauschenberg, David Byrne and Pedro Almodóvar, will be unveiled.

Additionally, illy baristas from the Università del Caffè will provide free courses to help people master the art of coffee preparation and serve world class drinks. And the premium Italian coffee maker will be giving all visitors the opportunity to enjoy a delicious coffee from a purpose-built London Galleria bar, to ensure the coffee-themed aesthetic prevails throughout.

The complete, regularly updated schedule of events will be posted at facebook.com/illy