Espresso Experience Invades Italian Art

We were somewhere on Rue de Rivoli when we saw a print version of the image at left for coffee label Lavazza. Below the image of a feral woman clad in furs, her body hunched protectedly over two infants, an espresso cup clutched delicately in one hand, reads the tagline: "The Italian espresso experience."

Lavazza is the same brand that did the utterly carnal coffee-bean-grind prints two years ago.

After a bit of Googling we found out the image we saw is one of seven Annie Leibovitz-photographed prints for Lavazza's yearly Coffee Calendar, an artful and sexy tribute to a handful of Italian icons. The image at left is a reinterpretation of Colosseo & Lupa Capitolino and represents the January-February portions of the calendar.

Other months:

o Cover -- Venezia, San Marco
o March-April -- Fashion & Venus de Milo
o May-June -- Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci
o July-August -- Venezia, City Of Love
o September-October -- Pasta & Landscapes
o November-December -- Roma, Fontana di Trevi

A nice keepsake for '09 and the Italian art, landscape and coffee culture -- certainly easier on the eyes than the Fromage Girls or coffin calendar.