Led by the Armando Testa agency, the photographers were briefed to demonstrate their love of Lavazza coffee through self-portraits. The photographers took this forward to interpret themselves in innovative, unusual and imaginative shots.

The final result is a gallery of powerfully suggestive images, combining humorous and enigmatic photographs with refined sculptural images and icons. The beauty of this project lies in its diversity; the introspective, surreal approach of each artist contributes to a one-of-a-kind work uniting traditional photography, sophisticated personal techniques and, in some cases, digital art.

“Every year the Lavazza Calendar experiments with new artistic trends and different themes interpreted by an international artist,” tells Francesca Lavazza, Corporate Image Director of the Group. “In an edition which is so important and significant for our communications, we wanted to turn the tables and ask the great photographers to create self portraits inspired by our espresso: the result is truly exciting.”

The icon and driving force behind the 2012 Calendar and the entire project connected to the celebration of the twentieth anniversary will be Valerie van der Graaf. The young Dutch model, protagonist of the photographs by Ellen von Unwerth, will be on the cover of the 2012 Calendar as she blows out the candles (pictured above). This is a symbolic birthday with dual meanings: it is the 20th edition of the Lavazza Calendar, and Valerie is also 20 years old — there could not be a better spokesperson for the years to come.