Kiwi artist Henry Hargreaves' biggest collection of coffee cups in the world

Henry Hargreaves' collection of coffee cups is now part of an exhibition. Photo / Supplied

A New Zealand artist has opened an exhibition in New York showcasing his "world's largest" coffee cup collection.

Henry Hargreaves, a former model and face of Prada, has spent years building up his colourful, quirky and cool collection of to-go cups from independent cafes from all over the world.

The Coffee Cups of the World exhibition features several hundred of his favorite cups, including examples from the US where he now lives, as well as London, Melbourne and New Zealand.

Hargreaves, an old boy of Christ's College in Christchurch, has a strong Kiwi cafe contingent in the mix including cups from well-known cafes Shaky Isles, C1, C4, Flight, Atomic, and Innocent.

"In fact, I think the Kiwi cups are the best," he says.

Former model Henry Hargreaves has been collecting coffee cups for years. Photo / Supplied

Hargreaves is no stranger to creating a stir in the art world - having previously recreated the last meals of death-row prisoners, produced a series of 3D photos of women's breasts, and deep-fried iPads and laptops.

As part of the Coffee Cups of the World exhibition, which runs all this month at the Ora Gallery on 7th Avenue in New York, Hargreaves has invited a selection of artists to create special edition cups for the show, from "phallic symbols to the political and the irrelevant".