Henri Matisse, the French painter and sculptor, stands for a lot of things: Fauvism, non-conforming art, and more importantly, taking chances when one could give up. For those who know his art but not his story, it is one of reinvention. The trained lawyer met with a tragedy fresh out of his teens, dealing with an acute attack of appendicitis that diverted him towards art. Later, at 70, he became wheelchair-bound. For an artist, not being able to stand at an easel to paint could be soul-crushing, but not for Matisse. His unstoppable creativity found a new way to draw with scissors. The story matters because, for an ultra-high-net-worth collector, the Montblanc Masters of Art Homage to Henri Matisse collection represents more than his artistic journey; it’s a symbol of reinventing oneself when the world thinks you’re finished.
Most self-made billionaires would resonate with what this series of meticulously created writing instruments represents and reminds them of daily. The collection, developed in partnership with Maison Matisse, offers five distinct pens, each representing a different phase of the French artist’s creative legacy. Before we delve into what sets the masterpieces apart, let us appreciate that every pen in the collection is designed with the “Golden Ratio” for perfect proportions. They share a common design language: organic, fluid shapes inspired by Matisse’s famous minimalist sculptures. Each piece also incorporates a signature clip modeled after the rhythmic, botanical forms found in his 1953 masterpiece, The Sheaf.
The most breathtaking pens of the series start with the Masters of Art Homage to Henri Matisse Limited Edition 161, which takes inspiration from Matisse’s 1930 journey to Tahiti and his work Window in Tahiti. The cocobolo wood barrel is decorated with a geometric pattern, while the cap is partly blackened Ag 925 sterling silver, featuring a 3D recreation of his view from a hotel window in Papeete. Au 750 rose gold fittings and a cap top set with iridescent paua shell add a sense of immaculate detailing, while the gold nib is engraved with the Greek letter Phi, representing the golden ratio. This version is limited to 161 pieces.
Rarer still is the Masters of Art Homage to Henri Matisse Limited Edition 96, inspired by the acclaimed The Dance II. Instantly recognizable to the artistic eye, the cap and barrel are finished in hand-applied blue and turquoise lacquer, and bronze dancers mesmerize the writer in a 3D arrangement. The cherry on the cake is the turquoise stone on the apex of the cap, framed by red jasper, and the gold nib is embossed with a design referencing Matisse’s lithographic work. The quantity is limited to 96 pieces, referencing 1896, his first exhibition year.
The most breathtaking writing instrument of the series is the Masters of Art Homage to Henri Matisse Limited Edition 8. Limited to just eight in the world, the pen is an ode to the 1937 painting Purple Robe and Anemones. Crafted from solid Au 750 white gold, its beauty is captured in the cap and barrel, reminiscent of the striped robe and anemone flowers from the painting. A true gem-heavy edition, one is enamored by the warm cognac-colored diamonds encircling the cap and barrel. The cap top has the Montblanc emblem in pavé-set diamonds, and a brilliant-cut diamond is set directly into the gold nib. A green jade stone sits at the base of the cone.
A true collector’s item indeed, the pens are accompanied by a Notebook, the cover of which features a recreation of Blue Nude III (1952), and an Ink Set of three colors, a red, a blue, and a green, inspired by Matisse’s free spirit that enjoyed the unrestricted use of colors throughout his work.
