MASTERS OF ART
In honour of his immortal contribution to the quest for perfection in art, the Montblanc Masters of Art collection pays tribute to Gustav Klimt, one of the most important artists of Art Nouveau and Symbolism and a pioneer of artistic individuality. His prominent role in the Vienna Secession movement, his famous gold-infused paintings such as The Kiss and abstract murals inspired these colourful and highly crafted limited editions.
Celebrating Gustav Klimt’s artistic beginnings in the Vienna Secession movement, the Limited Edition 4810 fountain pen and rollerball embody Secession architecture and ideals and the captivating beauty and emotion of Klimt’s famous paintings, The Kiss and Pallas Athene.
In reverence of Klimt’s esteemed mural, The Beethoven Frieze, the Limited Edition 888 features spirals and vertical lines symbolizing the strings of a lyre, whose sounds are said in poetry to quench humanity's longing for happiness. “888” represents the lucky number of Asian cultures and Klimt’s appreciation for Japan.
Klimt’s masterpiece The Kiss and his passion for Japanese artistic techniques come to life in Montblanc’s Limited Edition 161. The two lovers seem to dissolve into ornamental, geometric forms through the power of emotion. Shimmering sequins and rich patterns from his Tree of Life motif and Pallas Athene painting make this writing instrument a work of art.
A tribute to Klimt’s “Golden Phase,” the Limited Edition 97 celebrates The Kiss, visionary portraits of women like Adele Bloch-Bauer, and the Stoclet Frieze. The ornamental gold decoration of the edition transitions at the cone into a graphic mosaic of white agate and black onyx, as seen in many of his artworks. The limited run of 97 pieces marks the year 1897, the birth of the Vienna Secession movement.
The Limited Edition 8 celebrates Klimt’s monumental Stoclet Frieze mosaics, specifically the Tree of Life motif. One of the three black Horus falcons that populate the tree branches inspired the hand-engraved Onyx stone bird on the cap, and various precious stones express a mosaic on the cone. "8" is a nod to the lucky number in Asian culture and Klimt’s extraordinary passion for Japanese art and culture.
With world-famous works like The Kiss and Pallas Athene, Gustav Klimt’s artistic canon, particularly figurative works and paintings from his “golden phase,” helped establish a new aesthetic in the Austro-Hungarian Empire that reflected the changing times and the emerging modernist movement. By blurring the boundaries between art and design, he and the other Secessionists significantly impacted the development of modern art. Klimt’s entire oeuvre served as the inspiration behind this remarkable collection.