by Nancy Olson
I’m not sure it’s possible to experience a Spike Lee film without being changed in some profound way. His work – often painful and always thought provoking – exposes the places where flawed humans overlap, offering new ways to see the world. And this, I think, is one true definition of art: it holds out the prospect of transformation.
Lee also loves writing with a pen.
He has been a friend of Montblanc for a while and was an integral part of the company’s “What Moves You Makes You” global brand campaign launched in 2020.
Montblanc Meisterstück Spike Lee Special Edition
Lee is most recently the focus of a new Montblanc Meisterstück pen designed to highlight the Oscar-winning director’s love of writing: the Montblanc Meisterstück Spike Lee Special Edition.
Montblanc Meisterstück Spike Lee Special Edition
“Not only is Spike Lee an exceptional storyteller and artist, writing by hand is at the very core of his own creative process,” says Montblanc CEO Nicolas Baretzki. “He pens all his work by hand because he genuinely believes in the power of handwriting. It’s this shared belief with Montblanc that makes this writing instrument so special.”
Spike Lee and Montblanc CEO Nicolas Baretzki
The Meisterstück, Montblanc’s flagship pen, has become the emblem of the Hamburg-based company’s writing instrument range since it was introduced in 1924. This new Special Edition, comprising just 500 pieces worldwide, is another notable example of its timelessness and its capacity to morph into character, this time drawing attention to its apt namesake.
Lee’s take on pens and writing is authentic. He says simply, “Well, I like to write. Pen to paper. I don’t type.” He adds that typing “blocks the flow.”
Montblanc Meisterstück Spike Lee Special Edition Set
The new fountain pen is crafted in classic black resin set off by ruthenium-coated fittings. Its sleek cap is decorated with Lee’s signature eyeglasses from behind which his distinct gaze shines through. Purple, the artist’s favorite color, is used to sketch the décor.
Engraved nib of the Montblanc Meisterstück Spike Lee Special Edition
The pen’s 14-karat gold nib – like all Montblanc nibs – is handcrafted, and here it is engraved with Lee’s signature. The set includes a notebook with the same purple eyeglass motif on its leather cover and specially created purple ink captured in an elegant glass bottle.
Spike Lee at the Cannes Film Festival
The introduction of the Montblanc Meisterstück Spike Lee Special Edition coincided with the opening of the 74th Cannes Film Festival, where Lee was once again a force for change by serving as the first Black president of the jury.
Lee is no stranger to Cannes – he calls it “the world’s greatest film festival,” according to Variety magazine. He has been attending since 1986, when his first film She’s Gotta Have It debuted there.
Montblanc Meisterstück Spike Lee Special Edition case
Montblanc: Inspire Writing
Earlier this year, Montblanc debuted a coffee table-style book published by Assouline, Inspire Writing, written by fashion journalist Alex Fury. Lee was prominently featured in its pages as one who “puts his unique signature on everything he does.”
The book’s focus, as its name spells out, is to encourage writing, and no one is happier about that than I am. It’s so easy to get caught up in the product – the purchasing of it, the collecting of it, and the eventual amassing of it – without paying much attention to its primary purpose.
It’s sort of like owning a bunch of watches and never wearing one to check the time.
Fury’s well-conceived text is set off by some incredibly dramatic photos, each pointing to the critical role pens and writing play in our culture. And this is the thread that runs through the book: the power of a pen to inspire, communicate, instigate, and create.
“Alongside fire, the wheel and the needle, the invention of writing instruments – tools for communication – is one of the great achievements of humankind,” Fury writes. Agreed.
For more information, please visit www.montblanc.com/en-us/discover/campaign/spike-lee.
Quick Facts Montblanc Meisterstück Spike Lee Special Edition Set
Set: fountain pen with 14-karat gold nib, leather notebook, purple ink
Limitation: 500 sets worldwide
Price: $1,065
You may also enjoy:
Lavish Montblanc High Artistry Tribute To The Great Wall Of China Pen Collection
Montblanc High Artistry Heritage Egyptomania Limited Edition Fountain Pens
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!
I would avoid this for moral reasons. He is a rabid racist.