In all of pendom there is no person that I can name that has been the inspiration for six different pens by six different companies besides Antoni Gaudí (1856 - 1926). He was a great Catalonian architect who worked during the turn of last century in Barcelona and the surrounding area.

His most famous work is the Sagrada Familia, a cathedral who’s timetable for completion stretched well beyond his lifetime, continuing even to this day.

If you visit Barcelona you can tour the partially finished side and climb to the top of the towers. Besides this his work can only be called organic with many curves and arches almost if the buildings had grown rather than were built. All of the buildings have a playful look with the many mosaics in bright colors or broken tile. And it is these mosaics that the pen companies have used to capture the spirit of Gaudí. One reason for the large number of pens being produced may be that 2002 is the 150th anniversary of his birth.

The six pens are the La Modernista by Caran D’Ache, the Gaudí by Acme, the Gaudí LE by Ancora, the Art Nouveau Cosmopolitian by Montegrappa, the The Spirit of Gaudí LE by Pelikan and the Pluma Parabolica by Sailor. The range in prices for this pens can go from less than $100 to several thousand or higher, if you consider the jewel encrusted Modernista that sells for several hundred thousand dollars.

Caran D’Ache “La Modernista”

The “La Modernista” was launched in 1995 by Caran D’Ache and is in their traditional hexagonal shape as anyone who owns an Ecridor would know. The natural designs and polychromatic mosaics, a hallmark of the Moderinist movement in Barcelona were interpreted by the alternating panels of translucent enamel squares and natural sea shell bas relief. The clip also takes the form of a shell. The silversmiths in Barcelona also developed intricate hand-finished engraving techniques which are used in it’s design. This pen was produced in a series of 1,888 to coincide with the year of the first universal exhibition ever held in Barcelona. This is a cartridge converter filler and comes boxed with a seashell shaped inkwell designed by Luis Ventos.

Acme Gaudí pen

The “Gaudí” pen of Acme studios once again shows the bright colors in mosaic as seem in the Park Güell. This large outdoor park in Barcelona with many benches of cement inlaid with broken tile formed into colorful mosaics. It was said the Gaudí had the masons sit in the wet cement to give the benches a more comfortable shape.

Lizard fountain at Park Güell

The most famous part of the park is the lizard fountain which is covered from top to bottom in a rainbow of tile. The pattern on the lizard can be seen on the pen.

The Ancora Gaudí

The Ancora “Gaudí” has a more sedate interpretation of the mosaics included on the cap. With a metal overlay of cut-outs. The overlays are available in either gold or silver both have motifs that are related to the style of Gaudí architecture. The body of the pen is in the twisted form of the chimmney’s of the Casa Mila. While the cap’s overlay mimics the trencadis mosaic works that can be seen in many of Gaudí’s building exteriors.

The chimney's of the Casa Mila

The Pelikan "The Spirit of Gaudí" box is cast metal in a flowing design similar to Casa Mila

Pelikan - "The Spirit of Gaudí"

The Pelikan “Gaudí” is M800 size in black with an ‘organic’ overlay in silver with silver trim. The pen takes a backseat to the highly imaginative case that it comes in. The Ironwork surrounding the front entrance and doorway itself of Casa Mila are the basis for the silver overlay of this pen. Gaudí’s father was a metalworker and many of his buildings incorporate wrought iron into the façade.

Entrance of Casa Mila

All of the pen fixtures are silver including the rhodium plated nib. The box is cast metal in a flowing design similar to Casa Mila especially the chimneys.
(Nicknamed Day and Night). ($2,000)

Montegrappa Cosmopolitan ‘Art Nouveau”

The Montegrappa Cosmopolitan ‘Art Nouveau” is the basic Cosmopolitan with it’s full silver overlay based on the façade of Casa Mila. With it’s wavy balconies, lack of straight lines and fantastic wrought ironwork the building looks like a mountain or petrified ocean wave set down in the city, hence the nickname La Pedrera (the quarry).

La Pedrera

It’s organic quality gives the impression that it was dug out rather than built up.

Sailor Pluma Parabolica

The Sailor Pluma Parabolica takes the twisted chimneys of Casa Mila and adds the soaring spires of the Sagrada Famalia.

Sagrada Famalia

Of all the pens based on Gaudí this one has taken the Art Nouveau underpinnings of his work and extrapolated to a more modern look.
(64,000- 80,000 Yen)

Gaudí’s work has left Barcelona with many playful structures and New York may be next.
In 1908 he sketched a design for a New York hotel for the site where the World Trade Center was later built. Several Architects are planning to submit his design to the International Memorial Competition for the September 11th Memorial.

NY Hotel Sketch by Gaudí