Guernica, Spain, April 26, 1937. During the Spanish Civil War the German and Italian air forces, who were allied with the Spanish Nationalists, bombed the town. The casualties from the bombing were mostly civilians. Pablo Picasso had been commissioned to create a mural for the Spanish Pavilion at the 1937 Paris World’s Fair. Upon hearing of the carnage he changed his focus and created his now famous mural simply titled “Guernica” on June 4, 1937.

Broadwell’s customer requested a fountain pen that could capture the essence of Picasso’s painting and the historical event that fueled its creation. The choice to include Ray Cover in this collaboration was an easy one. Broadwell and Cover were successful in creating yet another masterpiece.

In keeping with Picasso’s use of grey tones, Broadwell used a brushed finished ebonite and titanium for the pen. The finishes were intentionally toned down in order to depict a more somber feeling. Cover chose a segment of the painting and engraved it into the pen barrel. He also engraved the name around the cap band. To complete the pen, Broadwell carved the clip to represent the destruction of the buildings within the town. 

Click here for video of this pen.

One of Broadwell’s daughters was fortunate to be able to study in Spain during the Fall of 2019 while this pen was being created. Upon hearing of this project she made a point of visiting the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid where she saw the actual masterpiece and dutifully brought her dad a memento.