Faber Castell’s 250th anniversary
Before the days of rollerballs, felt tips and highlighters, the simple pencil filled the needs of artists, writers, students and scribblers alike. Founded in 1761, Faber-Castell—the world’s oldest and largest manufacturer of black lead and color pencils—has provided generations with writing and sketching pleasure. In honor of the company’s 250th anniversary, the exhibition “The Pencil—a tool for the creative” will be on display, from June 30 to October 28, at the Renaissance Faber-Castell castle in Stein near Nuremberg. The exhibition will be divided into four sections: “Artists of the Past” will include writer-related documents and “historic writing implements”; “Oskar Kokoschka corner” will feature the sketchbooks and Faber-Castell color pencil collection of this acclaimed 20th-century Viennese artist; “A tool for the creative” will be devoted to writings, drawings and sketches, some previously unpublished, by such celebrities as Günter Grass, Professor Ferdinand Porsche and Karl Lagerfeld. The exhibition will conclude with a presentation that stresses the indispensability of the writing implement—even in the face of new technologies. Through its ode to the humble pencil, Faber-Castell hopes to inspire the public to get the lead out. <<<