Nathan Sawaya’s “Art Of The Brick” Legos Exhibit

Art Of The Brick, by Nathan Sawaya

Art Of The Brick, by Nathan Sawaya

New York City has a thing for Legos.  From the outstanding Lego Store in Rockefeller Center, to the incredible models at the Toys R Us in Time Square – massive builds of the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, Yankee cap, etc, each numbering over a hundred-thousand individual peices.  The City That Never Sleeps, bricks… just like the Knicks! (Sorry Knick fans.)  Currently running at Discovery Center Time Square in New York City and the Mansfield Art Center in Mansfield, Ohio, before moving on to Belgium, New Jersey, Florida, Montana and Alaska, Nathan Sawaya‘s Art Of The Brick is an amazing experience.  The exhibit opens with a short video about Sawaya and his inspiration to create works of art with Legos, then moves on to an area where he has re-imagined classic works.

Edvard Munch's "The Scream"

Edvard Munch’s “The Scream”

The first of the re-imagingings are done in 3D, such as “The Scream” above, or “American Gothic” below.

Grant Wood's "American Gothic"

Grant Wood’s “American Gothic”

We then transition to more traditional 2D re-imaginings…

Hokusai's "The Great Wave off Kanagawa"

Hokusai’s “The Great Wave off Kanagawa”

Van Gogh's "The Starry Night"

Van Gogh’s “The Starry Night”

Monet's "San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk"

Monet’s “San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk”

An impressionistic take on Da Vinci's "Mona Lisa"

An impressionistic take on Da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa”

Next, Sawaya takes on classic sculpture.

Augustus of Prima Porta in Legos

Augustus of Prima Porta, with a “Terracotta Warrior” in the background.

Discobolus of Myron in Legos

Discobolus of Myron

Venus de Milo

Venus de Milo

The bust of Nefertiti

The bust of Nefertiti with the Sphinx

Moai

Moai

The last half of the exhibit features Sawaya’s original works, which are also quite impressive.

"Writer" by Nathan Sawaya

“Writer” by Nathan Sawaya

"Pencil Fun" by Nathan Sawaya

“Pencil Fun” by Nathan Sawaya

"The Swimmer" by Nathan Sawaya

“The Swimmer” by Nathan Sawaya

"On The Inside" by Nathan Sawaya

“On The Inside” by Nathan Sawaya

These guys reminded me on the icons from The Police's "Every Break You Take - The Singles" CD cover

These guys reminded me on the icons from The Police’s “Every Break You Take – The Singles” CD cover

"Desintegration" by Nathan Sawaya

“Desintegration” by Nathan Sawaya

"The Skulls" by Nathan Sawaya

“The Skulls” by Nathan Sawaya

"T-Rex" by Nathan Sawaya

“T-Rex” by Nathan Sawaya

"I Love New York" by Nathan Sawaya

“I Love New York” by Nathan Sawaya

The exhibit is fun, interesting, and very well done.  If you have the opportunity, be sure to check out The Art Of The Brick!


Mike Knotts

Mike Knotts was born in 1968 in a small town in southern Indiana. Even when very young, Mike showed a love for all-things technical and sci-fi. Moving with his family to California in the early 80's, he eventually graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a degree in History. Rather than put that to good use, Mike continued to pursue his passion for technology by working for early, regional ISP's in the mid 1990's. He currently resides in the Pacific Northwest, where he works as a project manager for an Internet startup. Mike is a co-founder of Geekometry.

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