One of Van Gogh’s most famous paintings comes to life in brick form.
The LEGO Group has unveiled the LEGO Art Vincent van Gogh – “Sunflowers” set, created in collaboration with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. The 2,615-piece set reimagines Van Gogh’s 1889 painting as a three-dimensional LEGO artwork, emphasizing the artist’s signature brushstrokes, use of light and shadow and vibrant yellow hues.
The set features 16 sunflowers with adjustable petals, a removable frame, and a tile bearing Van Gogh’s signature. It also includes a hanger element for display.
As part of the launch, LEGO and the Van Gogh Museum have created a podcast featuring Nienke Bakker, senior curator, Van Gogh Museum and Stijn Oom, designer, LEGO. The podcast, available from March 1 on LEGO.com, the Van Gogh Museum’s website, YouTube, and Spotify, explores the design process behind the LEGO set and how van Gogh became known as the painter of sunflowers.
“Working on one of the world’s most famous paintings can be quite daunting, but recreating ‘Sunflowers’ has been a dream come true,” says Oom. “We collaborated closely with the Van Gogh Museum and its experts, delving into the details to meticulously craft a 3D version of the original artwork. One of the most challenging yet crucial aspects was translating the impasto effect into LEGO bricks while preserving the painting’s asymmetrical yet balanced composition. We are incredibly proud of the result and hope our fans enjoy building it as much as we enjoyed bringing van Gogh’s masterpiece to life.”
The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, renowned for housing the world’s largest collection of van Gogh’s works, proudly includes the version of the “Sunflowers” painting among its treasures. This iconic masterpiece, painted by van Gogh in 1889 during his time in Arles, France, captures the vibrant beauty and intricate detail of the sunflowers he so passionately depicted.
“It was wonderful to see how the LEGO Group and the experts of our museum have collaborated with such attention to detail and appreciation for the original artwork,” says Rob Groot, managing director, Van Gogh Museum. “We hope this LEGO set will inspire and engage new audiences with the art and life story of Vincent van Gogh.”
Throughout this year, fun activities will be organized in partnership with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. A brick-built LEGO installation will be displayed in the museum from June to August and will later be housed at LEGO House in Billund and LEGO World in Utrecht. To ensure this experience is accessible to everyone, a virtual curated tour will be developed with the Van Gogh Museum, allowing LEGO enthusiasts worldwide to appreciate the installation from the comfort of their homes.
The LEGO Art “Sunflowers” set is available for pre-order starting Jan. 28 and will be available for general purchase on Mar. 1 from LEGO.com, the Van Gogh Museum webshop and LEGO stores.
