20 Incredible LEGO Artworks by Nathan Sawaya
By Bored Panda • Topic: Art, Featured, Latest PostSome artists use paint, others bronze – But for Nathan Sawaya he chooses to build his awe-inspiring art out of toy building blocks. LEGO® bricks to be exact. The former corporate lawyer quit his job in 2001 to focus on becoming the world’s foremost LEGO artist.
With more than 1.5 million colored bricks in his New York studio, Sawaya’s sculptures take many forms.
Sawaya’s art is currently touring North American museums in a show titled, The Art of the Brick. It’s the only exhibition focusing exclusively on LEGO as an art medium. The creations, constructed from nearly one million pieces, were built from standard bricks beginning as early as 2002. More information on the tour, dates and locations can be found here.
A full-time freelance artist, Sawaya accepts commissions from individuals, corporations, and … well just about anyone with a good idea! He’s also available to design and build custom creations at events, photo shoots and conventions.
So let Sawaya know what you have in mind, he says, that there are literally no limits to what he can create out of LEGO.
To make this post even better Panda has put interesting facts about LEGO bricks underneath the pictures, and marked them with “+”. Hope you like it.
P.S.: if you want to build something similar to Nathan’s artworks, you can buy LEGO Bricks on Amazon.
1. Heartfelt
35″ x 13″ x 28″
+The number of combinations you can build are practically endless. With just six 8-stud LEGO bricks you can build over 102 million combinations!
2. Underneath
21″ x 30″ x 17″
+It is estimated there are about 50-60 Lego bricks for every person on the planet.
3. Blue
42″ x 34″ x 18″
+Kids around the world spend around 5 billion hours playing with Lego.
4. Yellow
35″ x 13″ x 28
+The Lego Company is based out of Denmark, and the word Lego comes from the Danish word Leg Godt which means “play well”.
5. Circle Triangle Square
72″ x 70″ x 16″
+Lego bricks have been used in engineering and other technical fields to do real design and science.
6. Think!
42″ x 26″ x 22″
+7 LEGO sets are sold by retailers every second around the world.
7. Mt. Rushmore Replica
59″ x 25″ x 29″
As selected by the fans through the “What Should Nathan Make?” adventure, he created his rendition of the Gutzon Borglum’s most famous sculpture, otherwise known as Mt. Rushmore.
8. Rebirth of New Orleans
66″ x 42″ x 64″
Nathan Sawaya was commissioned to build a large sculpture for the celebration of the rebirth of New Orleans.The piece took him over six weeks to build and he used over 120,000 LEGO elements. It’s permanently on display in the Main Branch of the New Orleans Public Library.
9. Hands
22″ x 39″ x 25″
+Children around the world spend 5 billion hours a year playing with LEGO bricks.
10. Gray
45″ x 45″ x 15″
+More than 400 billion LEGO bricks have been produced since 1949. Stacked on top of each other, this is enough to connect the Earth and the Moon ten times over.
11. Hand
7″ x 21″ x 6″
12. Life size Replicas
Nathan even made himself out of LEGO bricks. By the way, he is also offering the chance to purchase a replica of you or your loved one exclusively through the Neiman Marcus 2008 Gift Book. You can order one here.
The price is just $60,000.00.
13. Iwo Jima Replica
75″ x 75″ x 68″
This is a replica of the flag raising at Iwo Jima – a permanent installation at the National Museum of the Marine Corps.
14. Grasp
30″ x 67″ x 30″
15. Green
27″ x 70″ x 15″
16. Sing
31″ x 56″ x 15″
17. Mask
29″ x 71″ x 24″
Mask is currently on display at the Avant Gallery in Miami.
18. Reflection
28″ x 48″ x 20″
19. Stop, Look and Live
20. Red
24″ x 49″ x 26″
(Source: www.boredpanda.com)
Also check 30 Creative LEGO Reproductions by Balakov
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Date posted: Aug 3rd, 2009
These pics are COOL!!howdid you make them?you guys are awsome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(-: . (-:
Uh-huh = I call BS. This is just a sample of a manu option:
Photoshop->Filters->Pixellate – or
Photoshop->Filters->Legoize
Photoshop
Incredible, thanks! stumbled…
Wow! You are an amazing artist!
Nice!!
This guy is for real. I saw his exhibit in in Kansas City. It is quite impressive. He has more sculptures than what are shown here. But I saw up close a few of those pictured.
Hmm. I can see why people are gonna automatically call shopped on these.
However i disagree, would that dude really be stood next to something he shopped claiming he made it?
Also; anyone in new orleans? can they verify that rebirth one?
This guy actually pieces them togeather lego by lego there is no legoize filter in photoshop.
The Artists site http://www.brickartist.com/
Wikipedia article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Sawaya
uh-huh and nunya, go eat a dick why don’t you. you two are the same (person probably) ignorant bastards that think you’re cool by going “First” “Fail” “Epic” “FTW” “Fake” and “Photoshop”. It’s sad that you think you’re cool for saying some stupid played out internet catch phrases. I on the other hand think I’m cool because I fucked your mothers.
Goatse!
Shopped. I can tell by the pixels!
haha j/k ummm
I’m pretty sure some of these are real but I don’t know about all of them.
They are really good.
There was actually an exhibit of many of these near where i live a few years back. They are actually more impressive in real life. My favorite one at the time was “grey” and I saw him in the process of making Iwo Jima. It is a neat process where he actually glues the legos together so they are permanent.
Haha, to those people saying this is photoshopped…google his name…or go to one of his exhibits; they have been on all over the United States. http://brickartist.com/ here’s his website. I would hope people would research before immediately relying on the existence of photoshop…just because it’s unusual and awesome doesn’t mean it’s fake. The man took a lot of time perfecting these pieces of work and they should be appreciated for what they are!
The Reflection is made of complete awesomeness.
I love people like Uh-huh and Nunya. They seem so sure of themselves when they say simply ‘photoshopped’. Yet they are so incredibly small minded that they probably don’t even realise they’re even alive. Or that people make art out of the strangest things. A little bit of simple research on the internet provides enough proof for even the most dimmest person to see that what Nathan Sawaya does is awesome and real…and not as they contest, photoshopped!
I should point out that I’ve seen things like this by other artists in exhibition. I will also go so far as to show you this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoKsFAe3tPw
Oh look, no sign of photoshop!
creepy artwork is creepy.
but it’s still awesome.
The people who are calling ’shopped are doing it as a joke! Does noone understand sarcasm or whatever!
And on the same note, it is definitely shopped because you can tell by the pixels and i have seen quite a few in my time.
i really doubt that this is shopped. its art. its just legos. why is it that whenever someone sees something that they personally cannot do they think its shopped? granite there is alota shit out there that IS shopped and posed as real, this is art. he has a picture of him in an art museum WITH his art. quit raining on his parade, jackass! well done lego man, beats my tiny red bricked house with the lego man in front of it holding flowers.
Love this!!!!! You are extremely creative and I can’t wait to see more.
Ah, yeah, this isn’t photoshopped in anyway. You do realize that ‘Legoland’ has even more awesome creations than these, right? (not that this guy isn’t cool…turning down corporate for Legos? My kinda guy) And honestly, have you never played with Legos? You can do some kick ass shit with those little bricks, as evidence above!
[...] E MUITO MAIS AQUI!! [...]
HEY LEGO GUY… IM REAL HAPPY FOR YOU… IMMA LET YOU FINISH…… BUT BEYONCE HAD ONE OF THE BEST PHOTOSHOPS OF ALL TIME!!!!!
Holy crap thats amazing!
This goes out to all the ignorant skeptics….ENOUGH with this “oh it’s photoshopped” bull. Believe it or not, not all are is photoshopped and it is possible to build objects(other than what is presented on the box when you buy them) like this out of legos IS possible! Gasp! Who would have thunk huh? And to anyone who might go under this assumption again when they look at a piece of art no matter the medium, why don’t you do a little research on the matter. Thanks.
an amazing collection of lego art… i can only imagine how much time and money went into each design
zach,
i can see where you’re coming from, but i believe you are sadly misinformed. clearly photoshopped. look how blocky it looks. you can tell the pixelization withou even zooming in
You photoshop people are full o’ crap. As to how he made it, it’s probably made using a lot of SNOT (Studs not on top) legos.
shopped hahaha feed the trolls we want moar
This dude has surely earned himself 72 virgins in the afterworld.
# kris on September 21st, 2009 at 7:57 am:
uh-huh and nunya, go eat a dick why don’t you. you two are the same (person probably) ignorant bastards that think you’re cool by going “First” “Fail” “Epic” “FTW” “Fake” and “Photoshop”. It’s sad that you think you’re cool for saying some stupid played out internet catch phrases. I on the other hand think I’m cool because I fucked your mothers.
uh ok that sounds like something one of the kids in my class would say and he is a gay ego maniac douchbag that has NO friends at all and will probbaly die alone in his mothers bacement while playing a mmorpg (Massively multiplayer online role-playing game)
ummm…. anonymous…. They are legos…. which I am not sure if you noticed… are in block form….. just sayin’
obviously fake.
Not shopped but these creations are designed on computer before been built.
these are photo shopped maybe this guy did have an exhibit but some of the particular pictures are photo shopped
It is so obvious that it is photo-shopped! The man definitely made it in Photo-shop, applied the *Make my drawing look 3-D and Lego-y” filter. Then he photo shopped himself into the picture so he could fake the world. Yay for photo shop!
-Signed “Do all idiots scream ‘photo shop’?”
Amazing!
The one of the reflection is perfect!
SING IS BEAUTIFUL
amazing… stumbled here but LOVE IT!!!
#5 should more accurately be “Sphere, pyramid, cube.”
[...] 20 incredible Lego artworks [...]
Great stuff. Of course if someone gave me 1.5mil legos I could create some totally cool stuff too.
Amazing – You are a gift to art & creation
20 increíbles obras hechas con LEGO…
Muchos artistas usan pinturas, otros bronce, pero Nathan Sawaya ha elegido los famosos bloques para sus obras….
[...] aquí la fuente original [...]
están pixelados!!!
esta currao que te kagas…………..
saludos
awsome and dam that must of takeing so much time
Wow this stuff is really inspiring.
You are an amazing artist!
Incredible, thanks! stumbled…
Not fake.
Have seen the New Orleans rebirth model personally.
All is very amazing, except the picture of de murderers planting the yankee flag.
Looks shopped, well at least some of them.
I really don’t know or care though sooo…
Well, I would say that on the whole, these are not Photoshopped, and show incredible talent.
However, the flag on Iwo Jima Replica (13) does look a little suspect.
sweet….and I’ve actually seen them.
I saw this guy on Rachel Rayl.
Rachel Ray, rather.
stupid keyboard.
@ Kanye West …. ROFLMAo, good call.
@ Photoshop haters. Don’t feed the trolls kids.
Ugh, too all naysayers.
THIS IS REAL. Many people have seen this work IRL and if is was shopped then it is art in it self, IT LOOKS THAT REAL!
Yeah, thanks for reading my rant.
Anyone who thinks this is Photoshop a) has no idea how to use photoshop beyond cutting pasting their own faces on to hot bodies b) Thinks there’s a “create website button” on their keyboard c) is a moron.
nice artworks
I’d like to see the Lego instruction sheet (aka Manual) to build any of these! I recall hours of the multi page lego instruction sheets trying to build a house, etc. This just shows you to keep with your passion! … and just when you thought a simple “kids toy” was just that, leave it to an artist to take the ordinary and create so much more. I’ll have to look up his exhibit to see where he’s headed.
To all of the people crying “Photoshop”–GO TO CHICAGO. Go to the Lego store on Michigan Avenue and you will see for yourself, a life-sized Lego creation of a man sitting on a bench, with a pigeon on his head, and a little drop of pigeon poop on his shoulder.
You can sit next to it. You can touch it. It’s real. It’s NOT Photoshopped.
Suspend your ignorant disbelief for a moment and entertain the notion that there are some really, really talented and gifted people out there who have the skills and imagination to do this kind of thing.
Fantastic !!!
how cool….all I could build was houses
Brian Semkiw of CARTA is very impressed by Nathan Sawaya and his abilities to build things one at at a time using LEGO. Selling it at Neiman Marcus is also very clever.
Morons the guy was on discovery channel with the guys from Mythbusters. His work is real. not photoshopped like some of you fucking pussies think.
Totally photoshopped.
Bot
DuD3z zis’s s0 f00k1n f0’sh0pp3d, 1 c4n t3ll fr0m th3 p1×3ls 4nd h4v1ng d0n3 num3r0us sh0ps 1n my t1m3.
damn…demented much…
Wow, very good artwork, you really have talent.
Wow,really good artwork you’ve got talent!
#14 and #18 are my favorites. Awesome work. The guy must be a tweaker.
Wow, these are simply too cool! Good thing your mom and dad never took away your Legos!!
so cool
Astonishing!
anybody that says that this was photoshopped is retarded. if you think it’s bs order a LS replica of yourself.
You just gave me an amazing idea for a portfolio project. Thankyou for the inspiration.
those of you who are saying its photoshoped, lets get something straight…first off get onto photoshop and learn how to use it you twats, it’s clearly real. Secondly, just because you cant make something like this doesnt mean no one can.
Well done, amazing work im completely jealous
you have WAAAAAY too much time on your hands
these sculptures look awesome….I saw the “Red” and “Yellow” ones in the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! 2009 edition.
this is awesome, and to everyone who says its photoshopped cos you can see pixels, that might be because its made out of lego?
It’s not photoshopped. I saw his exhibit in Edmonton, Alberta and it was amazing. My favorite is the pyramid, circle, square
.
It is so nice when I see it I lough but I don’t know why.
Anyone calling “shopped” on this must live in a cave or something….ever heard of Lego Land in California?
im from new orleans an i wish it looked like that
This should be photoshop??? The most stupid thing i ever heard – i would love to see some of you make this in Photoshop. It would be possible to make it in 3D, but why?
I LOVEEE how people are saying these are photoshopped. I saw some of these while him and his work was on tour. Green was the only one out of this collection that was shown, but there were approximately 15-20 different pieces around the mall it was being shown at.
It’s the DEVIL’S work!
Life size? about 25% bigger.. and 75% less!
I can verify that LegoLand in California is also photoshopped. Bigfoot was there. Cake was served.
This may not be photoshopped but it is obviously fake and this guy definately has a hidden agenda.
The first blatant give away was the flag waving in Iwo jima replica.
It has been proven that lego does not act the same way as nylon (used in actual flags) when placed against air currents which would normally make a flag wave.
Secondly I suspect this guy may well be a communist due to the subliminal facist ideologies.
Note that all the “art works” are against a white back ground except the 1st one which is on a black background (evil) and of a white lego man (A real white person) that has just commited suicide an is now offering his heart which i also suspect is going to be transplanted into #4 the yellow lego man (A real asian).
(I have put the real meanings in brackets so as not to confuse people)
Be aware people this is only the tip of the iceberg. Look a lil harder at what this commy is really trying to portray here.
eg coloured people coming out of brain with a key (brain washing) or traffic lights with heads instead of lights (replacing the lights of traffic lights with actual heads).
Please we must stop this evil now write to your mair now and demand a stop to all lego being produced (communist toys)
ppl who call “shopped” on everything are the bain of my universe, just because you are not skilled at anything other than criticism doesnt mean that other ppl have no skill … MORONS ! ! !
Shouldn’t Circle Triangle Square be Sphere Pyramid Cube? Clearly, geometry is lost here
Awesome stuff. Makes me want to get some legos
That is truly scary talent. Wow
Hux lol devil work…. FTW LEGOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
def gonna say i wasn’t expecting this. i got down to the ‘mirror’ scene and actually ejaculated all over myself.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30504489&id=178500616#/photo.php?pid=30504490&id=178500616&fbid=510823535166
They’re real, the art visited my city this summer! It was amazing.
@nunya and uh-huh Just because you can’t do it doesn’t mean it’s photoshopped
this is incredible you should have these put into a show or museum. thats truely awesome
iif you think someone actually built all of these out of legos you r retarded!
rebirth of new Orleans is pathetic looks so fake… if you don’t want ppl saying these are fake if they acctually r real then get a high def camera or somthing to make these statues not look so pathatic and photo shopped
wow!those r insane! i wish i cood do dat
Lego was my favorite game in my childhood, but Nathan Sawaya hasn’t grown up
1. For Hux – just because someone can do something that you can’t, doesn’t mean it’s “the devil’s work.” Kindly stop ramming your religion down people’s throats.
2. No way is this photoshopped – for a start, it would take longer to photoshop them than to actually make them.
and 3. Wow these are amazing!!!
“A seeker of the truth” – I’m sorry, someone needs to get you to a mental health clinic…or a jail cell… fast. Homocidal, much?!
I really don’t get the logic behind people saying its photoshopped…its lego. Its really not that hard to imagine. Have you even used photoshop before? Fuck your probably all newfags.
Just read “A seeker of truth” ‘ comment…Holy shit your retarded man.
Wow! @__@
Stumble!!
how about the lego house built by James May. thats one extraordinary Legos art work !
check it out
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1214729/James-May-size-Lego-house-wants.html
First off pr0f3ss1on4l sh0pp3r theres a reason numbers and letter are used for different purposes. Ive seen 2year old write more legible sentences. Learn English Jackass
Now more importantly: Of course this looks pixilized. pixels are little squares of color and guess what Legos are little colored squares. huh i wonder why they look similar. How could someone possible get museum exhibits with photoshopped art?? And why are you all such dicks that you can’t respect this mans clear talent. I’m no photoshop expert ( quite the opposite really) But I expect that if these types of images were so easy to create we would see a lot more floating around.
And finally HE HAS F**KING MUSEUM EXHIBITS YOU FOOLS. HOW DOES ONE PHOTOSHOP THAT IDIOTS
Amazing and very creative!
Gaiz, gaiz.
http://e.imagehost.org/0179/shopped.jpg
On a second note, I really love this. Please continue!
you guys must have had a lot of leg0
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That would take a lot of hard work and lots of time!
I am really surprised so many people think these are faked and Photoshop images. For what it is worth, I saw his museum exhibit in Park City, UT and it is incredible. I like the idea of adults still playing with Legos, it certainly allows the mind to be creative.
There are quite a few more pieces that he has done which are not shown here, so keep an eye out for more of his work to be making the rounds.
Exhibit opens in Scranton, PA, Feb.5.-come see for yourself if it’s photoshopped…
http://www.everhart-museum.org/Exhibitions/Exhibitions.htm