By Gary Symons
TLL Editor in Chief
The Lego Group has literally created a work of art in its latest brick set, in partnership with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.
Lego has just unveiled its new Vincent Van Gogh – Sunflowers Set as part of the company’s Lego Art collection. Created in close collaboration with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the set allows users to create a brick-built painting that captures the iconic brushstrokes of Van Gogh’s masterpiece.
Rob Groot, Managing Director of the Van Gogh Museum, said he is very excited that one of the most beloved paintings of the permanent collection is now captured in a LEGO set. “It was wonderful to see how LEGO Group and the experts of our museum have collaborated with such attention to detail and appreciation for the original artwork,” Groot said. “We hope this LEGO set will inspire and engage new audiences with the art and life story of Vincent van Gogh.”
Having been to the Van Gogh Museum twice over my visits to The Netherlands, I can say the museum itself is a masterpiece in its own right, featuring not only the great paintings of the master himself, but intriguing and creative displays that show off Van Gogh’s signature styles in unique ways. The star of the show, of course, are the paintings; among the most valuable and widely loved works of art in the world.
Van Gogh’s Sunflowers has long been one of his most popular works since he created it in 1889. Lego’s 2615-piece set enables fans to immerse themselves in Van Gogh’s art and to learn more about the inspiration behind the work, or perhaps I should say ‘works’.
Van Gogh actually created a series of several paintings between 1887 and 1889 featuring sunflowers in various stages of life, from vibrant blooms to withered forms, placed in simple earthenware vases. The one depicted in the Lego set is a latter example, and the most famous. It’s also the same one depicted on my coffee cup, which I bought as part of a set at the Van Gogh Museum!
The most iconic versions of the series were painted in 1888 and 1889 during the painter’s time in Arles, in the south of France. Van Gogh envisioned these works as decorative pieces for the guest room in his “Yellow House,” where he hoped to establish an artist community.
Van Gogh used bold, unblended strokes and thick applications of paint (known as ‘impasto’) to create a dynamic, three-dimensional effect. His use of yellow was considered groundbreaking, symbolizing light, hope, and emotional intensity. The Sunflowers paintings are also known from his journals and letters to reflect Van Gogh’s interest in capturing the cycle of life; some blooms are fresh, while others are wilting, suggesting themes of growth, decay, and renewal.
Today, versions of the paintings are displayed in prestigious museums worldwide, including the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the National Gallery in London, and the Neue Pinakothek in Munich, but thanks to Lego, you can now hang a version in your own museum at home.
Lego says the set has been carefully designed to create a 3-D brick version focusing on the three radiant shades of yellow and Van Gogh’s famous use of light and shade. The set features the 16 sunflowers of the painting with adjustable petals, a removable frame, a tile with Van Gogh’s signature and a hanger element to display.
Inspired by Van Gogh’s vibrant colors, the artwork is built by adding layers and layers of details until the LEGO Art Sunflowers comes to life.
As a nice added touch, while building, you can listen to a podcast created together with the Van Gogh Museum, featuring Senior Curator Nienke Bakker and the LEGO Designer Stijn Oom, available from 1st March at LEGO.com, YouTube and Spotify. The podcast describes the collaboration between LEGO Group and the museum in the designing process of the set and the story on how Vincent 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,” said Lego Designer Stijn 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,” he added. “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.”
To celebrate the launch of the product on March 1, the LEGO Group has created two lifestyle brick replicas of the painting which will be permanently displayed in the Lego Store in Amsterdam and in the Van Gogh Museum from that date on.
Lego fans in Amsterdam and Marseille will be able to meet Oom, the Lego set designer, and get their set signed at the Lego Stores on March 1 and March 2 respectively.
More activations are planned throughout the year, organized in partnership with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. A brick-built Lego installation will be on view in the museum from June – August 2025 and will later be housed at Lego House Billund and Lego World, Utrecht. To make this experience available to all, a virtual curated tour will be created with the Van Gogh Museum enabling Lego enthusiasts worldwide to enjoy the installation from the comfort of their homes.
The program will also have events in other parts of the world, as select Lego Stores across the Americas and the EMEA region will be hosting a Lego Art Vincent van Gogh – Sunflowers-themed ‘Make and Take’ event between 1st – 8th March in the Americas and 1st – 6th March 2025 in the EMEA region.
The Lego Art Vincent van Gogh – Sunflowers set is available for pre-order from January 28 at www.LEGO.com/Sunflowers and LEGO Stores, and available for purchase starting March 1, priced at €199.99 / £169.99 / $ 199.99.
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