Art of the Brick rebuilds the Mona Lisa, Jimi Hendrix and a dinosaur in Lego
Artist Nathan Sawaya shows off his amazing giant Lego sculptures in an exhibition at -- where else? -- Brick Lane.
Where else would you see the world's most famous artwork in one place with a dinosaur and One Direction? Only at The Art of the Brick, where the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and Jimi Hendrix have been recreated in Lego.
Artist Nathan Sawaya builds his sculptures from Lego bricks -- millions of 'em. His work includes brick-built recreations of famous sculptures, paintings and photos, as well as original pieces depicting life-size figures and giant faces. Now his Art of the Brick exhibition of Lego art has Le-gone to London, where we took a sneak peek at the studded sculptures. Click through the pictures below to hit the bricks.
It's taken 4,188 hours to build the 75 pieces of art, and four shipping containers were required to bring them from the US in 80 custom-made crates. The pieces include a number of life-size figures or giant faces and skulls, as well as special sculptures reminding us we're in London, such as an iconic red telephone box and a full-size line-up of UK popstrels One Direction.
The show's sculptures involve more than a million Lego bricks. Imagine stepping on that in bare feet.
Look out too for a giant T-Rex skeleton towering over younger visitors, built from over 80,000 Lego blocks and measuring over six metres from teeth to tail.
And if you're inspired to build a creation of your own, the exhibition concludes with tables full of Lego to play with and even a whole playpen of lego bricks for the kids.
The exhibition runs until Sunday 4 January 2015 and takes place at the hipster mecca that is the The Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, London, E1 6QL. It's a bit tricky to find: you want to look out for the Loading Bay Gallery on Dray Walk, a pedestrianised lane off Brick Lane.
Between Monday and Thursday, adult tickets cost £14.50 and kids £8. Between Friday and Sunday adults cost £16.50 and kids £9.50. A family ticket for two grown-ups and two nippers is £40 or £47 at the weekend. Concessions are also available for students, groups or schools.