January 10, 2024
The Art of the Brick: Tickets On Sale Now
THE WORLD’S LARGEST DISPLAY OF LEGO® ART OPENS FEBRUARY 17 AT THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE
INCLUDES A THIRTEEN-PIECE ENDANGERED SPECIES COLLECTION
A PHILADELPHIA-EXCLUSIVE CREATION AND A 9,000-SQUARE-FOOT BRICK PLAY SPACE
Philadelphia, PA – January 10, 2024— Tickets are now on sale for THE ART OF THE BRICK, a captivating exhibition of intriguing works of art made exclusively from one of the most recognizable toys in the world, the LEGO® brick. The critically acclaimed collection of more than 100 creative and inspiring pieces by renowned contemporary artist Nathan Sawaya returns to The Franklin Institute on February 17 after its highly successful 2015 debut, featuring several creations never before seen in Philadelphia, as well as a custom Philly design newly created by Sawaya, and a 9,000-square-foot interactive brick play space—both exclusive to The Franklin Institute.
New to Philadelphia, PERNiCiEM: The Endangered Species Connection, is an innovative multimedia collaboration between Sawaya and award-winning photographer Dean West that aims to creatively raise awareness of some of the world’s most endangered species. The collection features 13 large-scale sculptures—created from LEGO bricks—of endangered animals, including the humpback whale, polar bear, and lowland gorilla, each presented with a cinematic image of their natural habitat, shot on location in multiple remote global regions.
“The PERNiCiEM collection is a creative and powerful way to illustrate the urgent issue of extinction,” explained artist Nathan Sawaya. “We traveled the globe to find different locations where these actual endangered species would be in their natural environment, but we wanted to use the LEGO brick versions to convey the message that they are endangered, and we need to act.”
Other pieces making their Philadelphia debut this February include reimagined versions of Basquiat’s Pez Dispenser, Frida Kahlo’s The Frame, Hilma af Klint’s The Swan No. 17, and Decisions, a gravity-defying work comprising 112,306 bricks, making it Sawaya’s largest piece yet.
Guests will get an up-close, in-person view of the iconic pop culture fan favorite, Yellow, a life-size sculpture of a man ripping his chest open with thousands of yellow LEGO bricks cascading from the cavity. In addition, they can walk under a 20-foot-long T-Rex dinosaur skeleton made from bricks and come face-to-face with its giant LEGO brick skull.
Upon exiting the exhibit, guests will enter a 9,000-square-foot brick play space with hundreds of thousands of LEGO bricks spread across five distinct stations. In this interactive area, guests of all ages can create their own designs or participate in brick-building activities. Additionally, the play space will have a designated area for younger guests to engage with LEGO® DUPLO® sets.
THE ART OF THE BRICK is the first major museum exhibition to use LEGO bricks as the sole art medium. Sawaya transforms them into tremendous and thought-provoking sculptures, elevating the toy to the realm of art. Sawaya’s ability to transform this familiar toy into something meaningful, his devotion to spatial perfection, and the way he conceptualizes action enable him to elevate what almost every child has played with into the status of contemporary art.
“The ART OF THE BRICK is a remarkable exhibit that blends art, math, science, and engineering, showcasing the interdisciplinary nature of creativity,” said Larry Dubinski, President and CEO of The Franklin Institute. “Philadelphia is an art and science city, and we are thrilled to bring this extraordinary exhibition back to the region and our community.”
The exhibit will be presented in the Nicholas and Athena Karabots Pavilion and The Mandell Center through September 2, 2024. PECO, the Premier Corporate Partner of The Franklin Institute, is the Presenting Sponsor of THE ART OF THE BRICK. Liberty Coca-Cola is the Associate Sponsor.
THE ART OF THE BRICK
February 17 – September 2, 2024
Daytime Tickets
Daily: 9:30 am-5 pm
Adults $43.00
Children (ages 3-11) $39.00
Daytime tickets include admission to The Franklin Institute.
Evening Tickets
Thursday – Saturday: 5 pm-close
Adults $20.00
Children (ages 3-11) $20.00
Evening tickets include admission to THE ART OF THE BRICK only.
Tickets are timed and dated, and advance ticket purchase is strongly recommended. For information on purchasing tickets, please visit www.fi.edu.
About Nathan Sawaya & The Art of the Brick
Nathan Sawaya is an acclaimed New York-based artist who creates awe-inspiring artwork from a toy. His art focuses on large-scale sculptures using only LEGO bricks. Sawaya was the first artist ever to take LEGO into the art world, and his touring exhibition – THE ART OF THE BRICK® – has entertained and inspired millions of art lovers and enthusiasts. CNN heralded, “THE ART OF THE BRICK is one of the top 12 must-see exhibits in the world!” Sawaya’s childhood dreams were always fun and creative. He drew cartoons, wrote stories, and played with LEGO. Sawaya moved to New York City, attended NYU, and became a lawyer. After years of million-dollar mergers and corporate acquisitions, Sawaya realized he would rather be sitting on the floor creating art than in a board room. He walked away from the law and took an artistic risk on LEGO. Now, Sawaya is an author, speaker, and one of the most popular, award-winning contemporary artists of our time. For more information about Nathan Sawaya and his artwork, visit www.brickartist.com.
About The Franklin Institute
Located in the heart of Philadelphia, The Franklin Institute is a renowned and innovative leader in the field of science and technology learning, as well as a dynamic center of activity. Pennsylvania’s most visited museum, it is dedicated to creating a passion for learning about science by offering access to hands-on science education. For more information, visit www.fi.edu.