The Art of the Brick (2024)

October 10, 2023 

THE ART OF THE BRICK: The World’s Largest Display of LEGO® Art  
Opens February 2024 at The Franklin Institute   

THE EXHIBIT FEATURES 100 INCREDIBLE WORKS OF ART MADE FROM MILLIONS OF LEGO BRICKS BY ARTIST NATHAN SAWAYA 

INCLUDING A PHILADELPHIA-EXCLUSIVE CREATION AND A 9,000-SQUARE-FOOT BRICK PLAY SPACE  
 
Philadelphia October 10, 2023—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, opens at The Franklin Institute on February 17, 2024. The critically acclaimed collection of creative and inspiring pieces constructed using only LEGO bricks by renowned contemporary artist Nathan Sawaya will include a Philadelphia-exclusive creation currently in production by Sawaya. The exhibit returns to The Franklin Institute after a successful 2015 run, extended by popularity and demand. Public tickets will go on sale in early 2024.  
 
Designed to inspire ingenuity and creativity, THE ART OF THE BRICK is the world's largest and most elaborate display of LEGO art, featuring more than 100 creations. The collection features original pieces as well as re-imagined versions of some of the world's most famous art masterpieces made exclusively from LEGO bricks, like Van Gogh's Starry Night and Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, as well as a gallery showcasing an innovative multimedia collection of LEGO brick infused photography produced in tandem with award-winning photographer Dean West.   
 
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 will be able to walk under a 20-foot-long T-Rex dinosaur skeleton made from bricks and come face-to-face with a giant LEGO skull. After exploring the exhibit galleries, guests will enter a 9,000-square-foot brick play space to build their imaginative creations using hundreds of thousands of colorful bricks.  
 
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 takes LEGO somewhere you wouldn’t expect and shows you things you have never seen before,” said artist Sawaya. “The goal with this collection of art is to demonstrate the potential of imagination and the power of creativity.” 
 
THE ART OF THE BRICK 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.  
 
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. 
 
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.