The LEGO Group’s ever-expanding catalogue of ways to part you with your money now includes artwork. The first wave of mosaics launching under the banner of LEGO Art incorporates two existing licensed themes – Star Wars and Marvel Super Heroes – alongside five iconic images.
There are 16 different tiled images to construct in all, across four different sets: Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe can be built in four different colour schemes; The Beatles builds each of the four band members; The Sith builds Kylo Ren, Darth Maul and Darth Vader; and Iron Man builds three different suits. You can also combine three copies of The Sith to build a huge portrait of Darth Vader, or three copies of Iron Man to build an enormous landscape of Tony Stark’s alter ego.
That will constitute a serious investment, though, with each individual LEGO Art set commanding a price tag of £114.99/€119.99/$119.99. Along with the 3,000 or so tiles or plates in each box, you’ll also gain access to a unique soundtrack to listen to while you build.
Check out galleries for each of the sets below, along with the full press release. You’ll be able to read more about LEGO Art in a future issue of Blocks. In the meantime, you can now order Issue 69, which features a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at another brand new LEGO theme, Monkie Kid.
31197 Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe
3,332 pieces
Pop art admirers can now recreate Andy Warhol’s famous bright pink screenprint of Marilyn Monroe from 1967, or reimagine it in three different colours using LEGO tiles. As art and design lovers tailor the tone of their piece to suit their artistic temperament, they can tune in to new insights and details about Warhol from those that know him best.
31198 The Beatles
2,933 pieces
Music lovers can bring Beatle-fandom into the home with a LEGO portrait of their favorite band member, whether it’s John Lennon, Sir Paul McCartney, George Harrison or Sir Ringo Starr. Each set can be used to create four unique portraits or collect four and display the full band side-by-side. Fans can get by with a little help from friends of the Beatles as they switch their headphones over to accompanying soundtrack to listen to music and stories about the band as they build.
31199 Marvel Studios Iron Man
3,156 pieces
Super Hero fans can decide between powering their hero up with the MARK III, the HULKBUSTER MARK I or the MARK LXXXV with this 3-in-1 set. After the tough decision is made, builders can recharge by listening to cool details about the set and stories from Marvel Experts as part of the accompanying soundtrack. Fans who want to channel Tony Stark and ‘run before you walk’ can combine three of the same sets into one to create the ultimate Iron Man artwork.
31200 The Sith
3,395 pieces
Celebrate iconic villains from a galaxy far, far away with this 3-in-1 portrait set. Choose between portraits that pay tribute to the Sith, with Darth Vader™, Darth Maul™ or Kylo Ren™, or take the artwork to the next level by combining three sets into an ultimate Darth Vader™ wall piece. The soundtrack means the Force will be with fans as they create their very own piece of wall art while listing to music from the films and fun stories from Star Wars™ creators.
Today, the LEGO Group is launching a new canvas for creative expression alongside a series of much-loved partners. Designed for adults who pride themselves on their love of pop culture, four new LEGO® Art sets give creative adults a different way to transform their passion into art.
Those who love Warhol or Marilyn Monroe, The Beatles or iconic characters from the Marvel Universe and Star Wars™ galaxy can pay homage to their idols by creating their very own LEGO artwork portrait to proudly display in their homes, offices or wherever they enjoy their music, film or art.
The LEGO® Art sets offer adults a new creative experience to help them relax and recharge as they transform a blank canvas (or in this case, small interlinking base plates) using LEGO tiles. Each set can be reimagined in a number of different ways to express the personality of each different builder, and to make it easy and simple for pop culture lovers to refresh the LEGO Art piece on display in their house. All four new sets come with a signature tile unique to the set that is worthy of any true work of art, and a new hanging element to make them easy to hang up and switch around.
With new research from the LEGO Group finding that 73% of adults often research new ways to help them relax, each LEGO Art set comes with a bespoke soundtrack that makes the perfect building companion. Featuring fascinating anecdotes from the creators of Iron Man and Star Wars, or those closest to the stories of Andy Warhol and the Beatles, the soundtracks dive deep into the inspiration behind each design to help adults fully immerse themselves in the building experience and unwind while they explore their love of music, art or film in a new way.
The LEGO® Marvel Studios Iron Man set will be available exclusively from LEGO Retail Stores and LEGO.com in most countries while the other three sets will be available from retailers from 1st August 2020, or from 1st September in the US.