At 4,000 pieces, 31221 Gustav Klimt – The Kiss will deliver the largest LEGO Art Masterpiece set yet.
LEGO Art 31221 Gustav Klimt – The Kiss will bring another iconic piece of art to the ongoing theme in a 4,000 piece set. The Danish company has collaborated with the Belvedere Museum in Vienna to create a dimensional representation of the world-renowned painting.
The set will launch on August 1 and is available to preorder now at LEGO.com. It retails for £269.99 / $299.99 / €299.99.
LEGO Design Master Milan Madge, who has worked on many Art sets, aimed to capture the emotion of Klimt’s celebrated painting using the System in Play.
To create the specific shapes of the original piece, he and his colleagues have used a variety of elements, including minifigure accessory whips, 1×1 round plates with holes and quarter circles. Importantly, many pieces are mounted at angles and offsets to imply the curves of the brushstrokes. Special decorated parts convey details that are too fine to be depicted with bricks.
Upgrade your LEGO hobby! If you take out a subscription to Blocks, the monthly LEGO magazine, you’ll get each issue first and at a discount, plus other perks including a free digital subscription and the chance to win LEGO prizes every month.
The original painting is permanently displayed at the Belvedere Museum in Vienna.
“Recreating Klimt’s The Kiss in LEGO bricks was a unique creative challenge, requiring us to capture its rich textures, golden tones and intricate detail while honouring the original masterpiece,” says Milan. “By combining golden LEGO elements with specially decorated pieces, we were able to recreate the artwork’s distinctive shades and textures in a building experience that celebrates its extraordinary beauty.”
To make the experience more immersive, the LEGO Group has created a podcast for builders to listen to as they piece the set together. The conversation between Milan and The Belvedere Museum Curator of 19th- and 20th-Century Art Stephanie Auer has them discussing Klimt’s artistic legacy and the creative process.
“Working as a curator for the adaptation of Klimt’s The Kiss into a LEGO Art set was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” says Stephanie. “Together with Milan Madge, we had extensive discussions about Gustav Klimt’s symbolism, ornamentation, and artistic techniques, as well as how these could be represented using LEGO bricks. Distinctive features such as the flatness and composition were carefully translated into LEGO bricks—always with the goal of staying true to the spirit of the original work.”
Klimt was born in Baumgarten and received official commissions in Vienna until 1897. He was an important figure in the modernist movement characterised by decorative line and respect for the two- dimensionality of the painted surface.
The Kiss depicts a couple in an intimate embrace against a gold, flat background. They are standing at the edge of a patch of flowery meadow, visible under the woman’s feet. The man’s robe features geometric patterns and subtle swirls, while his crown of vines contrasts with the woman’s crown of flowers. The man is kissing the woman’s face, her arm is wrapped around his neck, while the other rests on his hand on his hand. Her face is facing up to receive the kiss.
Like other paintings of the era, The Kiss evokes the ‘fin-de-siecle spirit’, with the opulent and sensuous image conveying decadence.
The announcement comes after a busy day for LEGO Ideas, as the theme has announced three new sets – Kimonos, Jumanji and Universal Monsters.
If you want to find out when new LEGO sets are announced, sign up to our free newsletter. Of course, if you really want to upgrade your LEGO hobby for the true insider experience, take out a subscription to Blocks, the monthly LEGO magazine for fans.