Finally, LEGO Will Release Van Gogh’s Long-Awaited ‘Starry Night’ Set
For 87 years, Vincent van Gogh’s masterpiece, “The Starry Night”, has called the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in NYC, its home. Now, thanks to the LEGO Group, it can call your living room its home too.
LEGO has announced that it will begin selling its long-awaited 2,316-piece Starry Night set, an awe-inspiring replica of the artist’s post-impressionist painting, complete with its swirling brush strokes and radiant colors.
The kit was designed by Hong Kong-based LEGO enthusiast Truman Cheng, who cleverly stacked the bricks intermittently to mimic the artwork’s dreamlike quality.
“It was a good brain tease to come up with tricks and techniques to capture the look of the original painting,” explained Cheng. “The brushwork goes into many directions in the Moon and the swirling cloud, so there was some creative use of bracket and clip elements involved.”
He then submitted a proposal to the LEGO Ideas website, catching the attention of fellow enthusiasts and the company’s creative team. “What makes The Starry Night so irresistible is the expressive brushwork and vibrant colors used throughout, which tell the story of humanity’s everlasting dream for better things,” said Federico Begher, head of global marketing at LEGO.
He added: “Truman’s design was a masterpiece in itself — showing how many different LEGO elements and techniques could be used to replicate Van Gogh’s iconic painting.”
Of course, what would a piece of art be without the artist? The kit also comes with a van Gogh minifig, along with an easel, palette, paintbrush, and a miniature Starry Night painting.
To celebrate the set’s launch, the company is holding a competition asking participants to interpret the night sky using LEGO pieces. The best entries will be put on display — at MoMa no less.
“At MoMA, we celebrate the opportunity to connect art and audiences, and are thrilled to be part of a new way to experience Van Gogh’s work, and to inspire the creative impulse in people of all ages,” said MoMA associate director Sarah Suzuki.
Vincent van Gogh’s LEGO set, priced at $169.99, will launch on May 25 exclusively for LEGO VIP and MoMA members, followed by the worldwide release on June 1. You can find out more at the LEGO website.