LEGO Brings Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ To 3D With Mesmerizing, 2,316-Piece Set

Image courtesy of LEGO

Vincent van Gogh never knew the true value of his work. Now, on days when you doubt your abilities, you too can create a masterpiece—then take it apart and try again.

LEGO is now presenting new perspectives on the famous Starry Night painting in collaboration with the Museum of Modern Art in New York, where the van Gogh art has lived since 1935. An immersive 2,316-piece set “paints” the Post-Impressionist work’s depth and swirling brush strokes using stackable bricks.

Image courtesy of LEGO

The set was designed by Hong Kong-based LEGO enthusiast Truman Cheng, whose proposed design left fans in awe and ultimately prompted the toymaker to make the arty build a reality.

Image courtesy of LEGO

The multi-dimensional plastic masterpiece places a cypress tree and houses in the foreground, while stars, clouds, and the moon stud the background. You can stand it on your desk or hang it on the wall.

Image courtesy of LEGO

For a more meta spin, you could superimpose the painting with the accompanying van Gogh Minifig, easel, palette, paintbrush, and even his own mini painting.

Image courtesy of LEGO

Image courtesy of LEGO

“It was a good brain tease to come up with tricks and techniques to capture the look of the original painting,” shares Cheng in a press release. “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.”

The designer, a 25-year-old PhD student, described last year that his proudest effort in the project was the multi-layered stack of plates on the top-right mirroring van Gogh’s “angled brushstrokes within the moon-lit cloud.” At the time, the set was envisioned with just 1,552 pieces, so he might have a new favorite section now.

In keeping with the artistic theme, LEGO is running a contest encouraging builders in the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Mexico, Poland, and Spain to interpret the night sky in LEGO pieces. Selected works will be displayed in MoMA’s lobby this summer.

The Starry Night set will first launch on May 25 exclusively for LEGO VIP and MoMA members, before rolling out globally from June 1. The kit will retail for US$169.99 in LEGO locations, as well as MoMA’s Design Store in New York City and online store.

Image courtesy of LEGO

Image courtesy of LEGO

Image courtesy of LEGO

Image courtesy of LEGO

[via LEGO]