The design collection at MoMA has some great items of cultural significance, including the beloved Lego brick. A while back, Christoph Niemann created a memorable version of iconic New York items in Lego. Niemann also created an illustration for MoMA.org last fall (here’s the blog post). The Lego has grown up quite a bit in the past few decades, and you can even get a Lego version of Fallingwater at the MoMA Design Store.
In that spirit, and as an excuse to spend a little time on a Friday afternoon playing with Legos, we decided to whip up some pieces in MoMA’s collection in Lego form. After spending a few bucks online getting a couple bags of mixed bricks, we went to town. Due to the limitations from the random assortment, some of the highlights of the Collection we would love to have remade (Broadway Boogie Woogie and Vir Heroicus Sublimis, I’m looking at you) couldn’t be constructed.
The obvious place to start is Richard Serra, with Equal (Corner Prop Piece) and One Ton Prop (House of Cards).
Of course, you can just as easily go for minimal works, such as Ellsworth Kelly’s Black and Yellow from the series Line Form Color.
And where would be without the Suprematist Composition: White on White of Kazimir Malevich?
And here’s Sol LeWitt’s Floor Structure.
Limited by greens, here’s a mere detail of Donald Judd’s Untitled (Stack).
A regular in the Sculpture Garden is Anthony Caro’s Midday.
Finally, this charming rendition of Rothko’s No. 5/No. 22 was put together by John Wilson.
Forgive us, Glenn Lowry, Ann Temkin, and the Trustees of the Museum!
Comments
hilarious!
Posted by Joanna
So fun!
Posted by gail ressler
LOVE IT!
Posted by amy
I love them!
Posted by Tiziana
David, I heart you.
Posted by TN
I am looking at my kid’s legos in a WHOLE new way….
Posted by Becky
besides being used to pastiche the sacred cows of Modern Art. lego can be used in the production of original/permanent objets d”art, like this travel chess set, on which I played Kasparov.
http://rchaplin.blogspot.com/2008_10_01_archive.html#8720763524155741891
Posted by Robert Chaplin
Me encanta. Es una nueva forma divertida de utilizar el juego de legos y aprender arte a la vez.
Posted by Ascensión Gibert
Me encanta!! sobre todo la ultima imagen…. la posibilidad de transformar una pintura en un lego… en fin… la vida: TODO PARA ARMAR!!
Posted by carla
You understand creativity.
Posted by Di Rancatore
I actually prefer the Lego versions of the Judd and LeWitt pieces.
Posted by Bryan
Wow, I cant believe my 3 year old can now be an artist…incredibly ridiculous
Posted by Nunya
This is so great. I’m an art professor and mother of a Lego obsessed son, so this is the perfect marriage of my two passions!
Posted by jeni
Love this! Just demonstrates how silly and pretentious the Art world really is at times. Brilliant, bringing it down to size in the form of the beloved Lego bricks.
http://www.goodjolt.co.uk
Posted by Jolt
So interesting..
Posted by 23mmm
LOVE IT!
Posted by Laura Eastwood
British ‘The Little Artists’ have been doing a very similar thing for more than 10 years. Particularly like Emin’s ‘Bed’ and Koon’s ‘Balls’
http://www.littleartist.co.uk/
Posted by yh
Awesome David! I love it.
Have you seen this?
http://www.brillig.com/lego/starry_night/
Posted by Jenny Harada
Lame – you have to see the original guys doing it
http://www.littleartist.co.uk
They knock spots of your stuff
Posted by Carl
Wow, art today sure is uninspiring. Love those Legos though!
Posted by Ryan