The Art of the Brick: LEGO Eye Candy Hits Times Square

Engaging with a LEGO person

Some artists specialize in acrylic, oils, clay or steel to follow their passions and create masterpieces displayed in art studios or museums. Artist, Nathan Sawaya, went through NYU Law to become an attorney. Consequently, he found that creating sculptures out of LEGO bricks was more rewarding than negotiating contracts in a boardroom and decided to pursue his passion. An artist specializing in LEGO bricks – that is unique! I was recently complaining about spending $60 for the LEGO City Passenger Jet, and Sawaya told me that he spends six figures on purchasing LEGO bricks each year. That’s a lot of LEGO bricks!

Nathan Sawaya - The Art of the Brick, Discovery Times Square

Posing with artist, Nathan Sawaya

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a preview tour of the “The Art of the Brick” with the artist, Nathan Sawaya, at Discovery Times Square – with over 100 works made out of millions of bricks, it’s the largest display of LEGO art ever assembled!

The overall experience was jaw-dropping to any parent or child that enjoys messing around with LEGO bricks. My son and I were fascinated by the creativity and level of detail displayed in the clever, three-dimensional sculptures. Sure, some children will look at some of the creations and say, “I can do that!” However, it makes you wonder how someone can be so talented to take a simple children’s toy and transform it into an inspirational masterpiece.

We’ll try to highlight a few our favorite pieces below, but they aren’t close to replacing the “being there” experience with your children.

Our recommendation: Must See it

Negative aspect of the exhibit: Similar to a museum, you CAN’T TOUCH any of the artwork which was quite a challenge not just for the kids, but for their parents too (shhhh, I might have touched a few including the swimmer). We can’t wait to visit the exhibit again for an upcoming meetup with the NYC Dads Group. Plans are in the works so lots of dads and their children in our meet-up group community will get to participate in this truly unique experience. Stay tuned.

Exhibit Details: The Art of The Brick at Discovery Times Square runs until January 5, 2014. The exhibit is open seven days a week.