Nathan Sawaya facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nathan Sawaya
|
|
|---|---|
Sawaya at his Art of the Brick exhibition in London in 2014
|
|
| Born | July 10, 1973 Colville, Washington, United States
|
| Occupation | Artist |
Nathan Sawaya (born July 10, 1973) is an amazing American artist. He is famous for creating incredible sculptures and huge pictures using only Lego building bricks. He turns simple toy bricks into real art!
Contents
Nathan Sawaya's Journey to Becoming a Lego Artist
Nathan Sawaya was born in Colville, Washington. He grew up in Veneta, Oregon. He went to New York University. There, he studied law and became a lawyer. He even worked for a law firm in Hollywood.
From Lawyer to Lego Master
In 2004, Nathan made a big change. He decided to leave his job as a lawyer. He wanted to work full-time as a Lego artist. For a short time, he worked for the Lego Group. But soon, he opened his own art studio in New York City.
Nathan Sawaya is not an employee of the Lego toy company. Instead, he is officially recognized by The Lego Group. He is a "Lego Certified Professional." This means he is one of the best Lego artists in the world!
Famous Lego Creations
Nathan Sawaya has made many incredible art pieces. Some of his famous works include:
- A 7-foot (2.1 m) copy of the Brooklyn Bridge.
- A life-size model of a Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaur.
- A 6-foot (1.8 m) sculpture of Han Solo frozen in carbonite from Star Wars.
He also created human-like sculptures. These are called 'Yellow,' 'Red,' and 'Blue.' They show people in different poses.
The Art of the Brick Exhibition
Nathan had his first art show in 2007. It was at the Lancaster Museum of Art. This show was called "The Art of the Brick." It only featured art made from Lego bricks. This exhibition has traveled to many museums around the world.
Global Exhibitions
"The Art of the Brick" first went to the Southern Hemisphere in 2011. It was shown at Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia. The show then traveled to other Australian cities. These included Adelaide and Sydney Town Hall.
In 2012, Nathan's Asian tour began. His art was shown in Taipei, Kaohsiung, and Taichung. He also had a popular exhibition at the Art Science Museum. This museum is at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. It ran from November 2012 to May 2013.
His art was also shown at Discovery Times Square in New York City. This exhibition started in June 2013. Nathan's shows are very popular. Many people visit them in different places.
Where to See Nathan Sawaya's Lego Art
Nathan Sawaya has two art studios. One is in Manhattan, New York. The other is in Los Angeles, California. He has a huge collection of Lego bricks. It is estimated that he owns 1.5 million bricks in each studio! This means he might own more Lego bricks than anyone else.
In 2012, a group called Artnet ranked Nathan Sawaya. They said he was the 8th most popular artist in the world. Many collectors, athletes, and famous people ask him to create art for them.
Permanent Collections and Displays
Nathan Sawaya's amazing Lego art can be found in many places. Some of these include:
- The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York.
- A public art display at the Time Warner Center in New York City.
- The National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, Virginia.
- A public art display at the New Orleans Public Library in New Orleans, Louisiana.
- MASS MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts.
Featured at Museums Worldwide
His work has also been shown at many famous museums and venues around the globe. These include:
- The Imperial Centre for the Arts & Sciences in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
- Kimball Art Center in Park City, Utah.
- John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
- Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland, Oregon.
- Nassau County Museum of Art in Roslyn Harbor, New York.
- Morris Museum in Morristown, New Jersey.
- Clinton Library in Little Rock, Arkansas.
- Mesa Contemporary Arts Center in Mesa, Arizona.
- The Ambassador Theatre in Dublin, Ireland.
- The Loading Bay Gallery in London, United Kingdom.
- Telus World of Science in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Nathan Sawaya in the Media
Nathan Sawaya has been featured on many TV shows and in magazines. He appeared on The Colbert Report. On that show, he gave Stephen Colbert a life-sized Lego copy of himself!
He has also been on:
- CBS's The Late Show with David Letterman.
- NBC's Today Show.
- TBS's Conan.
- ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
His work has been written about in:
- Newsweek.
- The Los Angeles Times.
- The Hollywood Reporter.
- CNN.
- The Wall Street Journal.
In 2009, he was a consultant for the TV show Mythbusters. He helped them with some of their experiments. He also worked as a consulting producer for the American version of Lego Masters. He helped design the sets and challenges for the show.
