Lego’s latest art set for adults is a literal masterpiece: Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss, the biggest entry yet in the Art Masterpiece line. The set features 4,000 individual pieces, making it the largest and most expensive Lego Art set to date, retailing at £269.99.
A new direction for Lego
Rather than spaceships or race cars, Lego has increasingly targeted adults with sets based on diverse themes, from Botanicals to footballers. The Art Masterpiece range includes Keith Haring’s Dancing Figures, the Mona Lisa, Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers, and Claude Monet’s Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies. All use standard Lego bricks to create a 3D effect, with the image protruding from a brick-built canvas.
The Kiss: an iconic painting reimagined
Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss, originally titled The Lovers, is an oil-on-canvas painting with gold leaf, silver, and platinum, created around 1907 by the Austrian Symbolist. It depicts a man and a woman embracing, possibly Orpheus and Eurydice, in ornate robes inspired by Art Nouveau. The painting is one of the most famous of the 20th century, and its recreation in Lego is surprisingly realistic, especially from a distance.
Design and collaboration
The set was developed in collaboration with the Belvedere Museum in Vienna, where the original painting is permanently displayed. A special podcast featuring the Lego designer and museum curator Stephanie Auer will be available from August 1 on Lego.com, Spotify, and YouTube. The set (#31221) measures 60cm by 54cm and is 4cm deep. Like previous Art Masterpiece sets, it can be hung on a wall using a special Lego piece on the back.
Release details
The set will be released on August 4 via the Lego website and retail stores. Lego Insiders can purchase it from August 1. According to Lego, the use of gold-coloured coiled whips for circular shapes and a mix of rectangles, small squares, and quarter-circles creates the intricate effect.
