Today LEGO is announcing their next foray into the adult-focused product market with LEGO Art. The company has explored mosaic-style sets in the past, but usually they were custom based on an image provided. These new sets, which release August 1st, are based on pop culture icons that lean decidedly more towards nerdy than fine art, which I'm sure will appeal to many people. Featuring the likes of Iron Man, Darth Vader, The Beatles, and Andy Warhol's Marilyn Monroe, these $120 sets each contain the instructions for three or four images, and in some cases allow you to combine three copies of the set to make one larger image. If you're already a seasoned mosaic-maker, you should at least check them out for the new 16x16 Technic brick element that allows you to easily assemble individual subsections of the builds in a hopefully-sturdy manner. Read on to learn more!

Transform your passion into art: the LEGO Group puts pop-art back in the picture for adult builders.

New LEGO Art sets featuring Marvel and Star Wars characters and famous celebrities help adults get into the right 'frame' of mind while creating their very own masterpiece.

Billund, July 1st: Today, the LEGO Group is launching a new canvas for creative expression alongside a series of much-loved partners. Designed for adults who pride themselves on their love of pop culture, four new LEGO Art sets give creative adults a different way to transform their passion into art.

Those who love Warhol or Marilyn Monroe, The Beatles or iconic characters from the Marvel Universe and Star Wars galaxy can pay homage to their idols by creating their very own LEGO artwork portrait to proudly display in their homes, offices or wherever they enjoy their music, film or art.

The LEGO Art sets offer adults a new creative experience to help them relax and recharge as they transform a blank canvas (or in this case, small interlinking base plates) using LEGO tiles. Each set can be reimagined in a number of different ways to express the personality of each different builder, and to make it easy and simple for pop culture lovers to refresh the LEGO Art piece on display in their house. All four new sets come with a signature tile unique to the set that is worthy of any true work of art, and a new hanging element to make them easy to hang up and switch around.

With new research from the LEGO Group finding that 73% of adults often research new ways to help them relax, each LEGO Art set comes with a bespoke soundtrack that makes the perfect building companion. Featuring fascinating anecdotes from the creators of Iron Man and Star Wars, or those closest to the stories of Andy Warhol and the Beatles, the soundtracks dive deep into the inspiration behind each design to help adults fully immerse themselves in the building experience and unwind while they explore their love of music, art or film in a new way.

The LEGO Marvel Studios Iron Man set will be available exclusively from LEGO Retail Stores and LEGO.com in most countries while the other three sets will be available from retailers from 1st August 2020, or from 1st September in the US.

• LEGO Andy Warhol's Marilyn Monroe - Pop art admirers can now recreate Andy Warhol's famous bright pink screenprint of Marilyn Monroe from 1967, or reimagine it in three different colours using LEGO tiles. As art and design lovers tailor the tone of their piece to suit their artistic temperament, they can tune in to new insights and details about Warhol from those that know him best.
• LEGO The Beatles - Music lovers can bring Beatle-fandom into the home with a LEGO portrait of their favorite band member, whether it's John Lennon, Sir Paul McCartney, George Harrison or Sir Ringo Starr. Each set can be used to create four unique portraits or collect four and display the full band side-by-side. Fans can get by with a little help from friends of the Beatles as they switch their headphones over to accompanying soundtrack to listen to music and stories about the band as they build.
• LEGO Marvel Studios Iron Man - Super Hero fans can decide between powering their hero up with the MARK III, the HULKBUSTER MARK I or the MARK LXXXV with this 3-in-1 set. After the tough decision is made, builders can recharge by listening to cool details about the set and stories from Marvel Experts as part of the accompanying soundtrack. Fans who want to channel Tony Stark and 'run before you walk' can combine three of the same sets into one to create the ultimate Iron Man artwork.
• LEGO Star Wars The Sith - Celebrate iconic villains from a galaxy far, far away with this 3-in-1 portrait set. Choose between portraits that pay tribute to the Sith, with Darth Vader, Darth Maul or Kylo Ren, or take the artwork to the next level by combining three sets into an ultimate Darth Vader wall piece. The soundtrack means the Force will be with fans as they create their very own piece of wall art while listing to music from the films and fun stories from Star Wars creators.

Louise Elizabeth Bontoft, Senior Design Director at the LEGO Group, commented: "We know adults are always trying to destress after a day at work, and we thought, what better way to help them switch off than by encouraging them to explore their favourite passion in a new creative way?

With these wider ranging designs, we believe that we can inspire film fans, music lovers and art and design aficionados to immerse themselves in a world of art and creativity linked to their idols. Through this new experience, we believe adults can unwind, engage in a mindful building activity and ultimately create a beautiful piece of wall art that perfectly reflects their personality."

These new wall art sets are the second 2D tile creative concept to be announced by the LEGO Group this year, following the launch of LEGO DOTS, a new theme that offers children a new way to express themselves inspired by arts and crafts.

Further Product Details

All products measure over 15.5" (40cm) square when completed and have an RRP of €119,99/ $119,99/ £114.99.

• LEGO Art's Andy Warhol's Marilyn Monroe (31197)
  • 3,332 pieces
  • 4-in-1 Collectible Wall Art Building Kit for Adults
  • Accompanying soundtrack includes interviews with Jessica Beck, Curator at The Andy Warhol Museum and stories from Blake Gopnik, Art Critic and the author of "Warhol", a comprehensive biography.
• LEGO Art's The Beatles (31198)
  • 2,933 pieces
  • 4-in-1 Collectible Wall Art Building Kit for Adults
  • Accompanying soundtrack includes interviews with Broadcaster and Beatles Expert, Geoff Lloyd, British journalist and Beatles fan Samira Ahmed and stories from Nish Kumar, Comedian, TV Presenter and Beatles fan.
• LEGO Art's Marvel Studios Iron Man (31199)
  • 3,156 pieces
  • 3-in-1 Collectible Wall Art Building Kit for Adults
  • Three separate sets can be combined to make an ultimate Iron Man portrait piece
  • Accompanying soundtrack includes interviews with Roy Thomas, former Marvel Editor in Chief and stories from Alex Grand, Marvel expert and host of "Comic Book Historians podcast".
• LEGO Art's Star Wars The Sith (31200)
  • 3,395 pieces
  • 3-in-1 Collectible Wall Art Building Kit for Adults
  • Three separate sets can be combined to make an ultimate Darth Vader portrait piece
  • Accompanying soundtrack includes interviews with Doug Chiang, VP & Executive Creative Director, Lucasfilm and stories from Glyn Dillon, creator of the design for Kylo Ren, as seen in the Star Wars film saga.

I have lots of thoughts on these sets. At a high level, they look really cool, but boy are they expensive. I think most AFOLs are outside the target audience for the models, since most of us could build our own mosaic if we wanted to hang one up on the wall. And while it seems crazy to me, personally, I know people are going to buy four copies of the Beatles set or six copies of Iron Man so they can have all of the variations on display at once. Let me buy that 16x16 brick, and you can keep all of the 1x1 plates and tiles for yourself LEGO. What do you think? Let us know in the Talkback!

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