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Nathan Sawaya

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Nathan Sawaya
Sawaya at his Art of the Brick exhibition in London in 2014
Born (1973-07-10) July 10, 1973 (age 51)
Colville, Washington, United States
OccupationArtist
Websitehttps://www.nathansawaya.com/

Nathan Sawaya (born July 10, 1973) is an American artist known for creating sculptures and large-scale mosaics using Lego building bricks.[1]

Biography

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Born in Colville, Washington and raised in Veneta, Oregon, Sawaya attended New York University, where he earned bachelor's and law degrees, eventually practicing law at the firm Winston & Strawn in Hollywood.

In 2004, Sawaya left his job as an attorney to work as a full-time Lego artist.

Less than six months after working for the Lego Group, he branched off and opened an art studio in New York City in 2004. As a professional artist, Sawaya is not an employee of the toy company. Sawaya is officially recognized by The Lego Group as a Lego Certified Professional.[2]

Sawaya's creations include a 7-foot (2.1 m) replica of the Brooklyn Bridge, a life-size model of a Tyrannosaurus rex, and a 6-foot (1.8 m) sculpture of Han Solo frozen in carbonite.His works include human form sculptures titled 'Yellow,' 'Red,' and 'Blue' .

He had his first solo art exhibit in the Spring of 2007 at the Lancaster Museum of Art.[3] "The Art of the Brick" focuses exclusively on the use of Lego building blocks as an art medium and has been exhibited in various museums.[4]

Sawaya had his first exhibition in the Southern Hemisphere at Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia in June 2011. The exhibition since traveled around Australia, including stops in Adelaide and at the Sydney Town Hall.

In July 2012, Sawaya's Asian tour began with exhibitions in Taipei, Kaohsiung, and Taichung. He has also exhibited at the world famous Art Science Museum at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore (November 2012 - May 2013) and Discovery Times Square in New York City (June 2013 - current). His exhibitions have been popular, with high attendance in various locations.[5]

Collections/Installations

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Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima reproduced in Lego form by Nathan Sawaya. On display in the National Museum of the Marine Corps and Heritage Center gift shop

Sawaya keeps two, full-time working art studios—one in Manhattan and the other in Los Angeles. With 1.5 million bricks in each of his studios, it is estimated that Sawaya owns more Lego bricks than any other single individual.

In 2012, Artnet[1] ranked Sawaya the 8th most popular artist in the world. His artwork is commissioned by collectors, athletes and celebrities.

Nathan Sawaya's work is in many collections, including:

And has been featured at museum venues worldwide, including:

  • The Imperial Centre for the Arts & Sciences in Downtown Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
  • Kimball Art Center[7] in Park City, Utah
  • John F. Kennedy Center[8] in Washington, DC
  • Oregon Museum of Science and Industry[9] in Portland, Oregon
  • Nassau County Museum of Art in Roslyn Harbor, New York
  • Morris Museum[10] in Morristown, New Jersey
  • Clinton Library[11] in Little Rock, Arkansas
  • Mesa Contemporary Arts Center[12] in Mesa, Arizona
  • Narrows Center for the Arts[13] in Fall River, Massachusetts
  • Mulvane Art Museum[14] in Topeka, Kansas
  • Crisp Museum[15] in Cape Girardeau, Missouri
  • Columbus Museum of Art[16] in Columbus, Ohio
  • Art & Culture Center[17] in Hollywood, Florida
  • The Ambassador Theatre[18] in Dublin, Ireland[19]
  • The Loading Bay Gallery[20] in London, United Kingdom[21]
  • Telus World of Science in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Press

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Sawaya has also been featured on multiple media outlets including The Colbert Report, where he presented Stephen Colbert with a life-sized replica of Stephen Colbert;[22] CBS's the Late Show with David Letterman; NBC's Today Show; TBS's Conan; ABC’S Jimmy Kimmel Live!; Newsweek;[23] the Los Angeles Times; The Hollywood Reporter; CNN; and The Wall Street Journal. In April 2009, he was a consultant on Mythbusters. He also served as a consulting producer on the American version of Lego Masters, helping to design sets and challenges.[24]

References

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  1. ^ "Artist". www.brickartist.com. Retrieved 2024-10-22.
  2. ^ "LEGO Certified Professionals". www.lego.com. Archived from the original on 2019-08-21. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
  3. ^ Forrest: @HeyRyaaaan, Williams. "Lancaster Museum of Art". www.lmapa.org.
  4. ^ "The Art of the Brick by Nathan Sawaya". www.photographize.co. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
  5. ^ "About". www.brickartist.com. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
  6. ^ "MASS MoCA - Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art". massmoca.org.
  7. ^ "Kimball Art Center - Park City, Utah Art Center". Kimball Art Center.
  8. ^ "The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts". www.kennedy-center.org.
  9. ^ "OMSI". OMSI.
  10. ^ "Morris Museum - 100 Years of Exhibitions, Education & Entertainment". morrismuseum.org.
  11. ^ "Featured Exhibits - William J Clinton Presidential Library". Archived from the original on 2011-11-02. Retrieved 2013-06-24.
  12. ^ "Mesa Arts Center". www.mesaartscenter.com.
  13. ^ "Narrows Center for the Arts -".
  14. ^ "Mulvane Art Museum". washburn.edu.
  15. ^ "Crisp Museum - Southeast Missouri State University". semo.edu.
  16. ^ "Home". Columbus Museum of Art. 12 August 2015.
  17. ^ "Art and Culture Center/Hollywood". artandculturecenter.org.
  18. ^ "Florida Alcohol & Opioid Detox Treatment Centers - Rehab and Recovery - Ambassador Rehabilitation Of Dublin". Florida Alcohol & Opioid Detox Treatment Centers - Rehab and Recovery.
  19. ^ Schwerha, Matthew. "PHOTOS: The Art of the Brick in Dublin". Today.ie. Archived from the original on 2014-05-14.
  20. ^ "The Old Truman Brewery". www.trumanbrewery.com.
  21. ^ "Art of the Brick". 11 July 2017.
  22. ^ "The Colbert Report". Comedy Central. Archived from the original on August 14, 2015.
  23. ^ "The Daily Beast". The Daily Beast.
  24. ^ Eakin, Marah (February 4, 2020). "Lego Masters' Nathan Sawaya on a life devoted to playing with Lego". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
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