Photos: New Must-See Lego Exhibit Builds 'The Art Of The Brick'

By Mariela Patron

Legos summon the childhood nostalgia of hours spent building towers, bridges and robots to only have them repeatedly fall victim to gravity. While many have outgrown these childhood frustrations, New York-based artist Nathan Sawaya proves that it is possible to make a Lego creation stand the test of time in his current exhibit, The Art of the Brick.

Sawaya's exhibit at Forest Lawn Museum features over 30 pieces, including human sculptures, monuments and portraits—even one of himself. Each life-sized human sculpture is made up of about 15,000 to 25,000 bricks. At a distance, these portraits look like paintings, but at an arm's length, the straight edges and points of Legos come into view.

A common theme in the exhibit is the interpretation of human body in different states such as anger, fear and self doubt. One sculpture features a man kneeling down, staring at his reflection. In "Xray," Sawaya takes an anatomical representation of the human body with a man standing tall, arms on his waist, displaying an open heart. Sawaya connects with the imagination of a child in "Pop-Up Book," which displays a castle surrounded by a moat popping out of an over-sized book. The Art of the Brick leaves audiences wondering how such intricate pieces can be made out of a child's toy.

Having appeared on The Today Show, Late Night with David Letterman, The Colbert Report and CBS Sunday Morning, Sawaya's The Art of the Brick was named one of the top 12 "must-see exhibitions in the world" by CNN. Judging from his success, Sawaya's only worry is to avoid stepping on a Lego.

The Art of the Brick displays at Forest Lawn Museum in Glendale through July 21, Tuesday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission and parking are free.