Nathan Sawaya
Encyclopedia
Nathan Sawaya is an artist who builds custom three-dimensional models and large-scale mosaics from popular everyday items and standard Lego
toy bricks. His unique art creations are commissioned by companies, charities, individuals, museums and galleries.
Born in Colville, Washington
and raised in Veneta, Oregon
, Sawaya attended New York University
, where he earned bachelors and law degrees, eventually practicing law at the firm Winston & Strawn.
He first came to national attention in 2004, when he won a nationwide search for a professional Lego Master Model Builder.
After working for the Lego company for six months, he branched off and opened his own art studio in New York and is officially recognized by The Lego Group as a Lego Certified Professional.
He had his first solo art exhibit in the Spring of 2007 at the Lancaster Museum of Art. "The Art of the Brick" is the first major museum exhibition in the U.S. to focus exclusively on the use of Lego building blocks as an art medium.
In addition, his work is also in collections including:
Since 2000, Sawaya has created some of the most recognizable LEGO art sculptures, including a 7 feet (2.1 m)-long replica of the Brooklyn Bridge, a life-size tyrannosaurus rex, a 6 feet (1.8 m)-tall Han Solo frozen in carbonite, Curious George, and models of Alfred Hitchcock and Lindsay Lohan. Others include a huge black-and-white self portrait and a gigantic Monopoly box.
Sawaya has also been featured on multiple media outlets including The Colbert Report, where he presented Stephen Colbert with a life size replica of Stephen Colbert; CBS’s The Late Show with David Letterman; NBC’s Today Show; MSNBC’s Countdown with Keith Olbermann; ESPN’s Cold Pizza; ABC’S Jimmy Kimmel Live; Newsweek; the Los Angeles Times; Hollywood Reporter; CNN; and Newsday. In April 2009, he was a consultant on Mythbusters.
Lego
Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
toy bricks. His unique art creations are commissioned by companies, charities, individuals, museums and galleries.
Born in Colville, Washington
Colville, Washington
Colville is a city in Stevens County, Washington, United States. The population was 4,673 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Stevens County.- History :...
and raised in Veneta, Oregon
Veneta, Oregon
Veneta is a city in Lane County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 4,561.-History:Veneta was established in 1912 by Edmund Eugene Hunter, who named the settlement after his five-year-old daughter. Veneta post office was established in 1914. Veneta Orilla Hunter...
, Sawaya attended New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, where he earned bachelors and law degrees, eventually practicing law at the firm Winston & Strawn.
He first came to national attention in 2004, when he won a nationwide search for a professional Lego Master Model Builder.
After working for the Lego company for six months, he branched off and opened his own art studio in New York and is officially recognized by The Lego Group as a Lego Certified Professional.
He had his first solo art exhibit in the Spring of 2007 at the Lancaster Museum of Art. "The Art of the Brick" is the first major museum exhibition in the U.S. to focus exclusively on the use of Lego building blocks as an art medium.
In addition, his work is also in collections including:
- The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York
- Time Warner CenterTime Warner CenterThe Time Warner Center is a mixed-use skyscraper developed by AREA Property Partners and The Related Companies in New York City. Its design, by David Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, consists of two 750 ft towers bridged by a multi-story atrium containing upscale retail shops...
public art display in New York, New York - Qwest FieldQwest FieldCenturyLink Field is a multi-purpose stadium in Seattle, Washington, United States. It serves as the home field for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League and Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer...
public art display in Seattle, Washington - Legoland CaliforniaLegoland CaliforniaLegoland California is a theme park located in Carlsbad, California, focused on Lego bricks. It opened on March 20, 1999. It is the third Legoland park to open, and the first Legoland outside of Europe...
in Carlsbad, California - FAO Schwarz in New York, New York
- The Toy Museum in Bellaire, Ohio
- The Dreier Collection in Santa Barbara, California
- The National Museum of the Marine CorpsNational Museum of the Marine CorpsThe National Museum of the Marine Corps is the historical museum of the United States Marine Corps. It is located in Quantico, Virginia and is open to the public with free admission. The museum had its grand opening on November 10, 2006 and is now the number one tourist attraction in Virginia,...
in Quantico, Virginia - The New Orleans Public LibraryNew Orleans Public LibraryThe New Orleans Public Library is the public library service of the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.-History:The system began in 1896 as the Fisk Free and Public Library in a building on Lafayette Square...
public art display in New Orleans, Louisiana
Since 2000, Sawaya has created some of the most recognizable LEGO art sculptures, including a 7 feet (2.1 m)-long replica of the Brooklyn Bridge, a life-size tyrannosaurus rex, a 6 feet (1.8 m)-tall Han Solo frozen in carbonite, Curious George, and models of Alfred Hitchcock and Lindsay Lohan. Others include a huge black-and-white self portrait and a gigantic Monopoly box.
Sawaya has also been featured on multiple media outlets including The Colbert Report, where he presented Stephen Colbert with a life size replica of Stephen Colbert; CBS’s The Late Show with David Letterman; NBC’s Today Show; MSNBC’s Countdown with Keith Olbermann; ESPN’s Cold Pizza; ABC’S Jimmy Kimmel Live; Newsweek; the Los Angeles Times; Hollywood Reporter; CNN; and Newsday. In April 2009, he was a consultant on Mythbusters.
External links
- Personal portfolio with descriptions and photos of all building projects.