Nathan Sawaya


Nathan Sawaya is an American artist known for creating sculptures and large-scale mosaics using Lego building bricks.

Biography

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.
Sawaya's creations include a 7-foot replica of the Brooklyn Bridge, a life-size model of a Tyrannosaurus rex, and a 6-foot 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. "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.
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 and Discovery Times Square in New York City. His exhibitions have been popular, with high attendance in various locations.

Collections/Installations

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 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:
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; CBS's The Late Show with David Letterman; NBC's Today show; TBS's Conan; ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live!; Newsweek; 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.