See Lego’s stunning new set, which turns Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ into 3D art

Lego has just unveiled itsStarry Nightset. Inspired by the Dutch painter’s iconic masterpiece, the set uses various techniques to capture the look of the original artwork: 3D elements help the moon, the 11 stars, and the famous swirling cloud stand out, while different-colored Lego bricks, stacked at specific intervals, emulate the signature brush strokes.

The set also includes a Van Gogh minifigure with a paintbrush, a palette, and a miniature version ofStarry Nightresting on an easel. All of them can be attached to the main set to make it look like Van Gogh is painting the scene unfolding in front of him—much like Van Gogh painted the view from his window in 1889, at the Saint-Paul asylum in Saint-Rémy, France.

TheStarry Nightset was designed by Truman Cheng, a 25-year-old PhD student from Hong Kong. Cheng submitted his idea through theLego Ideasplatform, which gives fans the opportunity to submit their own creations and have their concept brought to life with the help of Lego designers. (Since its launch in 2008, the platform has yielded 41 sets selected for production.) Cheng will get a share of the profits from theStarry Nightset.

Lego has become famous for its themed sets depicting scenes from the likes ofStar WarsorHarry Potter, butStarry Nightis a prime example of the company’s efforts to create products aimed atadults. In 2020, it launched an art mosaic set inspired by one ofAndy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroeportraits (incidentally, the original recently sold for$195 million). And in 2021, it released afloral bouquet and a bonsai treewith pink cherry blossoms, both made of plant-based plastic.

The Starry Nightset was developed in partnership with the Museum of Modern Art, where the original Starry Nighthas been located since 1935. The set will go on sale on May 25 for Lego and MoMA members. Come June 1, it will be available to everyone else for $169.99.

And just in case you were wondering: Yes, the painter’s left ear was already cut off when he painted Starry Night; regrettably, no, the Van Gogh minifigure doesn’t go into that great of detail.

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