Home News LEGO Unveils Van Gogh's Sunflowers with Hidden Art Surprise

LEGO Unveils Van Gogh's Sunflowers with Hidden Art Surprise

Author : Logan Update : May 07,2025

The first thing to know about the LEGO Art Vincent van Gogh – Sunflowers build is its impressive size. Measuring 21 inches high and 16 inches wide, it is approximately 60% the size of the original painting and large enough to be somewhat unwieldy when handling.

LEGO Art Vincent van Gogh – Sunflowers

Priced at $199.99 at the LEGO Store, this set is not just a playful tribute to one of the world's most renowned artworks but also a serious piece designed to be displayed in a home as art. This distinction is significant, highlighting LEGO's evolution from a mere curiosity for adults to a respected hobby.

LEGO Art Vincent van Gogh – Sunflowers

Vincent van Gogh painted his iconic series of Sunflowers while residing in Arles, France, during a highly productive phase of his artistic career. He had a deep emotional connection to the sunflower, associating it with gratitude. In a letter to a friend, van Gogh stated, "If [Georges] Jeannin has the peony, [Ernest] Quost the hollyhock, I indeed, before others, have taken the sunflower."

In August 1888, he created four versions of sunflowers in a vase, and he revisited this theme in January 1889, painting a repetition of the third version and two different repetitions of the fourth.

Of these seven paintings, the fourth version and its two repetitions are the most celebrated. The original fourth version (F454) is displayed at the National Gallery in London, England. One repetition (F457) can be seen at the Sompo Museum of Art in Tokyo, Japan, while the other (F458), perhaps the most iconic due to its vibrant colors and composition, is showcased at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Established in 1973, the Van Gogh Museum collaborated with LEGO to release the LEGO Vincent van Gogh - Sunflowers set, paying homage to the F458 repetition. This set features a three-dimensional relief that uses abstract pieces to mimic van Gogh's thick brushstrokes.

Upon opening the box, you'll find 34 numbered bags and a printed instruction booklet with a QR code. Scanning this code leads to a podcast discussing van Gogh and the inspirations behind his work.

I appreciated the build's real-world practicality. You start by constructing the painting's frame, which you can lean against a wall while working. Then, you build the canvas with the painting on top of it.

The final step involves mounting the canvas into the frame and securing it with pins, a process that adds a personal touch reminiscent of real-life art staging and presentation, enhancing the set's perceived value and importance.

An intriguing Easter egg is embedded in the canvas's construction. Art experts discovered that van Gogh extended the height of the canvas late in the painting process with a wooden strip at the top to give the sunflowers more space. LEGO cleverly replicated this detail by having you build the canvas as a single piece, then attach a separate strip at the top with pins. This detail, circled in red in the photo below, is made with brown bricks to mimic wood.

This seemingly unnecessary detail is precisely why it's so beloved. It's invisible to casual observers, known only to the builder, creating a sense of exclusivity and the shared experience of a master's creative process. Builders can choose whether to reveal this secret when displaying their work.

Constructing the full-bloom sunflowers can be tedious, but this mirrors van Gogh's meticulous approach. Take breaks; this set is meant to be savored, not rushed.

I particularly enjoyed building the wilting flowers and those in profile, which initially seemed abstract but revealed their purpose when viewed from a distance.

The most common question I get from fellow adults is, "Where do you put a LEGO set after building it?" For this set, the answer is clear: on my dining room wall. This set's intended final placement is a key consideration for potential builders, providing a rewarding sense of anticipation and long-term enjoyment. A week after completing it, I still find pleasure in noticing its three-dimensional details.

This LEGO Vincent van Gogh - Sunflowers set, numbered 31215, contains 2615 pieces and retails for $199.99. It is available exclusively at the LEGO Store.