Out on 1st October, I can’t decide if the Lego Mona Lisa is awesome or awful
Chintzy or classy?
A brick-built replica of the Mona Lisa is not something I expected Lego to create, but here we are in the year of our Lord 2024. And by Lord I of course mean The Lego Group. Sets have become more experimental, more out-there, more unique — and that’s one of the reasons why I love Lego so much. But I just can’t make my mind up about the newly-revealed Mona Lisa set. Do I love it? Do I hate it? I have no idea.
Announced last week and set to land in stores on 1st October, Lego Art Mona Lisa is made up of 1,503 pieces, measure 43x30cm and it’ll cost £89.99. It’s presented in a gold brick-built frame, and it features never-before-used Lego colours “to accurately reflect the colours used by da Vinci over 500 years ago, before the paint changed with age”.
Lego Mona Lisa: Chintzy or classy?
I admit, that is a pretty neat detail. And seeing the promotional shots for Mona Lisa, I do have to concede that, technically speaking, it looks to be a rather cool set. I suppose my main concern is simply: do I really want the Mona Lisa on my wall, Lego or otherwise?
My house is pretty standard. I do not live in a great big manor house where my walls are frequently adorned with gold-framed oil paintings. And therefore, next to my Lego Star Wars Darth Vader Art and my Amazing Spider-Man Art, the supposed grand and elusive Mona Lisa is just going to look… chintzy.
I think I’ll remain on the fence until I see the (brick-built) Mona Lisa in the flesh. At which point I’ll probably decide I absolutely need it in my collection because, well, that’s the sort of relationship I have with Lego.
Either way, I commend Lego for continuing to do new and rather daring things. Even if the Mona Lisa ends up not being for me, I’m glad it’s being made.
The Lego Mona Lisa will be available from 1st October. Pre-orders are open now directly from Lego.com