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LEGO Unveils Vincent van Gogh's Sunflowers with Hidden Art Surprise

by Eric Apr 25,2025

The first thing to know about the LEGO Art Vincent van Gogh – Sunflowers set is its impressive size. Measuring 21 inches high and 16 inches wide, this build is approximately 60% the size of the original painting and large enough to be unwieldy when picking it up. This size and scope mean it's designed to be taken seriously, not just as a LEGO set but as a piece of art worthy of being displayed in a home.

Out March 1

LEGO Art Vincent van Gogh – Sunflowers

$199.99 at LEGO Store

This LEGO set is a tribute to one of the most famous artworks in the world. It's significant enough to be hung up in a dwelling space as art, marking an important shift as LEGO evolves from an adult curiosity to a respected adult hobby.

LEGO Art Vincent van Gogh – Sunflowers

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Vincent van Gogh painted his renowned series of Sunflowers while living in Arles, France, during a prolific period in his artistic life. He had a deep emotional connection to the sunflower, associating it with gratitude and viewing it as an artistic muse. In a letter to a friend, he wrote:

"If [Georges] Jeannin has the peony, [Ernest] Quost the hollyhock, I indeed, before others, have taken the sunflower."

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

Of these seven paintings, the fourth version and its two repetitions are the most famous. 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. The other repetition (F458), which is perhaps the most iconic due to its vibrant color composition, is showcased at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Established in 1973, the Van Gogh Museum partnered with LEGO to release the LEGO Vincent van Gogh - Sunflowers set, a tribute to the F458 repetition. This set is rendered as a three-dimensional relief, using abstract pieces to replicate van Gogh's distinctive 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 that discusses van Gogh and the inspirations behind his work.

I appreciated the build's real-world practicality. You first construct the painting's frame, which can be leaned against the wall while you work. Then, you build the canvas with the painting on top of it.

You complete the build by mounting the canvas into the frame and securing it with pins, mimicking the real-life process of staging and presentation. This adds a personal touch and enhances the set's sense of value and importance.

There's a delightful Easter egg hidden in the canvas' construction. Art experts discovered that van Gogh extended the canvas's height with a wooden strip during the painting of F458. LEGO humorously replicates this by having you build the canvas as a single unit, then affix a separate strip at the top with pins. This detail, marked in red in the photo below, uses brown bricks to mimic wood.

This seemingly superfluous detail is one of the set's highlights. It's imperceptible to casual viewers, known only to the builder, who can feel a sense of exclusivity and share the secret with others.

Building the full-bloom sunflowers can be tedious but is necessary to achieve such convincing results. The repetitive nature mirrors van Gogh's dedication to his craft. It's a build to savor, not rush through.

I particularly enjoyed constructing the wilting flowers and those shown in profile. Initially, they seemed abstract, but stepping back revealed their true form as stems and leaves.

A common question among adult builders is, "Where do you put it after you build it?" For this set, the answer is clear: on my dining room wall. This set is designed with a specific display purpose in mind, allowing you to enjoy it long after completion. A week after finishing it, I still find new details to appreciate.

The LEGO Vincent van Gogh - Sunflowers, Set #31215, retails for $199.99 and comprises 2615 pieces. It is available exclusively at the LEGO Store.