LEGO® ART (set 31221) Gustav Klimt – The Kiss is the biggest LEGO Art set yet to come out of the very popular theme. At 4000 pieces, it’s not just the number of elements used that makes it big, but also the size of the finished set. It’s a whopping 60 by 54cm (23.5 by 21 inches). Gustav Klimt was born in Austria in 1862. He was a founding member of the Vienna Secession movement, and his work helped to define the Art Nouveau style in Europe. Known mostly for his painting, Klimt also produced murals, sketches and other objects d’art. He primarily focused his practice on the female body, and many of his works are marked by a frank eroticism.
The Kiss is probably his most well-known painting. Completed in 1908, the picture is primarily oil on wood, but Klimt added gold leaf, platinum and silver foil to enhance the image. When it was first displayed, it went under the title “The Lovers”. The painting depicts a couple embracing each other, their bodies entwined in elaborate robes decorated in a style influenced by the contemporary Art Nouveau movement.
Product Details
Set Name: Gustav Klimt – The Kiss | Set Number: 31221 | Pieces: 4000 | Theme: Art
Instructions: Paper booklet + Builder App | Sticker: n/a | Minifigures: n/a
RRP: £269.99 / 299.99€ / $299.99 / 499.99AUD / 419.99CAD
Availability: LEGO Stores, LEGO Online & LEGO retailers
The huge box contains 33 numbered bags, half of which are included in a separate white cardboard box. There’s also an additional number of plastic bags containing a selection of baseplates, 17.6cm-long yellow (3mm-thick) rigid hoses, and bright yellow “Indiana Jones” whips.
The instruction book is a behemoth with 668 steps over 456 pages. The first few pages give detailed information about the artist and the LEGO designers. There’s also an accompanying podcast which you access by scanning a QR code. Personally, I find these recordings rather distracting, and I’m forever hitting the pause button! Nevertheless, if it’s your thing, then I think you’ll enjoy listening along.
Unlike some of the other LEGO Art sets, you do not build the frame after completing the main image. Instead, right from bag one you’re building the frame as well as the image. This process pretty much continues all the way to bag 26 when you finally complete the simple frame. Bags 27 onwards are all about adding detail to the picture.
Building techniques
There are some interesting build techniques at work. Several pieces are made up by stacking bricks and brackets and attaching them on their sides to the baseplates. On several occasions you build slots which, a few steps later, are married up with brick-built shapes that simply slide in and are held in place by other brick-built pieces that also attach to the exposed plates.
Printed & Metallic Elements
The original painting by Klimt is a stunningly visual artwork with a myriad of pastel shades and metallic elements. LEGO have managed to recreate much of what Klimt achieved, and they have done this by including a huge amount of printed elements, from 1×1 tiles right up to 6×6 radar dishes. The use of building sections on their sides means that many of Klimt’s techniques have been reproduced in brick form.
As well as printed tiles, LEGO have also gone to town with the amount of metallic elements. Gold and silver tiles and modified plates, as well as 1×1 studs and 1×1 round tiles, are to be found throughout the set. By using them, LEGO have faithfully recreated Klimt’s original. There’s even a 4×2 printed tile with Klimt’s signature!
I was expecting the build to be rather monotonous and laborious given the number of small elements used. But the clever building techniques made for the whole build to be really good fun. Even adding all the hundreds of 1×1 studs and tiles, which I usually task my wife with, I found it not to be the chore I had envisioned.
As the build progresses, one can almost imagine the same feelings of pleasure and achievement that Klimt must have had during the process of painting The Kiss. Each step, each new bag brings to life Klimt’s masterpiece. As you add a new section and admire what you’ve achieved, so must Klimt have felt the same.
With the final pieces added, which are the head and hair of the male lover, the picture revealed in front of you is stunning. What the LEGO designers have achieved is akin to alchemy. It’s a masterpiece and every bit as beautiful as the original painting. I was incredibly impressed.
The Verdict
This wonderful set is incredible. The build was enjoyable, and seeing each element come together to faithfully reproduce the original is very clever. My hat goes off to the designers. But I would not recommend this set to anyone as their first foray into the theme. It’s not especially complicated, but the knowledge and skills needed to make the build go smoothly are most definitely required.
I believe what LEGO have achieved with The Kiss is next-level brilliant! I can’t wait to see what their talented designers come up with next. I’d love to see something by David Hockney. His use of colour really suits the current colour palette used by LEGO. And he has a vast catalogue to pick from.
The LEGO Group provided this set to BricksFanz.com for review purposes. The thoughts in this review are those of BricksFanz.com and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group. Providing the set for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of it
