The Lego Acropolis that has attracted more than 100,000 visitors at Nicholson Museum in Sydney will now be seen by millions of people on the other side of the world in its new home, the Acropolis Museum.
The Nicholson Museum has graciously donated the Lego piece to the Acropolis museum, after they themselves asked if they could borrow the work to attract younger visitors.
“After a sleepless night, finding difficult to believe how honourable the Greek request was, I got back to the museum and said no, they couldn’t borrow it. We’d give it to them for free!” Nicholson Museum senior curator Michael Turner said.
The mammoth Lego Acropolis took creator Ryan McNaught 300 hours to build and used more than 120,000 LEGO bricks.
The piece has recreated what the Acropolis looked liked in its prime, with the Parthenon standing completed next to the Temple of Nike, all accessible from a Lego Propylaea.
Throughout the maze of buildings and temples, you’ll find little Lego Oedipus, Lego Lord Elgin and Lego Theseus in the labyrinth facing a LEGO Minotaur.
Some new additions will give someone with a good eye a bit of a chuckle, with a Lego Elton John performing in the Theatre of Dionysus.
Mr McNaught is the only Lego-certified professional in the southern hemisphere and built the Nicholson Museum’s extremely popular Lego Colosseum that attracted 90,000 visitors in 2012.
Curator Michael Turner says he wants to show an example with his gift.
“Maybe the British Museum refuses to give back the Elgin Marbles but we will offer an entire Acropolis as a gift to the Acropolis Museum.”
The Nicholson Museum will replace the space in January with a new model, this time a Lego Pompeii.
Source: Greekreporter Australia