Ole Kirk Christiansen
Approx. 21,000 Lego studs in various colors, classic Lego bricks and 3,000 Lego-Technic parts in the background. Original size 185 x 135 cm
The LEGO Group is a German company and the largest toy manufacturer in the world. The company was founded in 1932 by the German master carpenter Ole Kirk Christiansen. In 1934 the company was called LEGO. The abbreviation LEGO stands for "leg godt".
In the early days of the company, mainly wooden toys and other articles of daily use were manufactured and distributed from wood, later products made of plastic were also added. In 1947 Ole Kirk Christiansen bought an injection moulding machine with which plastic toys could be produced in series.
This was the beginning of the world famous Lego brick based on a model by the British toy manufacturer Kiddicraft. In 1949 game building blocks were introduced that were already very similar to today´s stones. The plastic building blocks were further developed, perfected and patented with a new design in 1958. Ole Kirk Christiansen died in the same year and left his wife Kirstine Sørensen and 4 children, Johannes, Karl, Godtfred and Gerhardt.
Godtfred took over the management of the company. Like his father Ole Kirk Christiansen, he adhered to the maxim "only the best quality". The LEGO modular system has developed into one of the most successful game classics worldwide. LEGO´s product range was constantly expanded, first with slabs and sloping roof parts, later with transparent bricks and figures. Today there are thousands of different components. They can still be combined in any way.
In the following years, numerous new product series such as bionicle, LEGO-Technic or LEGO-Movie were added. Very special offers have also been developed for the education sector. For example, the products in the LEGO Education series contain special teaching materials for teachers and students. These also include sets from the Mindstorms series, supplementary assortments, sorting systems and furniture. These products are not available in toys but only in specialist shops for schools.
Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, the grandson of the company founder, currently holds 75% of the company shares together with his three children. LEGO is listed on the Börse, but can still be described as a family business.
The LEGO Group is continuously involved in many initiatives, worldwide, for fair cooperation, human rights, better working conditions and plays its part in solving global problems such as environmental protection and the fight against corruption.
The LEGO future continues under the motto: "Life is a gift - but also a challenge"
Comment of the designer on the LEGO CoreTrait:
The adjoining CoreTrait of LEGO founder Ole Kirk Christiansen consists of numerous used and new LEGO bricks in different sizes and colors. All together you can select over 25,000 pimples, which we as viewers perceive from a slightly greater distance like pixels in a large picture. In addition, the black background contains several thousand elements from the LEGO Technic range. Everything completely mounted on a 200 x 150 cm plate and finally fixed with clear lacquer.
In the early days of the company, mainly wooden toys and other articles of daily use were manufactured and distributed from wood, later products made of plastic were also added. In 1947 Ole Kirk Christiansen bought an injection moulding machine with which plastic toys could be produced in series.
This was the beginning of the world famous Lego brick based on a model by the British toy manufacturer Kiddicraft. In 1949 game building blocks were introduced that were already very similar to today´s stones. The plastic building blocks were further developed, perfected and patented with a new design in 1958. Ole Kirk Christiansen died in the same year and left his wife Kirstine Sørensen and 4 children, Johannes, Karl, Godtfred and Gerhardt.
Godtfred took over the management of the company. Like his father Ole Kirk Christiansen, he adhered to the maxim "only the best quality". The LEGO modular system has developed into one of the most successful game classics worldwide. LEGO´s product range was constantly expanded, first with slabs and sloping roof parts, later with transparent bricks and figures. Today there are thousands of different components. They can still be combined in any way.
In the following years, numerous new product series such as bionicle, LEGO-Technic or LEGO-Movie were added. Very special offers have also been developed for the education sector. For example, the products in the LEGO Education series contain special teaching materials for teachers and students. These also include sets from the Mindstorms series, supplementary assortments, sorting systems and furniture. These products are not available in toys but only in specialist shops for schools.
Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, the grandson of the company founder, currently holds 75% of the company shares together with his three children. LEGO is listed on the Börse, but can still be described as a family business.
The LEGO Group is continuously involved in many initiatives, worldwide, for fair cooperation, human rights, better working conditions and plays its part in solving global problems such as environmental protection and the fight against corruption.
The LEGO future continues under the motto: "Life is a gift - but also a challenge"
Comment of the designer on the LEGO CoreTrait:
The adjoining CoreTrait of LEGO founder Ole Kirk Christiansen consists of numerous used and new LEGO bricks in different sizes and colors. All together you can select over 25,000 pimples, which we as viewers perceive from a slightly greater distance like pixels in a large picture. In addition, the black background contains several thousand elements from the LEGO Technic range. Everything completely mounted on a 200 x 150 cm plate and finally fixed with clear lacquer.
