Ego Leonard
Encyclopedia
Ego Leonard is apparently the name of a Dutch
painter
and sculptor, whose works prominently feature outsized Lego
minifigure
s. The name is also sometimes applied to sculpture apparently made by Leonard which have been found on beaches in various locations in the world since the late 2000s. The sculptures are in the form of minifigures constructed from fibreglass up to two and a half metres in height, and have the message "No Real Than You Are" in capital letters written on their torsos. It is unclear whether Ego Leonard is an actual person or a fictional character.
, The Netherlands on 7 August 2007.. It had a yellow head and a blue torso. It was suggested at the time that "No Real Than You Are" might become a meme
similar to "All your base are belong to us
".
A second giant Lego figure was found off Brighton Beach
, United Kingdom
on 29 October 2008. The green, yellow, and red sculpture again bore the words "No Real Than You Are" on its torso. A spokeswoman for the the Lego company stated that it was a surprise to the company, and may have been related to an exhibition in the next few weeks that "Ego Leonard" would have in London.
Another similar Lego figure appeared in in the sea off Siesta Key Beach
, Florida
, United States
on 25 October 2011. The sculpture is about 2 metres in height and weighs about 50 kilograms. Its head and arms were yellow, with a red torso and green legs, and it had the message "No real than you are" in capital letters on its front and "Ego Leonard" and the number 8 on its back. Local authorities have referred to the object itself as "Mr Leonard'. Local newspaper Sarasota Herald-Tribune
sent an email to Leonard, and received a reply. It purported to be from the the sculpture itself, and stated that it had been "a hell of a swimm" [sic], but that it was enjoying the weather and friendly people, and is "gonna stay here for a while." The local cops had taken it and called for his owner. Most likely, if the owner doesn't show up, it is likely that he will be given to Jeff Hindman, who saw it first in the U.S.A.
prescriptionart.com were valued at between US$
3 500 and $ 4 500.
In reference to the 2011 appearance, Spanish newspaper El Mundo
noted that "Ego Leonard" could mean "I, Leonardo"..
It has been reported that Ego Leonard may be associated with Dutch artist Leon Keer, who won second place in the 2010 Sarasota Chalk Festival
and is due to compete again at the 2011 festival. Keer has admitted to being a long-time friend of Leonard's and to have designed his website. He also expressed concern that the publicity may have an adverse effect on "a person like Ego, who just wants to bring some kindness in the everyday life."
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and sculptor, whose works prominently feature outsized Lego
Lego
Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
minifigure
Lego minifigure
A Lego minifigure is a small plastic articulated figurine available as part of the construction toy Lego, produced by Danish toy manufacturer the Lego Group. They were first produced in 1978, and have become hugely successful, with over 3.7 billion produced, and the figure appearing in a variety...
s. The name is also sometimes applied to sculpture apparently made by Leonard which have been found on beaches in various locations in the world since the late 2000s. The sculptures are in the form of minifigures constructed from fibreglass up to two and a half metres in height, and have the message "No Real Than You Are" in capital letters written on their torsos. It is unclear whether Ego Leonard is an actual person or a fictional character.
Beach sculpture
The first oversized minifigure attributed to Leonard was retrieved from the sea off ZandvoortZandvoort
Zandvoort is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.Zandvoort is one of the major beach resorts of the Netherlands; it has a long sandy beach, bordered by coastal dunes...
, The Netherlands on 7 August 2007.. It had a yellow head and a blue torso. It was suggested at the time that "No Real Than You Are" might become a meme
Meme
A meme is "an idea, behaviour or style that spreads from person to person within a culture."A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols or practices, which can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals or other imitable phenomena...
similar to "All your base are belong to us
All your base are belong to us
"All your base are belong to us" is a broken English phrase that became an Internet phenomenon or meme in 2000–2002...
".
A second giant Lego figure was found off Brighton Beach
Brighton Beach
Brighton Beach is an oceanside neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. As of 2000, it has a population of 75,692 with a total of 31,228 households.-Location:...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on 29 October 2008. The green, yellow, and red sculpture again bore the words "No Real Than You Are" on its torso. A spokeswoman for the the Lego company stated that it was a surprise to the company, and may have been related to an exhibition in the next few weeks that "Ego Leonard" would have in London.
Another similar Lego figure appeared in in the sea off Siesta Key Beach
Siesta Beach
Siesta Beach is a beach located on Siesta Key, Florida, United States. The sand is 99% pure quartz, soft and cool on the feet.The many awards it has earned include:...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on 25 October 2011. The sculpture is about 2 metres in height and weighs about 50 kilograms. Its head and arms were yellow, with a red torso and green legs, and it had the message "No real than you are" in capital letters on its front and "Ego Leonard" and the number 8 on its back. Local authorities have referred to the object itself as "Mr Leonard'. Local newspaper Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
The Sarasota Herald-Tribune is a daily newspaper located in Sarasota, Florida.It is owned by The New York Times Company, who purchased it in 1982, and part of its regional news group. Along with Comcast, the newspaper operates a local 24-hour...
sent an email to Leonard, and received a reply. It purported to be from the the sculpture itself, and stated that it had been "a hell of a swimm" [sic], but that it was enjoying the weather and friendly people, and is "gonna stay here for a while." The local cops had taken it and called for his owner. Most likely, if the owner doesn't show up, it is likely that he will be given to Jeff Hindman, who saw it first in the U.S.A.
Painting
Ego Leonard's painting feature outsized Lego figures with messages and similar to and including "No real than you are". It has been reported that works exhibited in online art galleryOnline art gallery
An online version of a contemporary art gallery.- Purpose and Type of Online Art Galleries :An online art gallery refers to a website that display artworks. Usually, the online gallery is run as a business, with the purpose of displaying the artwork being to promote it to potential buyers...
prescriptionart.com were valued at between US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
3 500 and $ 4 500.
Identity
In reference to the 2011 appearance, Spanish newspaper El Mundo
El Mundo (Spain)
El Mundo is the second largest printed and the largest digital daily newspaper in Spain and one of the newspapers of record in that country, with a daily circulation topping 300,000 readers for the printed edition and 24 million unique web visitors per month for the...
noted that "Ego Leonard" could mean "I, Leonardo"..
It has been reported that Ego Leonard may be associated with Dutch artist Leon Keer, who won second place in the 2010 Sarasota Chalk Festival
Sarasota Chalk Festival
Sarasota Chalk Festival is an American cultural event celebrating a sixteenth century performing art form of Italian street painting. The festival is focused around the street artists who are known as Madonnari in Italy because historically, they recreated images of the Madonna...
and is due to compete again at the 2011 festival. Keer has admitted to being a long-time friend of Leonard's and to have designed his website. He also expressed concern that the publicity may have an adverse effect on "a person like Ego, who just wants to bring some kindness in the everyday life."
External links
- Ego Leonard from www.st-artgallery.com
- Ego Leonard catalogue from www.prescriptionart.com
- Origin of Ego, the Artist behind the Lego Man from sarasotavisualart.com