Collection: Michelle Kruger

Michelle Krüger (born 1987) grew up in Kroonstad, in the Free State province of South Africa, and currently resides in Pretoria. Krüger’s artistic journey started in 2007 when she enrolled at Tshwane University of Technology to study towards her diploma in Performing Arts Technology, where her main subjects included stage make-up, prop making, set design and décor painting. After obtaining her diploma, Krüger travelled a winding road through the fields of architectural drafting and civil engineering. In 2021, she turned her full attention to her art career, first painting and then experimenting, and ultimately cementing her style with Lego bricks.

Using her preferred medium of Lego bricks, Krüger has completed close to 70 Lego artworks, some of which have been used in advertisement campaigns and magazines. Her inspiration for using this method evolved over time, from a simple set of classic bricks and a baseplate to the eye-catching portraits she now creates: “I enjoy the child-like nature of working with Lego bricks and the juxtaposition it creates between playing and using an expensive medium to create art.”

Krüger has mainly focused on recreating famous portraits that are well known. Recently she has shifted her attention to include more of the famous figures’ struggles, real life, and contemporary images.