Robert Wilson
The New York Times described Robert Wilson as »a towering figure in the world of experimental theater.«
Wilson, born in 1941 in Waco/Texas (US), is among the world's foremost theater and visual artists. His works for the stage unconventionally integrate a wide variety of artistic media, including dance, movement, lighting, sculpture, music, and text. His images are aesthetically striking and emotionally charged, and his productions have earned the acclaim of audiences and critics worldwide.
Wilson's awards and honors include two Guggenheim Fellowship awards (1971 and 1980), the nomination for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama (1986), the Golden Lion for sculpture from the Venice Biennale (1993), the Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize for lifetime achievement (1996), the Premio Europa award from Taormina Arte (1997), election to the American Academy of Arts and Letters (2000), and Commandeur des arts et des lettres (2002) among others.
Together with composer Philip Glass, he created the seminal opera Einstein on the Beach (1976). With productions such as Deafman Glance (1971), KA MOUTain and GUARDenia Terrace, Life and Times of Sigmund Freud (1969), CIVIL wars (1981-84), Death Destruction & Detroit (1979) or A Letter for Queen Victoria (1974) he redefined and expanded theater.
Wilson's collaborators include diverse writers and musicians such as Susan Sontag, Lou Reed, Heiner Müller, Jessye Norman, David Byrne, Tom Waits, and Rufus Wainwright. Wilson has also left his imprint on masterworks such as Mozart's The Magic Flute (1991-99), Wagner's Ring Cycle (2006), Madama Butterfly (2005), A Dream Play (1998), Per Gynt (2005), The Threepenny Opera (2007), Shakesepeare's Sonnets (2009) and Krapp's Last Tape (2009).