Robert Wilson on The Creative Finder

Contact details

Creative Exchange Agency / New York
416 West 13th Street, Suite 316
New York, NY 10014
Tel: 212.414.4100 Fax: 212.414.0100

Brief Summary

Robert Wilson's works integrate a wide variety of artistic media, combining movement, dance, lighting, furniture design, sculpture, music and text into a unified whole. His images are aesthetically striking and emotionally charged, and his productions have earned the acclaim of audiences and critics worldwide. Together with composer Philip Glass, Wilson created the monumental Einstein on the Beach, which altered conventional notions of traditional operatic form.

Wilson's numerous collaborators include diverse writers and musicians such as Susan Sontag, Lou Reed, Heiner Mueller, Jessye Norman, David Byrne, and Tom Waits. Prolific in the traditional operatic repertoire, Wilson has left his imprint on masterworks such as La Flute Enchante, Pellas et Mlisande,
Der Ring des Nibelungen and Madama Butterfly. Wilson's practice is firmly rooted in the fine and graphic arts and extensive retrospectives have been presented at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. He has mounted installations at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, Villa
Stuck in Munich, London's Clink Street Vaults and the Guggenheim Museums in New York and Bilbao.

Wilson has recently directed a series of "Voom Portraits" in association with Voom HD Networks. These stunning works of art, so far numbering over thirty, have captured superstars and royalty, ordinary people and extraordinary animals in a series of high-definition video portraits presented in infinite loops,
each drawing inspiration from movies, art, history and more. Through his signature use of light, his investigations into the structure of a simple movement, the classical rigor of his scenic and furniture design, Wilson has continuously articulated the force and originality of his vision. First shown at Paula Cooper Gallery and Phillips de Pury in New York, they are now traveling to other institutions worldwide.

Wilson hosts students and creative professionals from around the world year round at the Watermill Center on Eastern Long Island. The Watermill Center dedicated its main building in 2006 and continues to foster creativity, innovation, and collaboration.

Awards and Recognition

2000—PRESENT

Hein Heckroth Prize: Lifetime Achievement for Scenic Design
Hein Heckroth Gesellschaft
April 19, 2009, Giessen, Germany

Rosa d'Oro (presented by David Hockney)
October 27, 2007, Palermo, Italy

Louise T. Blouin Foundation Award
Louise T. Blouin Foundation
May 2, 2005, New York City

Pratt Legends Honoree
Pratt Institute
April 19, 2005, Brooklyn, New York

IMAJINE: American Innovator Award
The Japan Society
April 6, 2005, New York City

Texas Medal of Arts
Texas Cultural Trust Council
April 5, 2005, Austin, Texas

Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres
December 9, 2003, Paris

Backstage West Garland Award: Best Lighting Design
Woyzeck
February 10, 2003, Los Angeles

"Politika" Grand Prix Award
Belgrade International Theater Festival (BITEF)
Woyzeck
October 17, 2002, Belgrade, Serbia, and Montenegro

Thomas Jefferson Award
American Institute of Architects
April 20, 2002, Houston, Texas

National Design Award, Smithsonian Institution
National Design Museum
November 14, 2001, New York City

Grand Prix de la Critique 1999/2000: Meilleur Spectacle Étranger [Best Foreign Production]
Syndicat de la Critique Dramatique et Musicale
Dream Play
June 26, 2001, Paris

American Academy of Arts and Letters
Elected American Honorary Member
Inducted May 17, 2000

1995—1999

Wilhelm Hansen Honorable Prize
October 25, 1999, Copenhagen

Médaille d'Argent de la Foundation de l'Académie d'Architecture
June 15, 1999, Paris

Pushkin Prize
Taganka Theater
April 23, 1999, Moscow

Harvard Excellence in Design Award
Harvard University
October 8, 1998, Cambridge

Tadeusz Kantor Prize
December 7, 1997, Cracow, Poland

Robert Wilson Day (April 18)
Declared by Texas State Legislature
April 18, 1997

Premio Europa per il Teatro
January 6, 1997, Taormina, Italy

Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize
New York City

Best Director, International Widescreen Festival
The Death of Moliere
Amsterdam

Premio Abbiati, Italian Theater Critics Award
Hanjo/Hagoromo
Milan

Texas Artist of the Year
Art League of Houston
Houston, Texas

Guest of Honor, American Friends of the Paris Opera and Ballet
Gala Dinner, St. Regis Hotel
New York City

1990—1994

Premio Ubu, Best Foreign Performance
Alice
Milan

Honorary Doctorate
California College of Arts and Crafts
Oakland, California

Golden Lion Award in Sculpture
Memory/Loss
Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy

Premio Ubu, Best Foreign Performance
Dr. Faustus Lights the Lights
Milan

Honorary Doctorate
Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York

Theatertreffen, Festspiele Berlin
The Black Rider: the casting of the magic bullets
Berlin

German Theater Critics Award, Best Production of the Year
The Black Rider: the casting of the magic bullets
Berlin

Special Mention by the Jury, "Festival du Film d'Art"
La Femme à la Cafetière
Paris

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Where ‘finders’ meet creatives.
For networking, collaboration or inspiration.