Robert Wilson dies at 83: A look at professional journey and career of legendary theater director

Legendary theater director Robert Wilson has passed away today, according to reports. He was 83 at the time of his death and passed away in Water Mill, New York, following a bout of sickness. Wilson's death was confirmed by the Watermill Center, the artistic laboratory he founded and nurtured as his living legacy. The statement was also posted on his website, which read as follows:

"While facing his diagnosis with clear eyes and determination, he still felt compelled to keep working and creating right up until the very end. His works for the stage, on paper, sculptures and video portraits, as well as The Watermill Center, will endure as Robert Wilson’s artistic legacy. There will be memorials for Robert Wilson held in the near future in locations that were especially meaningful to him. We will announce those in time."

The death of Robert has come as a surprise to most people, and the theater community has been mourning his loss, with dozens of messages of commiseration flooding in from fans and collaborators all over the world.

Robert Wilson - a brief history

Robert Wilson began his path to theatrical innovation by studying art and architecture in New York City. Byrd Hoffman, his teacher, helped him a lot in his development and even helped him to overcome the problem of stuttering. This personal transformation would later inspire the name of his first theatrical collective, the Byrd Hoffman School of Byrds.

Wilson was known to have directed minimal dialogue in his films and focused strongly on visual storytelling in his directorial works. His silent operas, such as “Deafman Glance,” “The Life and Times of Joseph Stalin,” and "Einstein on the Beach," were some of the works that made him noticeable.

The experimental nature of Robert Wilson's plays caught the eyes of many at the time, and he furthered his influence through his work in the 1980s and 1990s. His approach earned the director several awards as well during his career, including the Europe Theatre Prize, the Golden Lion of the Venice Biennale, Obie Awards, and the Olivier Award, among others.

Robert Wilson also shed light on his philosophy in an interview with the Hauser & Wirth gallery, where he was quoted as saying:

"What interests me about theater is that it brings together all the arts. It’s architecture, painting, light, poetry, dance, music and philosophy. All the arts can be found in what we call ‘theater.’ In the Latin sense of the word, ancient theater was ‘opus,’ meaning all inclusive. My early works were called silent operas. And in a sense, they were ‘opera’ in the Latin sense of the word, in that they were all-inclusive works."

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Wilson’s contributions to experimental theater extended beyond his own productions. In 1991, he established The Watermill Center on Long Island, New York, as a laboratory for performance and artistic collaboration. In addition to the Watermill Center, Wilson’s legacy lives on through the countless artists he influenced.

Wilson collaborated with a big list of authors, composers, and actors during his career, and Lou Reed, David Byrne, Lady Gaga, and Willem Dafoe are just a few of the names with whom he collaborated.

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