Raisonné in SoHo presents Robert Wilson: Works for the Stage, an exhibition running from February 28th, 2025, celebrating the legendary theater director’s innovative approach to furniture design. This showcase coincides with the release of Robert Wilson: Chairs, 1969–2011, a monograph that documents his five-decade-long exploration of chairs as both sculptural and theatrical elements.
Wilson’s furniture is not merely functional but an extension of the stage, embodying movement and meaning. Among the highlights is a striking metal mesh chair that descends from the ceiling over three acts in his production on Sigmund Freud, symbolizing the passage of time. Another standout is the Queen Victoria Café Chair, originally designed in 1974 and now reissued in a limited edition of ten.
His collaboration with Marina Abramović resulted in a surreal rocking chair balanced on wooden blades, blurring the line between stability and collapse. In his staging of Alceste, Wilson crafted a throne for the Crocodile King using bamboo manipulated into an intricate, sculptural form. These works reflect his ability to merge historical influences with radical theatricality.
The exhibition highlights Wilson’s fascination with materials—bamboo, steel, brass, tempered glass, and even taxidermy—all integral to his visionary approach. Works for the Stage not only reveals his mastery of design but also affirms his belief that chairs, like actors, are central to the performance itself.
Photography by LESLEY LESLIE-SPINKS
