One year after the presentation of the show Pessoa – Since I’ve been me, we recall the remarkable work of one of the most prominent contemporary artists, analysing his work in the context of the performing arts and visual arts, with the participation of João Carneiro, Guta Moura Guedes, Diogo Infante, Rui Monteiro, Jean-Paul Buchieri, Miguel Loureiro, Carlos Antunes, Luísa Costa Gomes and Carlos Pimenta.
Programme
Unveiling of a plaque in honour of Bob Wilson
Theatre foyer
Speeches:
João Carneiro – The theatre of Bob Wilson
Guta Moura Guedes – Bob Wilson, light and place.
Bernardo Sassetti Room
Conversation with some of his collaborators
With: Luísa Costa Gomes, Diogo Infante, Rui Monteiro, Jean-Paul Bucchieri, Miguel Loureiro, Carlos Antunes and Carlos Pimenta (moderator)
Bernardo Sassetti Room
Robert Wilson (1941-2025) was one of the most influential contemporary theatre designers and visual artists. His stage works unconventionally integrate a wide range of artistic disciplines, including dance, movement, lighting, sculpture, music and text. His images, of remarkable aesthetic rigour, are both evocative and emotionally powerful, winning critical and public acclaim worldwide.
Throughout his career, Wilson has worked with renowned writers and musicians such as Heiner Müller, Tom Waits, Susan Sontag, Laurie Anderson, William Burroughs, Lou Reed, Jessye Norman, and Anna Calvi. In addition to creating original works, he has reinvented and left his mark on great classics of drama and opera, including Samuel Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape, The Threepenny Opera by Brecht/Weill, Pelléas et Mélisande by Debussy, Faust by Goethe, The Odyssey by Homer, Fables by Jean de La Fontaine, Madama Butterfly by Puccini, La Traviata by Verdi, and several plays by Shakespeare.
His work in the visual arts encompasses drawing, painting and sculpture, and has been featured in hundreds of solo and group exhibitions worldwide. His works are included in important private collections and internationally renowned museums.
In addition to Pessoa – Since I’ve been me, several of his shows and exhibitions have been presented in Portugal, notably the opera O Corvo Branco (The White Raven) – with music by Phillip Glass and libretto by Luísa Costa Gomes – which premiered at Expo 98.
