NEW YORK—The Paula Cooper Gallery is pleased to present a selection of recent sculptures by Robert Wilson. This exhibition will be on view at 521 West 21st Street, from 29 November 2000 through 6 January 2001.

Consisting of five chairs, a table and chair set and table-top “flowers,” this exhibition focuses on works from Wilson’s recent theatrical productions: THE DAYS BEFORE: death, destruction and detroit III (1999), The White Raven (1998), Wings on Rock (1998) and Time Rocker (1996). While conceived for the stage, Wilson’s designs are sculptures: they maintain their integrity outside of their original context and exist as independent works of art.

Three chairs designed for THE DAYS BEFORE illustrate Wilson’s versatility: the Father’s Chair, a stylized throne carved in oak; the Queen’s Chair, an oval, ring-like seat made of lacquered wood; and the starkly geometric Fritzi’s Chair, made of clear glass with etched-in polka dots.

The delicate beech Hanging Chair from The White Raven relates to earlier hanging chairs by Wilson, such as the iconic model from The Life and Times of Sigmund Freud (1972). In an exhibition setting, the chair is lit to create a shadow double. A Chair and a Table for an Author (also from The White Raven), consists of an aluminum chair and a desk filled with water and floating flowers.

The exhibition also includes two pieces shown for the first time outside the production for which they were designed: the Wings on Rock Chair, a minimal composition of yellow steel lines and curves from Wings on Rock; and Time Rocker Flowers, origami-like wood sculptures painted in grey, steely hues, from the Lou Reed/Robert Wilson rock opera Time Rocker.

Concurrent with this exhibition, the Brooklyn Academy of Music will present the U.S. premiere of Wilson’s 1998 adaptation of August Strindberg’s A Dream Play, from 28 November through 3 December 2000.

For more information, please contact the gallery: (212) 255-1105 or
info@paulacoopergallery.com