Robert M. Wilson, Experimental Theater Visionary and Watermill Center Founder, Dies at 83

Robert M. Wilson, artist, director, and founder of The Watermill Center, died Thursday in his home in Water Mill. He was 83.

Wilson, who also had a home in New York City, died peacefully after a brief illness, according to a statement from The Watermill Center.

“While facing his diagnosis with clear eyes and determination, he still felt compelled to keep working and creating right up until the very end,” The Watermill Center said in a statement.

Known for his work in theater, opera, and visual art, Wilson continued creating until shortly before his death. His contributions include stage productions, video portraits, sculptures, and the development of The Watermill Center as a space for interdisciplinary art. His annual Watermill Center Summer Benefits were legendary for attracting A-list celebs and creatives, and transforming the 10-acre property into a magical, surreal and breathtaking world.

He famously created Einstein on the Beach with Philip Glass and Lucinda Childs and collaborated with luminaries like Tom Waits, Brad Pitt, William Burroughs, French actress Isabelle Huppert and Lady Gaga, among many others, making everything from the plays and operas for which he was most well known, to beautiful and captivating avant-garde films, photographs, drawings, sculpture and furniture design.

Memorials will be announced at a later date at locations that were especially meaningful to Wilson, the center added.