NEW YORK, N.Y.- The internationally renowned stage director and playwright Robert “Bob” Wilson is celebrating his French connection with a unique exhibit of art works at the Cultural Services of the French Embassy. Born in Texas, Bob Wilson first met international acclaim in France, with the “silent opera” Deafman Glance, which premiered at the Nancy Festival in March 1971. France’s most prestigious theaters such as Chaillot, the Opéra National de Paris, the Théâtre de l’Odéon, the Théâtre du Châtelet, and the Comédie-Française proved to be highly sympathetic to Wilson’s aim of developing a specific visual language for the theater. Many of Wilson’s boundary-defying productions, from “Orlando” to “Die Frau ohne Schatten and Quartett,” were created specifically for French audiences and with French collaborators. His influence in France was far-reaching, with the writer Louis Aragon writing to André Breton, leader of the surrealists, “the miracle has happened, the one we were waiting for.”

Best known for his stage works, including “Einstein on the Beach,” which he created with Philip Glass, Mr. Wilson is also an accomplished visual artist, whose works have been displayed in numerous museums and galleries (Centre Georges Pompidou, Galeries Lafayette, St. Denis Abbey) and received prestigious awards (including the Golden Lion at the 1993 Venice Biennale). His artwork is firmly rooted in his theatrical productions, as becomes clear in this unique exhibit, which features drawings inspired by “Alice,” “Danton’s Death,” “Death, Destruction and Detroit,” “Parsifal,” “The White Raven”…

The exhibit’s highlights are its Fables de La Fontaine drawings, which are on display to mark the U.S. premiere of Mr. Wilson’s Fables de La Fontaine at the Lincoln Center. The Fables, by Jean de La Fontaine, form one of France’s most famous literary works, loved by children for their memorable animal characters, and appreciated by adults for their keen insights on human nature. In Wilson’s visually striking interpretation, 19 of La Fontaine’s allegorical tales are brought to life by some of France’s finest actors, who portray lions, birds, foxes, and crows offering parables of human behavior.

Founded in 1680, la Comédie-Française, France’s national theater, is the longest-established theater in the world. This will be their first performance at the Lincoln Center Festival (the Comédie-Française last visited New York in 2004).

This exhibit, as well as the performances of La Comédie-Française, were made possible with the help of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and the generous support of the Florence Gould Foundation. The exhibition will be on view July 10 - September 21.