Bob Wilson

Milan, 31 July 2025

With the passing of Bob Wilson, the world loses a pivotal figure in contemporary culture.
A complete artist, director and set designer for both spoken theatre and opera, Wilson always conceived theatre as a total work of art, meticulously crafting every detail of the productions he signed. Yet the impact of his work reaches far beyond the stage, influencing other art forms and all fields of creativity.

After Edison, a ballet set to music by Michael Riesman staged at the Teatro Nazionale in 1979, his first production at La Scala was a memorable Salome in 1987, conducted by Kent Nagano, with costumes by Gianni Versace and Montserrat Caballé in the title role. He returned two years later with Doktor Faustus by Giacomo Manzoni, conducted by Gary Bertini and again featuring costumes by Versace. Between 2011 and 2015, he signed Il ritorno di Ulisse in patria, L’Orfeo, and L’incoronazione di Poppea by Claudio Monteverdi, under the baton of Rinaldo Alessandrini. In 2025, he created the evening The Night Before. Objects, Chairs, Opera at the Piermarini for the opening of the 63rd Salone del Mobile, featuring Marina Rebeka and the Teatro alla Scala Orchestra conducted by Michele Spotti.

All the staff of the Teatro join in remembrance, together with Superintendent Fortunato Ortombina and Music Director Riccardo Chailly.