Thierry Barbier-Mueller's Collection Staged by Robert Wilson
Edited by Zoé Barbier-Mueller. Text by Thierry Barbier-Mueller, Robert Wilson, Charlotte Savolainen-Mailler, Chantal Prod'Hom.
The sequel to The Spirit of Chairs reconfigures Thierry Barbier-Mueller's collection through a symphony of light, sound and staging by Robert Wilson
A second act to the beloved The Spirit of Chairs, A Chair and You revisits the contemporary chair collection of Swiss entrepreneur Thierry Barbier-Mueller (1960–2023), but with a twist. Furniture pieces by artists and designers such as Niki de Saint Phalle, Frank Gehry, Donald Judd, Jasper Morrison and others are seen in a new light—literally—thanks to a dramatic exhibition design by American director Robert Wilson (1941–2025). Conceived as an opera in four acts, A Chair and You is a succession of evocative atmospheres that articulate the sculptural presence of each object. To complement the exhibition, the corresponding catalog recounts the mise-en-scène of each staging and the dramaturgy behind it, while essays shed light on the project’s inception and the close relationship between Barbier-Mueller and Wilson.
STATUS: Forthcoming | 8/25/2026
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A Chair and You Thierry Barbier-Mueller's Collection Staged by Robert Wilson
Published by Lars Müller Publishers. Edited by Zoé Barbier-Mueller. Text by Thierry Barbier-Mueller, Robert Wilson, Charlotte Savolainen-Mailler, Chantal Prod'Hom.
The sequel to The Spirit of Chairs reconfigures Thierry Barbier-Mueller's collection through a symphony of light, sound and staging by Robert Wilson
A second act to the beloved The Spirit of Chairs, A Chair and You revisits the contemporary chair collection of Swiss entrepreneur Thierry Barbier-Mueller (1960–2023), but with a twist. Furniture pieces by artists and designers such as Niki de Saint Phalle, Frank Gehry, Donald Judd, Jasper Morrison and others are seen in a new light—literally—thanks to a dramatic exhibition design by American director Robert Wilson (1941–2025). Conceived as an opera in four acts, A Chair and You is a succession of evocative atmospheres that articulate the sculptural presence of each object. To complement the exhibition, the corresponding catalog recounts the mise-en-scène of each staging and the dramaturgy behind it, while essays shed light on the project’s inception and the close relationship between Barbier-Mueller and Wilson.
