Robert Filliou
1926-1987,
Robert Filliou (1926-1987) was a Franco-American artist, poet, bricoleur, and inventor. After joining the Communist Resistance in 1943 and spending a few years in the United States studying economics, Robert Filliou eventually decided to dedicate his time to traveling. Throughout his life, Filliou’s artistic work took on multiple forms, including poems, installations, assemblages, theatrical pieces, games, happenings, and postal art. He sought art and poetry in everything, viewing art as a tool for social utopia, valuing creativity in everyday life.
In 1985, Filliou retired to a Buddhist monastery in Dordogne, France. His work and philosophy greatly influenced the Fluxus movement, which embraced experimentation, interdisciplinarity, and the blurring of art and life. Robert Filliou’s approach to art, playfulness, and pursuit of creative expression in all aspects of life left a significant impact on contemporary art practices and ideas.
