The Theatre of Robert Anton

An exhibition of the extraordinary miniature mannequins, props and drawings of Robert Anton (1949 - 1984), an artist from the avant garde theatre scene of '70s New York. It marks the first time this incredible collection of Anton’s work has been seen in the UK.

An alchemist of the mundane, through his theatre Anton transformed the debris of New York City, that which was considered abject — be it object, human, or animal — into an alternative world beyond judgment and limits, with simultaneously devastating and marvellous outcomes. 

Moving to New York from his Texas home in 1970 Anton quickly achieved cult status. His plays fascinated audiences in the US and Europe alike, yet his theatre remained one of the city’s best-kept secrets. He allowed a maximum of 18 people to see his plays and he vehemently refused any documentation of the performances. He called his figurines ‘actors’, meticulously sculpted heads, no larger than a thumb, with shockingly vivid features constantly changing character, gender, and identity in rituals of animism and alchemy, from beast to human to sculptural material and back.

Tramway plays host to the core of his theatre — over 40 ‘actors’, intriguing miniature props and a suite of exceptional drawings and sketches giving a further insight into this artist’s genuine imagination. Works that survived after Anton’s sudden tragic passing in 1984 in the impending AIDS crisis, leaving behind this oeuvre, so intense yet spanning just over a decade.

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This exhibition is curated by Anke Kempkes in collaboration with Tramway