Robert Filliou

Biography

Robert Filliou (Born Jan 17, 1926, Sauve, France - Died 1987, Les Eyzies, France) is a French Fluxus artist, who produced works as a filmmaker, "action poet," sculptor, and Happenings maestro. Filliou first proposed "Art's Birthday" in 1963. He suggested that 1,000,000 years ago, there was no art. But one day, on January 17th to be precise, Art was born. Filliou says it happened when someone dropped a dry sponge into a bucket of water. Video works by Filliou include: 14 Songs and 1 Riddle (1977)