Christopher Knowles (born 1959) is an American poet and painter. He was born in New York City on May 4, 1959, and at an early age received a diagnosis of possible brain damage. He is often referred to as autistic. In 1976, his poetry was used by Robert Wilson for the avant-garde minimalist Philip Glass opera, Einstein on the Beach. Wilson described his discovery of the then 13-year-old Knowles, in the extended notes to the Tomato Records release of Einstein on the Beach:
Wilson cast the teenager Knowles in a number of his productions, including Einstein on the Beach. The exhibition traveled to the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston in 2017.
Collections
- NoguerasBlanchard, Madrid / Barcelona, SP
- Brooklyn Museum of Art, Brooklyn, USA
- Fogg Museum, Cambridge, USA
- Museum Boymans-van Beuningen, Rotterdam, NL
- Museum Ludwig (Dr. Peter Ludwig), Cologne, DE
- Museum of Modern Art, New York, US