Painter and puppeteer of German origin. Bjorn Fühler started by making glove puppets and string puppets, inspired by his frequent visits to Xavier Schichtl’s theatre, the great German puppeteer from Heidelberg.

Fühler settled in France, and with his wife Christiane they founded in 1973 the company Le Manteau (The Coat). Le Voyage en mer (The Sea Voyage) was awarded first prize in the 1974 UNIMA-France contest. The Fühlers established a theatre that involved permanent transformations of the entire body: feet, hands, head, etc. Full of Tibetan philosophy, their creations first address each individual’s conscience through poetry: Le Cirque (The Circus, 1975), Jean qui chemine (Jean the Traveller, 1978), Le Vieil Homme marionnette (The Old Puppet Man, 1980), and Songe à béquilles (Crutch Dream, 1994), touched the hearts of audiences. The Fühlers settled in the Orbey region of Alsace and published a book on their work, Théâtre Le Manteau, Marionnettes et peintures (The Coat Theatre, Puppets and Paintings; Colmar, 1994).

(See France.)