Robert Pattinson curated an art exhibit, art fraternity not amused

Robert Pattinson has now taken on the role of an art curator as he partnered with Sotheby’s on an exhibit for the Contemporary Curated programme, reports Artnet.

Since 2013, the auction house has brought on celebrity guest curators to help organise special sales, included grime musician Skepta, designer Margherita Missoni, media mogul Oprah Winfrey, and DJ Steve Aoki. 

Pattinson selected six pieces from artists including Willem de Kooning, Richard Serra, and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. According to Artnet, estimated values for the works range from $100,000 to $2.5 million. Pattinson, who is deemed a “passionate art collector” by a Page Six source, previously auctioned one of his own sketches for charity in 2017.

However, not everyone is excited about this exhibition. The news was not well-received by art enthusiasts and followers. On the official Sotheby’s Instagram post, many wrote their thoughts on the Pattinson's curatorial debut.

One person commented, “Hmm… how about ask art teachers? Or working artists?”

Another said, “When you’re a star, they let you do anything. You can do anything.”

Meanwhile, an art insider told Page Six that it’s unlikely that even Sotheby’s is buying its own shtick. “[Pattinson] maybe picked a couple [of pieces] out — but that’s about it. No major auction house is going to trust a non-art specialist to put an auction together,” they said.

However, some users spoke in support of the Twilight star, “We need more ‘visible’ people (aka celebs or whatever you want to call them) to advocate for the arts and drive an intrigue and interest in young people to look at art as an important tool of expression… especially with the threatening rise of mental health issues, a means of escape and alternative expression is ever more important..,” wrote one user.

Despite the snarky comments from the art community, the publication also noticed that Katie Holmes was one of over 15,000 people who actually liked the post.

When Page Six asked Sotheby’s about the unenthusiastic response, a rep revealed, “Encouraging fresh perspectives by working with guest curators is nothing new and we look forward to welcoming you at our exhibition.”

Another source said that the whole point of featuring Pattinson “is that they’re non-art world people or cultural figures, [Sotheby’s staff] think are interesting and are collectors. They are not pretending.”

The  reason why Pattinson was chosen for this role was because he’s a passionate art collector rather than a seasoned curator.

The exhibit curated by the Batman star is currently running from September 23 through 29 at Sotheby’s New York. A live auction will conclude the exhibit on September 30.