Actor Robert Pattinson Curates an Auction at Sotheby’s in New York – ARTnews.com

Actor Robert Pattinson has picked six artworks that will sell at Sotheby’s this month. Those pieces will be on view in New York from September 23 through 29, prior to the auction on September 30.

The English actor became famous for roles in movies such as Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), the Twilight Saga (2008–12), The Lighthouse (2019), and most recently The Batman (2022). In 2010, he was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine and was featured in the Forbes “Celebrity 100” list.

“What I look for is when a piece has its own language,” Pattinson said of his curatorial process in a statement. “It doesn’t necessarily feel like it just exists for its own sake and has a presence that hums with a bit of life. It has the ability to communicate with you on a kind of primordial level.” 

Highlights include an untitled 1964 painting by Willem de Kooning, Richard Serra’s 2011 painting Rotation #9, and an untitled 2005 drawing by Julie Mehretu.

Pattinson praised Thomas Houseago’s 2009 sculpture Portrait for creating the pervasive feeling of “a presence that’s looming behind you.” He said Genieve Figgis’s 2015 painting Kissing by the Window blends “a creaminess and sensuality” with a subtly unnerving “poison at the same time.”

None of these works are priced at values where the pieces are likely to generate new records, however. The de Kooning, for example, has a high estimate of $2.5 million—which is more than $65 million below his benchmark.

For those looking to collect art, Pattinson advises: “Only acquire pieces that you’re going to love, no matter what. Just having something which you’re going to keep for the rest of your life is probably the best idea.”

Sotheby’s “Contemporary Curated” auctions have previously been organized by figures such as record producer Swizz Beatz (who appears on the ARTnews Top 200 Collectors list with his wife, the musician Alicia Keys), television host Oprah Winfrey, and singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding.