Robert Pattinson

• Pattinson previously auctioned off one of his own doodles in 2017 to raise money for charity.
• His collection of six works has estimated prices between $100,000 to $2.5 million.
• The response from the art community has been less than enthusiastic.

According to Artnet, Robert Pattinson has now assumed the responsibilities of an art curator after collaborating with Sotheby’s on an exhibition for the Contemporary Curated programme.

Since 2013, the auction house has invited well-known celebrities to serve as guest curators, including DJ Steve Aoki, Margherita Missoni, Oprah Winfrey, and grime singer Skepta, to help plan exceptional sales.

Willem de Kooning, Richard Serra, and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye were among the artists Pattinson chose for his collection of six works. The works have estimated prices between $100,000 to $2.5 million, according to Artnet. Pattinson, who a Page Six source describes as a “passionate art collector,” previously auctioned off one of his own doodles in 2017 to raise money for charity.

Some people, however, are not enthusiastic about this display. The news did not go over well with fans and followers of art. Many people commented on the Sotheby’s Instagram post on Pattinson’s first exhibition as a curator.

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 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.

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