Actor Robert Pattinson photographed in front of an Untitled work by Willem de Kooning, estimated at $1,800,000 – $2,500,000.
September 12, 2022: Since 2013, Sotheby’s Contemporary Curated Auctions in New York, with editions in London, Milan, and Hong Kong, have invited influential figures from fields as diverse as music, business, fashion, film, and culture to specially curate a group of works by the most sought-after post-war and contemporary artists that showcase their unique taste and interests.
This year, the auction house has the Batman fame British actor Robert Pattison curating a collection of artworks for their New York auction. Mr. Pattinson’s selection spans a variety of media, from sculpture to painting to collage, and mixes established names, such as Richard Serra and Willem de Kooning with rising stars such as Genieve Figgis and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, to present a kaleidoscopic vision of contemporary art, from post-war to today.
'Old Rope' by Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, estimated at $100,000 – $150,000.
Speaking about his curatorial process and his tastes in art, Mr. Pattinson remarked: “As an actor, I’ve always felt a certain amount of synesthesia between different art forms and being able to connect them together—whether that is a sculpture or a song or an acting part, all at the same time. Acting has made me realize that there is an interconnectedness between all art forms, and it made the process of curating the sale a fascinating and fun experience for me.”
Photographed against a vibrant artwork by Willem de Kooning, Mr. Pattinson says, "De Kooning can capture so much energy, and this work feels incredibly fresh, present, and exciting. Looking closely, it is incredibly sensual and quite tasty. At this time de Kooning is still using the same set of tools, but he's trying to create some kind of new form using the same framework as before. It represents an interesting period of transition.” Mr. de Kooning's 1964 Untitled – which is a part of the curated selection – epitomizes the artist’s relocation to East Hampton and the artist’s balance between figurative and abstract forms; combining the physicality of action painting with Mr. de Kooning’s signature use of layers of oil to convey fleshy shapes and organic contours.
Untitled by Julie Mehretu, estimated at $180,000 – $250,000.
The live auction will take place at Sotheby’s New York on September 30, with an exhibition on view from September 23 – 29.
