Robert Pattinson, best known as the lead actor in cult classics such as Twilight and The Batman, has dipped his toes into the art of curation, overseeing an upcoming collaboration with Sotheby’s in New York City. The exhibition, which is on display from September 23rd to September 29th, will be followed by an auction on the 30th. Pattinson is the most recent celebrity curator involved in Sotheby’s “Contemporary Curated” series, being preceded by the likes of Swizz Beatz, Steve Aoki, Oprah Winfrey, and Ellie Goulding among other A-list names.
Pattinson’s exhibition will display six hand-picked artworks ranging from the post-war to contemporary periods, with Willem de Kooning’s Untitled from 1964 being the headliner (estimated to sell for a price between $1.8 million and $2.5 million). Other works include sculptures, paintings, and collages by Richard Serra, Lynette Yiadom–Boakye, and Julie Mehretu.
Willem de Kooning’s Untitled (1964)
The named artists come from a variety of different backgrounds and time periods, yet Pattinson has a very specific reason for bringing their works together at Sotheby’s. As he elaborated in a press release, “What I look for is when a piece has its own language. 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. I sort of sway between things that feel very profound and cosmic and alien. Then even on the other side, I like subversive, naughty, slightly dangerous stuff as well…”
‘The Batman’ truly has an impeccable eye, and more uniquely, knows how to bring art of different mediums, periods, and areas of the world together and vitalize a blank room.
Brown’s Percent-for-Art program has thoughtfully integrated site-specific public art onto campus since 2004. In honor of the 20th anniversary of this program, I sat down with the former director and artists involved to reflect on some of the program’s diverse projects and to gain insight into their perspectives on public art at Brown and beyond.
By examining various historical and cultural practices in regards to fashion, textiles, and fabric-making, Chloe discusses the different ways fiber arts express community and identity in material or design choices.
Responding to the tense familial relations in Tina Barney’s "Jill and Polly in the Bathroom" and Larry Sultan’s "My Mother Posing for Me."