Meet industry insider Yvonne Force Villareal | Real Time Headlines

Streaming shows like “The Queen,” “Billions” and “Inventing Anna” have all made it onto many top-rated lists, and their characters have become stars.

In addition to being wowed by viewers watching on platforms such as Netflix and Showtime, who helped spawn a new industry: arts placement.

When producer Shonda Rhimes needed to find artwork for Inventing Anna, the story of Anna Delvey (real name Anna Sorokin), she turned to an art consulting firm. Cultural Corps.

In one scene, Delvey visits a museum that displays the work of British artist Cecily Brown—the consulting firm worked with Brown to create exact replicas of her art. “We got high-resolution imagery and we did that with Billions, we made a perfect replica of the piece,” Culture Corps co-founder Yvonne Force Villareal said on a CNBC video call.

In previous seasons of Billions, astute viewers might have noticed the presence of renowned artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, photographer Gregory Crewdson or contemporary painter Kara Klein. A production from the headquarters of Ax Capital, the hedge fund run by Damian Lewis’ character Bobby “Axe” Axelrod.

Force Villareal is a veteran art insider. After studying fine art at the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design, she worked in galleries in New York City, collaborating with art collectors and others “Baby” Jane Holzer – Known as one of Andy Warhol’s “superstars” – Lawrence Rockefeller was an early supporter before founding his art consultancy.

In 2000, Force Villareal and former architect Doreen Remen founded the Art Making Fund, a non-profit organization that commissions public artworks, followed by the Culture Corps in 2014.

The company’s first attempt to incorporate art into its programming was the reboot of “The Patron,” a deal Lehman brokered through her connections in the entertainment industry. Force Villareal said the company sourced art for the show just like it would for a private client’s home.

“We’re going to work hand-in-hand with the set designers … and we’re going to get to know the characters on the set,” she said.

A contemporary work by artist Lucien Smith reflects the sky outside the windows of Season 1 character Julien Calloway’s Tribeca home in blue tones, while other locations show It features works by German artists Candida Hofer and Neo Rauch.

As well as liaising directly with artists, Culture Corps also works with other intellectual property rights holders (such as heritage institutions) or artists’ rights societies to license works – contracts ensuring that copies are either destroyed or returned to the artist after use in a performance.

“Therefore, there is no danger of the work entering the market,” Foss-Villareal said.

Force Villareal is also a champion for women in the arts. As a student she was inspired by the work of big-name artists such as Cindy Sherman and Barbara Krugerand a feminist group founded in New York City guerrilla girlall of which gave Villarreal a firm belief in his career. “Yes, I’m going to do it,” that’s how she felt, she said.

In 2018, Force Villareal was invited by gallerists Paul Kasmin and Danny Moynihan to hold a summer exhibition, so she curated the group exhibition “Seed” composed of female artists such as Hein Koh and sculptor Sarah Peters.

“I was thinking about being a woman and the aging process, and how ageism is an issue that a lot of women face, and it really isn’t talked about that much in our society,” she says of the inspiration behind Seeds Shi said.

Culture Corps received accreditation from the National Council for Women in Business Enterprise in 2022, Force Villareal spoke at a conference in September Girl Power Series The event, organized by real estate developer Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos, aims to get more women into the arts.

In fact, real estate is also an important part of Culture Corps’ work, providing art for hotels such as the Ritz-Carlton in New York and the NoMad, overseeing original works for public spaces and licensed works for bedrooms.

The company also purchased a colorful sculpture by British artist Yinka Shonibare that stands next to the 360 ​​Rosemary building in West Palm Beach, Florida, which houses the offices of Goldman Sachs and BlackRock.

Force Villareal is passionate about helping artists find new sources of income. She said: “It’s really important that artists can expand their studio practice if they wish to go into new territories and expand their audiences, so television is a great way to do that and be seen by millions of people your art.