Yvonne Force Villareal is a longtime arts entrepreneur who has licensed big-name work for shows on Netflix like "Billions" and for real estate and public art projects via her Culture Corps firm.
Anna Delvey, played by Julia Garner, in front of a Cecily Brown painting in the streaming series "Inventing Anna." Culture Corps creates precise replicas of artworks for shows.In early seasons of "Billions," savvy viewers might have noticed work by celebrated artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, photographer Gregory Crewdson or contemporary painter Carla Klein at the headquarters of Axe Capital, the hedge fund run by Damian Lewis's character Bobby "Axe" Axelrod.
The firm's first foray into placing art in shows was on the reboot of "Gossip Girl," a deal initiated by Remen through her contacts in the entertainment industry. The firm approached sourcing artwork for the show as if it were for a private client's home, Force Villareal said. Alongside liaising directly with artists, Culture Corps works with other IP holders such as estates, or with the Artists Rights Society to license work — contracts ensure the replicas are either destroyed or returned to the artists after they've been used in a show.Force Villareal is also a champion of women in the art world. As a student, she was inspired by the work of big-name artists such as, all of whom gave Villareal a sense of conviction for her own career.