Editor’s Note: This story is part of the journalist Artnews For the series, we interviewed porters and shakers who changed in the art world.
Although most viewers come Sex and the city In the early 2000s, its scandalous sex life and fashion look rebooted That’s it… A more subtle view of middle age. In addition to the new perspective, there is a new character, Lisa Todd Wexley is portrayed as a caring mother, a loving wife, cutting-edge documentary and a strong black woman.
To help develop Wexley, the show brings curator and collector racquet Chevremont Real housewife in New York– Build a collection of characters’ art.
Shared with her husband Herbert, Wexley’s home shows their incredible collection of tropes of black art, including Carrie Mae Weems’s “Kitchen Table Series” (1990), and the work of Deborah Roberts. The political lamb in the wolf world (2018), Barkley Hendricks October disappeared. . . Good evening (1973), Gordon Park Mobile, Alabama (1956), Mickalene Thomas Portrait of Mnonja (2010) and Racket Avec Les Trois Femmes Noires (2011), Derrick Adams Family portrait 9 (2019) and Style variation 32 (2020) and Alma Thomas Snoopy – Early Sunshine on Earth (1970).
Chevremont carefully selected each piece of historical and contemporary art to embody the outstanding performance of black art. Together, these works highlight probation and difficult moments to show Wexley’s greater spirit. The artwork is not only aspiring to the character, she is the artist in the show, but also celebrates her personality.
Artnews Catch up on Chevremont to talk about the behind-the-scenes details of curating the Wexley series and the implications of showing the artwork that shows Black lives to millions of viewers around the world.
This interview has been edited and condensed to be clear and concise.
Artnews: You are the brain behind Lisa Todd Wexley’s art series. Tell me how this is started.
Chevremont: People who work in the show have been named by me and contacted me. One episode will be specific to Wexley’s home and their collection. Then my mother-in-law came and criticized everything. So they gave me some background about the character – Lisa, her husband and their children, and their age and residence.
When I work on a TV show or a movie, I want to know who the character is because then I can work with collectors. As a collector, I can consider this where I believe they will or the type of work they are interested in. So, I started from there.
I was told some information about this episode and I started pulling the artists and I thought the series would be good. I submitted a lot of different ideas and they liked it. Then I went from there. I contacted the artist only after approval [as opposed to curating an exhibition where one needs permission from the artist to participate] Because things work differently in setting design. Some collectors buy specifically for certain attractions in their homes, but for the most part, I work with collectors who buy something they like and then figure out where to place it after purchase. With a TV or movie, you need to know where you will be placed. Once everything is determined, I contact the artists to see if they are interested.
What would the process look like on the scene after approving everything with the set design and notifying the artist?
For TV, I don’t borrow a job because there is usually not enough insurance, especially for the type of art I’m going to use. I often license the image and then recreate it. So I print it on the canvas or whatever medium that happens to be, and go from there. this That’s it… The Set Design team is great because they are more detailed than many others I have worked with. They want to know the specific colors so that once printed it can be returned with actual paint to make it look as realistic as possible, especially since the focus is placed on the set. But that’s not always the case. I did it [the 2015 television series] empire For example, a few years ago, they would only print the work on the canvas and put it on the wall in this context. and That’s it…I thought about family, and I did choose the main symbolic work that would tell a story and give the audience a little bit of understanding of the characters.
Are they all entertainment works?
Some of them I’m really lucky, such as the works of Gordon Park. They don’t allow you to recreate your work, so I contacted his foundation directly and they were willing to lend me actual work. It comes with security, we put it on the wall, took the scene, and left immediately. That’s just for that scene. That Gordon Park work is essential because the characters are documentaries. Another original on site was the work of Carrie Mae Weems.
Wexley is the powerful black female filmmaker in this very wealthy and wealthy Manhattan lifestyle. The artwork must reflect this because it is an important part of her personality. What are your methods of her art collection and live art collection?
I wish she had some well-known artists, and some who might not be well-known, because I wanted to prove that she was a true collector, not just a trophy hunter. I hope it reflects the family. For example, certain parameters feel important, for example, we don’t think there should be nude because the character has children at home and she and her husband are a generation. So it feels like the work needs to be metaphorical. We want to be clear that this is a celebrating black home.
Are there any artists or works that “escape”?
I think there are several artists there that I can’t get. I have to say, I want an Amy Sherald, but she doesn’t like working on movies or TV. I respect that. If we decide to do some abstract work, I would consider many other people.
Do you have other impressive works?
Works by Barclay Hendricks. I contacted his wife and his property. I’m exaggerating, but it’s tricky. I tried to do his job for other things, but that didn’t solve it. But this time it did, and the work was incredible!
I also have Deborah Roberts there, who is not a household name, but someone I personally collect. I’ve worked with her a lot and she always makes it happen.
Her work is especially playful, and I think a large part of showing black excellence is not only a difficult moment, but an opportunity for relaxation and joy.
Exactly. It is also important for us to name the artists in the script and then have a discussion so that people can see these artists and learn more about their practices. It really became the focus of Lisa’s character. I think this really resonates.
What does it mean to be able to present this art and the artist directly on such a large platform?
This is very big. When I first started working on TV, there were a lot of artists getting bored of the process. It’s not easy for everyone to get into art, and I’ve always seen it as an opportunity for millions of people to see the work on screen, they may not see it in local museums or galleries, or are unpopular in these types of spaces. Unless you are in a big city, you don’t actually have time to visit often to actually see the work. This shows how people live in art, which is important. I think you can attract more people through TV and movies. Art changes perspective. It changes life. We don’t have enough art. We lost art money everywhere. I will do my best to democratize the art on the platform to make it accessible.
Even if you live in a big city, many museums with a ticket cost at least $30, which doesn’t work for the average person.
This is incredible, especially for viewers that many artists want to interact with. This provides another way to interact with the audience. Ultimately, it’s more than museum performances and changing someone’s life.
Another project I’ve worked on is [2023] Movie Abandon the worldbut that one is completely different. It was played by Julia Roberts and Ethan Hawke, who rented a house on the beach in Long Island when the world began to collapse. The owner of the house played by Mahershala Ali appears late at night and there is this tension because they don’t realize that the house is owned by African Americans. The artwork in this movie is also all about African Americans, but it’s all abstract That’s it….
It’s more of an accumulation, with artworks flooding with Adam Pendleton, Gary Simmons and Julie Mehretu. It also has a Glenn Ligon that changes throughout the movie. For this work, he allowed me to pick up a painting to create three different images. As everything in the movie becomes more chaotic, the painting becomes even more chaotic. That was the first time I had the opportunity to work with the art in this way, where you can help the film move on and tell a story. Similar to Wexleys, I have to tell a story about who they are. Some people disagree with putting art on TV, but I’m all in it.
What is your way of collecting yourself?
I started collecting since 2000 and it took me a while to decide the direction of my collection. Now I have changed a little more. Recently, I’m collecting more Latin art. I’m Puerto Rican, and I don’t think this market has received the support it deserves. I mainly collect the works of women, queer and artists of color. I buy things every now and then because it shocked me and I just need to have it.
