HEC x Art: Navigating the Business of Creativity
You are invited to an exclusive evening exploring the intersection of business, entrepreneurship, and the fine arts.
Join the HEC Alumni New York community for an intimate roundtable discussion featuring three trailblazing alumnae who have successfully navigated the transition from the corporate and academic worlds into flourishing international careers in the arts.
Date: Thursday, February 26, 2026
Time: 6:30 PM – Late
Venue: Alphabet Studio, 743 E 6th Street, East Village, New York, NY 10009
The Evening’s Program
6:30 PM: Welcome
7pm: Musical Interlude by Lorraine Grunstein (Soprano), accompanied by Héloïse Pieaud (Piano), followed by a guided walkthrough of the exhibition on display, led by the artist Gwendoline Finaz de Villaine.
7.30PM : Roundtable Discussion: The Business of Art: Building a Creative Career post-HEC.
8:15 PM onwards: Networking Reception. Connect with fellow alumni and art enthusiasts over drinks and nibbles.
Meet our featured HEC Artists
Gwendoline Finaz de Villaine is a French painter whose large-scale installations and frescoes explore collective memory, mythologies, and the relationship between art and public space. Trained at the Maîtrise de Radio France, Sciences Po Paris, and HEC Paris, she developed a multidisciplinary practice before devoting herself entirely to the visual arts. Her work has been exhibited in major cultural institutions and emblematic locations. Highlights include a 30-meter fresco for Sorbonne Universités (2021), the painting of vat No. 8 at Les Carmes Haut-Brion designed by Philippe Starck (2021), and the creation of the official fresco for the 140th anniversary of HEC Paris (2021). She exhibited at the Grand Palais for Art Capital (2022), and her artwork Les Ailes d’HEC was auctioned by Christie’s Paris at the Palais Brongniart the same year. In 2022, she created a monumental fresco at Place du Panthéon in homage to Joséphine Baker, followed by a public art intervention in Venice at La Fenice. In 2023, her major installation—composed of a 1,000-square-meter fresco and two 5-meter dragon sculptures—was presented at Place du Panthéon after its creation at the Grand Palais Éphémère during NFT Paris. She also exhibited at the Sichuan Art Museum in Chongqing (China) in 2023. Recent projects include The Hanging Garden, a collaborative fresco created with students at the Lycée Français de New York (2024), an exhibition at The Untitled Space in New York, and a monumental fresco in Central Park in honor of the Paris Olympic Games (2024).
Lorraine Grunstein is a French multidisciplinary artist based in New York City, whose work bridges Opera and Fine Arts. A graduate of HEC Paris (2011), she began her career in the luxury and creative industries before fully dedicating herself to artistic practice. She trained in painting in New York under Sam Adoquei at the National Academy of Design and the Union Square Atelier, and later expanded her work into sculpture at the Grand Central Atelier, studying with Heather Personnett, Zoe Dufour, and Donat King. Her visual art has been exhibited at the Salmagundi Club and she now works on private commissions. In parallel, Lorraine has developed an international career as a coloratura soprano, studying with renowned pedagogues including Kirsten Chambers, Emilio Pons, Gianluca Terranova and Edouard Valdes. She received the Encouragement Award at the 2020 Lyra New York International Mozart Competition and was a finalist at the 2021 Città di Alessandria International Competition. She has performed in the United States, France, Germany, Mexico, and Serbia, with appearances at Carnegie Hall, the Northern Lights Music Festival, Opera Bastide, Teatro Melchor Ocampo, and the House of the Army in Belgrade. Her repertoire includes roles such as the Queen of the Night (Die Zauberflöte), Musetta (La Bohème), Giulietta (I Capuleti e i Montecchi), and Adina (L’Elisir d’amore). In upcoming seasons, she will return to Carnegie Hall in April 2026 to sing Juliette’s Arias from Roméo et Juliette (Gounod), perform the Queen of the Night with Opera Carolina, and sing Amina from La Sonnambula (Bellini) with the Jerusalem Opera Studio.
Héloïse Pieaud is a French pianist and entrepreneur who has dedicated over 24 years to mastering the piano at the conservatory of Toulouse, Paris, Moscow and Norway. At the age of 17, she moved to the United States to immerse herself in American pedagogy at the Manhattan School of Music to pursue a Bachelor of classical piano. Over time, Héloïse developed a deep passion for music education and pedagogy, driven by the desire to reshape how children and adults learn music. To give structure to her vision, she completed a Master’s in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at HEC Paris and École Polytechnique, where she learned how to build and scale educational ventures. Today, she is the founder of La Maison School of Music, a dreamlike institution located in the heart of Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Blending French artistry, design, and a Montessori-inspired philosophy, La Maison redefines music education as a joyful, creative, and deeply human experience, where art, space, and learning come together to inspire the next generation of musicians.
