Day 3
This morning I’m meeting Christiane Celle, the woman behind Calypso. She decided to open a boutique selling bathing suits in St. Barth’s in 1990 because one morning she found herself without a pareo. Smart woman. Then she sold everything to open her bookstore and gallery on the fringes of the Lower East Side. Clic. Nice name. I like it. That’s where we meet. Hauling my equipment up Centre Street like a pack mule, an African chair made of pearls catches my eye in the window of Clic. I’m intrigued—there has to be a colorful story behind a piece like that. I go in and peruse the rows of books. The space is beautiful, simple and warm.
Christiane welcomes me with the same warm tone a few minutes later. The conversation is relaxed. Aside from the unusual course of her career, she shares a few other stories: her travels to Africa with her friend Peter Beard, life on the Lower East Side in the 1980s. She discusses her youth, The Clash and the Sex Pistols, CBGB in its heyday. Behind her hang black and white prints photographs by Bruno Hadjadj. They whisper what can’t be said with words.
Christiane is nostalgic, but she has no regrets. She talks to me about the candles in her bathroom, the Dead Mouse concert with her 15-year old, and her celebrity clientele. It’s a slice of New York life as contemporary as it is eighties. You would think that she had lived 36,000 lives by now, but still she hungers for adventure. Christiane shows me two prints. One is a superb black-and-white portrait of Patti Smith, who bears a resemblance to Christiane. A really strong resemblance, actually. I can hardly believe it. We start the shoot. Christiane is embarrassed. I’m overexcited. Through my lens I see double as Christiane and Patti look into each other’s eyes… I call her assistant, Christian, to the rescue. He gets her talking, shakes things up, makes her laugh. Christian strikes a pose and asks her to imitate it. At this point I’m shaking with so much laughter I can’t shoot… In a corner I spot a pile of dusty books with the label “Rare Books”. I think I see a Verushka anthology in there. I’ll be back for sure. For that and for Christiane. Punk is definitely not dead…
Thank you, Christiane.
From her first encounter with photography to the opening of her own gallery space…
Christiane started out as a stylist in New York in 1984.
After a few years in the fashion and photography world, she decided to take a break and moved to St. Barth’s. She stumbled upon a shop for sale and grabbed the opportunity to open Calypso, a brand known for summer collections available year-round.
The adventure lasted until 2007.
In 1995, Christiane met her husband, Antoine Verglas, and decided to return with him to New York, where she opened Calypso East Hampton.
Not long after her 50th birthday, she received an offer to buy the brand. She took the deal—and began to make plans for the next 50 years.
She noticed that New York has a shortage of photography bookstores besides Dashwood, Gallagher and the Strand. So she decided to remedy the situation, offering young photographers a showcase for their work somewhere other than just online. And she also hoped to sell photographs to younger collectors on a limited budget.
She dreamed of a place where people could meet, pass through, exhibit their work and see the work of others…
Clic was born.
Her best memory as a gallerist…
Christiane opts instead to share one of her many bizarre and funny anecdotes.
One evening she receives a phone call from a man who asks her if he can come take a tour of the Hadjadj exhibition. However, the man has a special request. He says that he is known by CBGB’s regulars as “The Naked Man” and so would like to come to the show in the nude. Christiane thinks it’s a joke, hesitates, and ultimately decides that the request is genuine and grants it, on one condition: out of respect for the other guests, he has to bring a coat.
He shows up that same night as promised but never removes his coat. It’s still a mystery whether or not he was true to his name to the end…
Her worst memory as a gallerist…
I ask her several times but she doesn’t seem to have any. The only thing she regrets is the lack of time.
The first photograph he bought for herself? Or one that has a special importance in her life…
Patti Smith by David Godlis
Untitled by Peter Beard, a gift from the photographer when her first son was born
Her first photograph:
A landscape with workers in a field in Mexico, photographer unknown.
On her bedroom wall…
A photo montage by Peter Beard
Pinky, a painting by Charlélie Couture
A photo of a whale’s tail by Wayne Levine
Some small objects from Nigeria
If she was a renowned photographer…
Ansel Adams for his work, the natural settings, his choices and his independence.
Edward Curtis for his life and political engagement.
If she had to choose another job…
She says that she loves to eat, entertain, share…
She would probably open another meeting place, this time with food.
To be continued. One never knows.
