Leo Castelli. Annie Cohen-Solal. Insieme.
True story by ecodecoarora
Originally posted elsewhere on 5 February 2011
The first time I heard about cultural historian Annie Cohen-Solal, was last September watching her interview with Charlie Rose as she talked about her cherished friendship with gallerist Leo Castelli. As an active member of the arts and culture milieu in Toronto, I was naturally very excited to learn of Cohen-Solal’s upcoming visit to my adopted city.
It was a well-attended afternoon at the Alliance Française, a great cultural spot that I frequent regularly. I derived pleasure listening to her discuss elegantly in both her native French sprinkled occasionally in English, her biography simply titled, Sartre: A Life. However, as I learned, the author is on a hectic multi-city book tour to promote primarily her other chef d’oeuvre, this one about Leo Castelli, the world-famous gallerist who, for over forty years, reigned over American art until his death in summer 1999.
At the end of Cohen-Solal’s talk, a crowd had gathered for a book signing — after all, the resultant of intellectual prowess and savvy marketing is indeed a commercial transaction. Published by Gallimard, Leo Castelli et les siens is also available in an English version entitled Leo and His Circle: The Life of Leo Castelli. Undecided whether to purchase the original French voice or the faithfully translated English version, I opted for the soft cover book in French and walked towards her. With pen in hand, she asked my name and what I do, remarked on the quality of my spoken French (a high compliment indeed), and showed curiosity to know my origins. I noted her elegance, fashion flair and affability — these very qualities and much more confirmed her quintessential Frenchness. La France me manque terriblement!
I asked Cohen-Solal if I may take a photo; she asked me to wait till all books were signed. When we did take the photo, I quickly reviewed it and noticed it was not good enough. Hesitantly, I asked if she would mind taking another… by now, thankfully, the crowd was thinning. This time, we chatted about Paris and also La Sorbonne where, a lifetime ago, I had studied the history of art. I also used the opportunity to let her know that I planned on seeing her again, the following day at the Art Gallery of Ontario where she would be a guest speaker. Continuing to engage her, we switched language:
NA: Est-ce que vous habitez à Paris ?
ACS: Non, à New York.
NA: Ah, vous faites le pont entre les deux villes ?
ACS: Et en Italie.
NA: Ah, oui. Où ça ?
ACS: En Toscane.
NA: Ah oui, où exactement ?
ACS: Arezzo. Vous le connaissez ?
NA: No, pero conosco bene Firenze e Milano e qualche altra parte d’Italia.
Charmed, I began to feel a kinship with Annie Cohen-Solal: I absolutely love thinking people! I suppose it has to do with the architecture of thoughts which lead to the creation of words, sentences and full ideas to generate emotional resonance. Evidently, this third language that we speak, and the Italian culture, managed to seduce us both a long time ago.
