by Joseph Sutton

(Interior view of de Castellane Art Gallery)

Cruising down parts of Atlantic Avenue, one may find a McDonald’s, a family run pizza shop or two, the standard street detritus. A quick drive down the Avenue may not suggest that this is the place for high art, but starting at 3rd Avenue in Boerum Hill, you come across the site of a burgeoning cultural hotspot – chocolatiers, cozy cafes, upscale clothing boutiques and so much more. It’s heartening, then, to welcome the new de Castellane Gallery at 525 Atlantic Avenue, which opened in March 2010.

De Castellane Gallery is a breath of fresh air for the Boerum Hill community, enlightening passersby. The goal of Hans de Castellane, who runs the gallery, is “to have a broader view of what pieces can be displayed in a gallery.” The gallery displays photography, fine art, sculpture and basically anything de Castellane finds he’d like to exhibit – he does not discriminate. Currently showing is Roger Hoit’s “Eyes on Africa,” photos of Tanzania and Kenya featuring the pleading, haunting and entreating portraits of both animals and Mesai tribes-people alike.

Described in the blogosphere as “unpretentious,” this is not the kind of gallery you would find along a stroll through SoHo. De Castellane doesn’t appear to run the gallery as just a business but also as a place for people to come together, a place for community. “I just try to make a warm, welcome, open gallery,” De Castellane says and, as an artist, he feels that he “can connect to artist’s maybe a little more than some galleries.” To him, the works here are not dollar signs masked as paintings or photography- they are the subjects or artists behind them.

De Castellane pointed out his favorite one from the show, a Mesai boy gazing deeply into the camera, white dots stippled about and around his face, holding a look of gravity. The white face painting, De Castellane explained, marks that he is about to be circumcised. Opening the gallery, De Castellane was concerned over whether these types of images, despite being beautiful, would sell. He found that they do.

In order to find the right clientele, the gallery held an event to raise money for the African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) using Hoit’s photography as a basis. “You have these images of kids on the wall, and they have a rougher life than I do,” he says. “It seems silly to charge money to sell their prints and not give back a little bit.” They sold 20 pieces and raised $35,000. The night was a success. “I have a friend who works at a gallery in Manhattan,” says De Castellane. “They haven’t sold anything the whole time I’ve been here.”  It looks like the Boerum Hill community may go from curious foot traffic to loyal patrons soon.

(Owner: Hans de Castellane)

While he loves Brooklyn, De Castellane spent the years after his graduation from the Pratt Institute in Cape Cod where he grew up. There, he became a popular muralist being offered one commission after another. De Castellane expressed some interest in opening a gallery someday to one client and she responded stating that she owned a building in Brooklyn with available space. Setting aside the paint and brush and opting for hammer and nail, De Castellane and a friend installed lights, church pews, frames and windows at 525 Atlantic Avenue and De Castellane Gallery opened soon after.  “I feel like I’ve been thrown in the pool and I think that’s sometimes easier than walking in slowly,” De Castellane says of his fast-paced transition from Cape Cod muralist to Brooklyn gallery manager.

“Eyes of Africa” runs through May 31st at the gallery. De Castellane Gallery will be having a fund raiser for the Diamond Empowerment Fund, which supports education initiatives in African nations where diamonds are mined, on May 25th. The gallery’s next show is “Magnetique,” with works by Ted Diamond and Michael Tharp and an opening reception on June 3rd from 6pm-9pm.

De Castellane Gallery | 525 Atlantic Avenue, b/w 3rd/4th Avenue – Boerum Hill