The South Street Seaport has one of the most beautiful and recognizable New York City views. Both locals and tourists flock to this downtown neighborhood to enjoy scenic runs along the water, shopping, and dining. In 1992, Adriaan Van Der Plas moved his gallery from Gramercy Park to the tip of the South Street Seaport, Pier 17 with a large collection of American folk art to the delight of both local art collectors and visitors looking to take home a piece of New York. The Van Der Plas Gallery specializes in Outsider Art, known to illustrate unconventional ideas and fantasies.

Van Der Plas was drawn to the seaport by the growing spurt and action he saw, after selling art for years both in his gallery in Gramercy Park and on the street near the World Trade Center. With the buzz that generates around his collections, artists are finding his gallery and hoping to submit their work to be admired and sold alongside the current works of Contemporary and Outsider Art. Van der Plas does not have much competition in this specialized art genre as his gallery hosts the most New York City based artwork in the world. Pieces are rotated often with new art work being added from about 7-12 artists. Van Der Plas loves “all of the colors” and is “constantly in a battle to show the best”. If you have a request for a specific piece of art that is not in-house, Van Der Plas can fulfill most requests because of his solid relationship with the artists. His most sought after works are created by Konstantin Bokov, who is exclusive to Van Der Plas Gallery. About ninety percent of the purchases at the gallery are impulse buys as customers fall in love with the artwork at first sight, while ten percent proves to be New Yorkers who collect or need custom framing.

The South Street Seaport as a neighborhood has changed over the past almost twenty years under Van Der Plas’ watch. The area was filled with mostly businesses on Wall Street and is now a vibrant and growing community filled with residential buildings. When asked the best local places to dine, Van Der Plas prefers Jack’s for coffee, and Harbor Lights for “the best view, great food and service”. The businesses on Front Street have changed over the years to “high quality, vibrant restaurants”. Van Der Plas recommends visiting the block between Peck Slip and Beekman by the Brooklyn Bridge for his favorites. Everything is new and even the historical buildings have been restored to look their best.

Written by Sarah M. Shaker @ nearsay.com