‘The Talent That Is in Town’: New Canaan Artist To Open Show at Main Street Gallery Oct. 16

Hans Neleman discovered New Canaan by mistake. It was late-1993 and the Holland native had lived and worked for 10 years in Manhattan after earning a bachelor’s degree in film and photography from The Polytechnic of Central London and a master’s degree in studio art from New York University. A still-life and freelance commercial photographer with his own studio in New York City, Neleman had set out that day with a real estate agent to find a house in Westchester County. They got lost and found themselves in downtown New Canaan. “In the ‘90s you didn’t browse online and find anything,” Neleman recalled on a recent afternoon.

‘Jean Jacobs Gallery’ To Open Sept. 18 on Main Street

Jacob Herman didn’t realize he was launching a career in the art world when, about three years ago, he began collecting items such as etchings and prints. Friends and family members showed an interest in Herman’s growing collection, which grew to a point where he began running online auctions of dozens of pieces through clearinghouse estates. After three successful auctions, he began looking around for a space to move the rapidly growing operation. 

On Sept. 18, the Stamford resident will formally launch the Jean Jacobs Gallery at 84 Main St. in New Canaan.