Norman Tolman
{{Short description|American art dealer and collector (1936-2025)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Norman Tolman
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1936|7|12}}
| birth_place = Walpole, Massachusetts, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date|2025|1|15}}
| death_place = St. Luke's International Hospital, Chūō City, Tokyo
| education = University of California, Berkeley (B.A.), Yale University (M.A.), IUC, Tokyo University
| years active = 1972 - 2024
}}
Norman Herbert Tolman (July 12, 1936 - January 15, 2025) was an American art dealer and art collector, best known for his role in championing contemporary Japanese graphic art. He was the founder of The Tolman Collection, a leading publisher and exhibitor of contemporary Japanese graphic art.[https://tolmantokyo.com/en/about/ "The Tolman Collection Tokyo - About"], The Tolman Collection Tokyo. Retrieved 9 April 2024.[https://metropolisjapan.com/norman-tolman/ "Art Fair Tokyo 2019 Profile: Norman Tolman"], Metropolis Japan. Retrieved 9 April 2024. Tolman exhibited and befriended artists like Saitō Kiyoshi, Shinoda Toko and Mori Yoshitoshi.
Early life
Born in Walpole, Massachusetts in 1936, as the youngest of four children. Tolman was raised by his mother and sister, and became a newspaper delivery boy at age 7. Tolman graduated high school in Watertown, Massachusetts in 1955, going on to enlist in the United States Air Force during the Korean War.
Education and early career
During his Air Force career, he was sent to Yale University for nine months of intensive study in Chinese Language, and thereafter worked in both Taiwan and at the NSA as a language specialist.
After the Korean War, Tolman got a B.A. in Chinese Language at UC Berkeley, while working as a translator and editor.[https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2000/11/05/people/norman-tolman/ "Norman Tolman"], Japan Times. Retrieved 16 June 2024. Tolman went on to get a scholarship, allowing him to obtain a M.A. in Asian Studies at Yale. He also received a Title VI NDEA Fellowship in 1964 to the Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies and Tokyo University,[https://www.tokyoweekender.com/art_and_culture/arts/a-renowned-art-collector-tells-us-how-to-begin-collecting-prints-and-paintings/ "A Renowned Art Collector Tells Us How to Begin Collecting Prints and Paintings"] Tokyo Weekender. Retrieved 16 June 2024. studying Japanese.
After the IUC and Tokyo University, Tolman returned to U.C. Berkeley to pursue his PhD in late Tibetan and early Chinese linguistics, but left academia to accept employment as a cultural affairs officer in the USIA. Tolman was initially posted to the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong, before being subsequently posted to the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. Between 1970 and 1972, Tolman was the Director of the American Cultural Center in Sapporo and then in Kyoto.
The Tolman Collection
While working in Japan in the 1960s and 1970s, Tolman's love of Japanese prints saw him trade embassy work for art dealing. Founding The Tolman Collection of Tokyo alongside his wife Mary Tolman in 1972, with the purpose of introducing contemporary Japanese prints to a global audience.
Before becoming leading publishers of contemporary Japanese prints, their first gallery was located in Suginami-ku, "with six prints by six artists". These artists were Funasaka Yoshisuke, Iwami Reika, Clifton Karhu, Miyashita Tokio, Yayanagi Go, and Tsubota Masahiko.
During the gallery's founding period, Norman and Mary Tolman contributed weekly columns to the Mainichi Shimbun. Norman's column, titled Japanophiles, explored foreign enthusiasts of Japanese culture, while Mary's Behind the Scenes, offered insights into the Japanese art world. This developed into writing columns about artists like Shinoda Toko, with The Tolman Collection becoming her main dealer for over 40 years. Shinoda released more than 315 numbered editions exclusively for The Tolman Collection.
[https://boj.japantimes.co.jp/seasonal-guide/vol21/21-02/ "TOLMAN: JAPAN’S TOP PRINTS"], Japan Times. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
In the 1980s, the Tolmans relocated the gallery to a former ryotei in the Shibadaimon area of Minato-ku, where it has remained ever since. On the topic of The Tolman Collection, Tolman has said: "We do things in a Japanese way with an American undertone, and I think the combination is a successful one."[https://metropolisjapan.com/the-tolman-collection-at-decor/ "The Tolman Collection at Décor"], Metropolis Japan. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
The types of art techniques found in The Tolman Collection's gallery include woodblock, etching, lithograph, mezzotint, drypoint, stencil, silkscreen, painting, and sculpture.
Tolman continued to travel extensively, visiting over 80 countries, and setting up galleries across the world. At one point, The Tolman Collection had locations in Paris, London, Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai, and New York City.
As of 2024, the Tokyo and New York galleries are in operation, in addition to a robust online presence.[https://www.thetolmancollectionofnewyork.com/about-us/ "The Tolman Collection New York - About"], The Tolman Collection New York. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
=Artists=
Artists represented or exhibited by The Tolman Collection include:
{{columns-list|colwidth=15em|
- Shinoda Toko
- Saitō Kiyoshi
- Yoshitoshi Mori
- Iwami Reika
- Clifton Karhu
- Tanaka Ryohei
- Yayanagi Go
- Wako Shuji
- Daniel Kelly
- Hamanishi Katsunori
- Tsubota Masahiko
- Hasegawa Yuichi
- Sarah Brayer
- Takahashi Hiromitsu
- Imamura Yoshio
- Seiko Kawachi
- Kawamura Sayaka
- Kinoshita Taika
- Kuroda Shigeki
- Nakazawa Shinichi
- Nagai Kenji
- Nishimura Ryo
- Kinoshita Taika
- Oda Mayumi
- Saito Noriko
- Tamekane Yoshikatsu
- Tsubota Masayuki
- Uchida Emi
- Yoshimatsu Junichiro
}}
=Selected exhibitions=
Tolman has been extensively exhibiting Japanese art since the founding of The Tolman Collection.
Three of the largest exhibitions by The Tolman Collection include:
- 1990 Retretti.
- 1992 Cairo Opera House.
- 1996 Toko Shinoda: Visual Poetry, Singapore Art Museum, the first time a Japanese artist had been shown in that museum.
=Publications=
- {{cite book |last1=Tolman |first1=Mary |last2=Tolman|first2=Norman|year=1982|title=People Who Make Japanese Prints: A Personal Glimpse|publisher=Shobunsha Publications}} Includes a foreword by James Michener.
- {{cite book |last1=Tolman |first1=Mary |last2=Tolman|first2=Norman|year=1982|title=Ouchi Makoto: Artist Warrior|publisher=Shobunsha Publications}}
- {{cite book |last1=Tolman |first1=Mary |last2=Tolman|first2=Norman|year=1993|title=Toko Shinoda: A New Appreciation|publisher=Tuttle Publishing|isbn=0-8048-1904-1}}
- {{cite book |last1=Tolman |first1=Mary |last2=Tolman|first2=Norman|year=1994|title=Collecting Modern Japanese Prints, Then and Now|publisher=Tuttle Publishing|isbn=0-8048-1936-X}}
- {{cite book |last1=Tolman |first1=Mary |last2=Tolman|first2=Norman|year=2004|title=Karhu @ 77: A Personal Tribute|publisher=Abe Publishing|isbn=978-4872421729}}
- {{cite book |last1=Tolman|first1=Norman|year=2017|title=Things Are Seldom What They Seem}}
- {{cite book |last1=The Tolman Collection|year=2018|title=The Tolman Collection at Saito Kiyoshi Museum}}
Collecting art
While the Tolmans developed their gallery, Tolman also collected art for his personal enjoyment, acquiring art from across the globe.
Tolman donated parts of his collection to institutions including the Yale University Art Gallery, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, and Smith College Museum of Art. [https://scma.smith.edu/blog/norman-tolman-1936-2025, "Norman Tolman (1936-2025)"], "Smith College Museum of Art". Retrieved February 5 2025.
Personal life
Norman Tolman married Mary Spellman in 1958. They have two daughters and a grandson.
Tolman had always been interested in fashion, being a friend and fan of Japanese designers like Issey Miyake and Hanae Mori.
Tolman was also a vintage car enthusiast, having owned two Rolls-Royces, a Jaguar, and a convertible Bentley.
Norman Tolman died in Tokyo, on January 15, 2025, at the age of 88. [https://metropolisjapan.com/celebrating-the-life-and-career-of-norman-tolman/, "Celebrating the Life and Career of Norman Tolman"], "Metropolis Japan". Retrieved January 22 2025. He had lived in Asia for over 60 years.
References
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