Draft:The Tolman Collection


The Tolman Collection
Company typeContemporary Art Gallery
IndustryArt Gallery
Founded1972
FoundersNorman Tolman, Mary Tolman
Headquarters
Tokyo
,
Japan
Websitehttps://tolmantokyo.com/en/

The Tolman Collection (トールマン コレクション, Tōruman Korekushon) is a contemporary art gallery founded in 1972 by Norman and Mary Tolman. They are a leading publisher of contemporary Japanese graphic art.

History

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Front of The Tolman Collection of Tokyo

Norman Tolman's academic pursuits brought him to Japan in the 1960s and 70s as a cultural affairs officer in the USIA, and then as the Director of the American Cultural Center in Sapporo and Kyoto.

His 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. [1]

The first gallery was located in Suginami-ku, "with six prints by six artists". Those six artists were Funasaka Yoshisuke, Iwami Reika, Clifton Karhu, Miyashita Tokio, Yayanagi Go, and Tsubota Masahiko.

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.[1] At one point, The Tolman Collection had locations in Paris, London, Hong Kong, Singapore, and New York City.[1][2] Tolman also established the Tolman Private Gallery near Atago Jinja specializing in antique Imari porcelain.[3]

As of 2024, the Tokyo and New York galleries are in operation. The latter headed by Tolman's oldest daughter, Allison Tolman, who is also the owner of The Tolman Collection. The Tolman Collection New York is a by-appointment gallery based in Midtown Manhattan.[4]

Artists

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Artists represented or exhibited by The Tolman Collection include:

The types of art techniques found in the The Tolman Collection's gallery include woodblock, etching, lithograph, mezzotint, drypoint, stencil, silkscreen, painting, and sculpture.[5]

Publications

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  • Tolman, Mary; Tolman, Norman (1982). People Who Make Japanese Prints: A Personal Glimpse. Shobunsha Publications. Includes a foreword by James Michener.
  • Tolman, Norman (2017). Things Are Seldom What They Seem.
  • The Tolman Collection (2018). The Tolman Collection at Saito Kiyoshi Museum.

References

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[1][2] [4] [3][5]

  1. ^ a b c d "Art Fair Tokyo 2019 Profile: Norman Tolman", Japan Times. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  2. ^ a b "The Tolman Collection Tokyo - About", The Tolman Collection Tokyo. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  3. ^ a b "The Tolman Collection: Art in the Heart of Minato-ku", Tokyo Weekender. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  4. ^ a b "The Tolman Collection New York - About", The Tolman Collection New York. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  5. ^ a b "TOLMAN: JAPAN’S TOP PRINTS", Japan Times. Retrieved 3 July 2024.