Norman Tolman

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. Tolman exhibited and befriended artists like Saitō Kiyoshi, Shinoda Toko and Mori Yoshitoshi.

Early life

Tolman was born in Walpole, Massachusetts in 1936, the youngest of four children. He was raised by his mother and his older sister, and took up a newspaper route at age 7 to help support the family.

Education

Tolman graduated from Watertown High School in 1954, going on to enlist in the United States Air Force and serving from 1954 to 1958. During his Air Force career, his exceptional linguistic abilities led the Air Force to select him as one of the top 40 of 400 servicemen studying Chinese, earning him a place at Yale University for nine months of intensive language study. studying Japanese. and the gallery's sales of her paintings eventually numbered over a thousand.

As of 2024, the Tokyo and New York galleries are in operation, in addition to a robust online presence.

The types of art techniques found in The Tolman Collection's gallery include woodblock, etching, lithograph, mezzotint, drypoint, stencil, silkscreen, painting, and sculpture. He had lived in Asia for over 60 years.

Tolman's relationship with the temple began in 1980, when he staged his first exhibition there featuring the work of Shinoda Toko.

While the Tolmans developed their gallery, Tolman also collected art for his personal enjoyment, acquiring art from across the globe. He donated parts of his collection to institutions including the Yale University Art Gallery, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston,