Ronald Tolman

Sculptor, painter, graphic artist

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Ronald Tolman

Biography

1948

Born in Amsterdam


1968

Ronald Tolman gets acquainted with Leyden painter and graphic artist Aad van Houwelingen.
Studies bronze Etruscan figurines at the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden.

1969

First solo exhibitions at Tastevin and Galerie Walenkamp in Leiden and in Zweeloo, Drente.


1970

Moves to Leiden to a larger studio at the Boerhaavecomplex.
Makes diary notes on etching plates: 'The book of the sanguine' that is bought by the Prentenkabinet in Leiden.
Starts a series of large paintings, in which he experiments with various methods of expression, such as screen printing on plexiglas and etching on canvas. A number of canvases are owned privately and are part of the collection at the Museum of The Hague Art Museum and the Nijmeegs museum the Valkhof.

1971

The creation of a series of etchings titled: ‘Car Wrecks’.
Makes the film ‘So that we in passing become spoken words’ with the support of cineast Frans Zwartjes.
Stills of the film are used in the large paintings which Ronald Tolman has been working on since 1970. Also, in one of these paintings in the collection to The Hague Art Museum we may recognize the first small bronzes Ronald Tolman had cast at the foundry, are being portrayed on one of these paintings. This work is part of the Haags Gemeentemuseum collection.

1972

Ronald Tolman marries Connie Pieterse.
J.L. Locher, head curator of the Hague Art Museum acquires ‘Leyden Landscapes’, a series of 66 paintings. These had been exhibited at the museum De Lakenhal in Leiden.
Ronald Tolman and his wife move from Leiden to Beuningen, Gelderland.
In that same year his bronze foundry also moves from Voorschoten to Cuijk. From then on all of Ronald Tolman’s bronze sculptures are cast at the bronze foundry of the brothers Kemner in Cuijk.

1974

Birth of daughter Sanne.
Museum Commanderie of Sint Jan, Exhibition of the fifty-five pages from the book ‘To Become’. Texts in the brochure are those of curator Hans van der Grinten and Ronald Tolman himself.
Stays in Florence, studies Giambologna, Cellini, Fiorentini and Rafaël.

1976

Birth of daughter Marije.
First exhibition at Galerie Collection d'Art'in Amsterdam, exhibition edition with texts by J.L.Locher.
In the next 25 years Ronald Tolman’s work continues to premiere at Connie de Vries’s art gallery Collection d'Art.

1977

Televisie-film ‘Ronald Tolman and a form of deserting’, Beeldspraak, NOS, directed by Jonne Severijn, consultations J.L. Locher.
Study-tour to Munich.

1979

Divertimento, bronze, placed at the Unileverhouse, London.
‘Group and individual’, bronze, municipality of Kerkrade.
Receives the Van Bommel-van Dam award at the museum of the same name in Venlo . Here, an exhibition is also dedicated to Ronald Tolman’s work.


1980

Receives the first prize at the International Biennial of Graphic Art in Tuzla in former Yugoslavia, for a portrait of the artist Constant.
Photographed with violist Jan Kalkman and Constant, at the studio in Beuningen.

1981

Forum discussion at De Lindenberg, Nijmegen, with participants: Joseph Beuys, Hans van der Grinten, Jan Hoet and Ronald Tolman.

1982

Makes a bronze sculpture for the province of Gelderland, entitled: ‘Crossing frontiers’. Number of copies 5. Each two years the sculpture is distributed by Euregio as the Alfred Moser price.

1983

‘Prometheus and the crowd’, bronze, De Naulande, Drunen.

1984

‘Capriccio’, bronze and cortensteel (COR-TEN trademark weathering steel), municipality of Amsterdam.
‘Circus act’, bronze, N.O.G. de Jong, Amsterdam.

1985

‘Circle’, bronze, Gasunie Groningen.
‘The observer’, bronze, made in combination with a sculpture by Liesbeth Pallesen, placed in the Westerpark, Amsterdam.

1987

‘Fountain’, bronze, C.J.Scholtes, Hazerswoude. A compilation of small-scaled earlier monumental sculptures can be found on and around the fontain.

1988

‘Three characters’, bronze, municipality of Nijmegen.

1989

‘Hand wrestling’, bronze, Beltrum, municipality of Eibergen.
In this year Ronald Tolman produces his designs for literary theatre Branoul in The Hague, among other things for plays such as ‘Of Mice and Men' by Steinbeck, ‘Too loud a solitude’ by Hrabal and ‘The portrait' by Gogol, played by Rein Edzard and Michiel Kerbosch.


1990

‘Figure descending from a chair’, bronze, Town Hall Heiloo.
‘Communication’, bronze, municipality of Wijchen.

1991
1992

Watch tower’, polychromed metal, publishing company the Gelderlander, Nijmegen. For the unveiling of the fifteen meter high sculpture and the inauguration of the building, a scale model of this sculpture was offered to the Queen Beatrix. This sculpture is part of her private collection at Palace Noordeinde in The Hague.<br>Standing figure’, bronze, municipality Beuningen. Soon after the placement, the statue is nicknamed ‘Bird man’.
Ronald Tolman receives the Gelderland Grafic Art Prize 1992 for his entire oeuvre as a graphic artist.
Study tour to New York.

1993

Collection d Art takes part in the Kunst Rai, Amsterdam.

1994

By order of Queen Beatrix ‘The sun’ is made of polychromed metal and is placed in the Sculpture Garden of her residence Huis ten Bosch, The Hague.
Pond sculptures and cascades’, bronze, main building of the Gasunie, Groningen.<br>L homme valise’, bronze, placed in an inside pond at the Gasunie Groningen.

1997

‘The might’, bronze, placed in the sculpture garden of Museum Schloss Moyland, Germany, Collection of Schloss Moyland.
Woman with umbrella’, bronze, municipality Beuningen.<br>Figure on chair’, first version, bronze, Stichting Beeldend, Arnhem. A small version of this sculpture was also made in a limited edition.

1998

Figure on chair’, second version, bronze, placed in front of the main entrance of Hodes Orthopaedic Hospital, Arnhem.<br>Dialogue’, bronze, Martini Hospital, Groningen.
`Applauding figures’, bronze, Alpinvest Naarden.

1999

L Amour’, ensemble of three statues, made of bronze, aluminium and brass, Academic Hospital in Groningen.<br>Two figures’ at the entrance the Red Cross Hospital, The Hague.
`Triumph’, group of statues made of bronze, N.E.C., Goffert Stadium, Nijmegen.
Ronald Tolman receives the prize awarded by the public at the Singer Museum in Laren on the occasion of ‘Graphic art Now 8 & Poetry’ exhibition.


2000

The blue constable’, bronze, polychromed, placed in front of the Police Force Gelderland - South headquarters, Nijmegen.<br> Two small versions of ‘The blue constable’ appear in a limited series. <br>The woman in medicine’, bronze, polychromed, placed in the hall of the Dutch Magazine for Medicine building, Amsterdam.

2001

Three applause sculptures, bronze, Kadaster, Apeldoorn.
'Standing figure’, bronze, placed in the main building of Fugro, Leidschendam.
Graphic art assignement commissioned by the Forest Service.

2002

Avanspettacolo, painted aluminium and steel wire construction, Siza Dorp Groep, Arnhem.<br> Graphic assignmentGrafipersingen’. During the next ten years Ronald Tolman regularly collaborates on the graphic art folders that are published for the benefit of the little church in Persingen.
Starts painting ceramics on the initiative of ‘Art in Ceramics’ and in association with ceramist Max van Loon’s ‘The Grail’ .

2003

`Time’, bronze, municipality Ooij (Beek Ubbergen).

2004

Graphic art assignment, municipality Beuningen.
Graphic art assignment, De Basis, Arnhem.

2005

`Above water’, bronze, placed in the pond in front of the Milleniumcomplex in Apeldoorn.

2006

L' homme valise, bronze, editon of 50 copies, Schiphol Group.<br>L' homme valise’, bronze, unique specimen, Schiphol Group.
Honnee-prize’, bronze, edition of 16 copies, Beek Ubbergen. Graphic art assignment, De Basis, Arnhem.<br>Fille papillon’, bronze, De Woonplaats, Doetinchem.

2007

The sculpture `Hommage to Hannie Schaft' is part of the ‘Heroes’ exhibition at the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam.
'Three applauding figures', bronze on an arcade of concrete, Aramis, Roosendaal.

2008

‘Standing figure’, bronze, Medisch Spectrum Twente, Enschedé.
'Peacock displaying his plumage’, bronze sculpture, commissioned by the Prince Bernhard Culture Funds, for a series of five copies.
'Three applauding figures, bronze, commissioned by the municipality Nijmegen. 'Ciceleur,' bronze, limited edition for N.S.I. De Maas, Cuyk.

2009

In the Hollands Maandblad a selection of thirty-seven etchings appears, which are created under the generic title: 'The human species’.
In the Kunsthal in Rotterdam the presentation of ‘The tree house’ takes place.
The exhibition of ‘The tree house’ originals, a picture book by Marije en Ronald Tolman, was launched by Lemniscaat publisher Jean-Christophe Boele van Hensbroek.
Commissioned by Attent, ‘The Peacock man’ is made of plaster. The monumental sculpture will be cast in bronze and is to be placed in the garden of Regina Pacis in Arnhem mid- 2011.


2010

Exhibition sculpture garden Cuyk.
Graphic art assignment Kandinskycollege, Nijmegen.
Graphic art assignment Roosendaal.
Graphic art assignment De Basis, Arnhem.
‘The tree house’, a picture book by daughter Marije and father Ronald Tolman is chosen as the most beautiful picture book of the world in 2010, in Bologna, Italy. For this, they receive the Bologna Ragazzi Award 2010.
‘The tree house’ is noted on the shortlist for the Golden Owl Youth Literary Prize in Antwerp.
‘The tree house’ is published in a number of countries. In France the book is titled: 'Le livre qui rend heureux'.
Father and daughter receive the Golden Brush on October 6 2010 at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
Exhibition at the Rijksmuseum with originals of ‘The tree house'.

2011

Commissioned sculpture: 'From Air Bike to Chariot’, Nijmegen Technovium.
Commisioned etching, produced in limited numbers, Technovium Nijmegen.
Commisioned etching, produced in limited numbers, Regina Pacis, Arnhem
Placement sculpture ‘Peacock Displaying His Plumage’ Regina Pacis, Arnhem.
Various private commissions.
International awards for ‘The Tree House’:
Austria: Bilderbuchpreis Troisdorff.
Germany: Nomination Jugendliteraturpreis, Frankfurt.
USA: Outstanding book list 2011.
Belgium: Flanders Children's Jury.

2012

Commission Kandinsky College Nijmegen bronze, 'Blue Rider'.
Commission prints in edition, Kandinsky College Nijmegen.
Book: 'The Island', Lemniscaat, joint production of Ronald Tolman and Marije Tolman.
Show Galerie Petit, Amsterdam.
Ronald Tolman knighted Ridder in de orde van de Nederlandse Leeuw.
Commission sculpture Boatman Attent, welfare, housing, healthcare, De Steeg.
Commission Gelderland Zuid, bronze piece of sculpture in edition.
Commission prints in edition De Basis, Arnhem

2013

This year has seen an abundance of new work, prints, sculpture, water colours and especially: paintings.
Commission Nijmegen local council, sculpture in edition.
Prints in edition for Grafi-Persingen Foundation.
Various individual commissions for schulptures.
Print ‘Huge Sun’ in edition on the occasion of Ronald Tolman’s sixty-fifth birthday.
The book Master of Infinite Possibilities, Ronald Tolman’s paintings, text by Francine Wildenborg.
Show at ’t Spijker, Beek Ubbergen

2014

Commission sculpture in edition Beuningen local council, ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’.
Commission print in edition Kandinsky College Nijmegen.
Commission sculpture in edition Kandinsky College Nijmegen.
Various individual commissions.
Illustrations for So Beautifully Different, Lemniscaat.
Four new prints for Gelderlander Grafiek.

2015

Commission sculpture for Sint Elisabeth, Doesburg.
Print ‘Ashore’ for Grafi-Persingen, in aid of the local church at Persingen.
Beuningen local council acquired the painting Barge Master’.
Individual commissions for paintings and sculptures.
Jubilee show Sint Maartenskliniek, Nijmegen. Galerie Stills, Nijmegen.

2016

Several private commissions, sculptures, paintings and etchings.
Participated in jubilee show Gallery Stills, Nijmegen.
Show Gallery Petit, Amsterdam.
Participated in Raw Art Fair, Rotterdam.
Show in Literatuurmuseum in Den Haag.

2017
2018
2019

The artist is always working. Sometimes not.
Commissioned two sculptures for Schiphol: 'L'homme valise' and "Femme valise'.
Exhibition Kunstschouw Zeeland.
various private commissions.


2020

Start of a large series of paintings:'Views'
'Femme valise', bronze, commission in an editon of 50 copies, Schiphol Group.

2021

More 'Views' on canvas. Weekend- show in and around the studio. More than three hundred people enjoyed the sculptures and the new paintings,

2022

Several private commissions.Begins a series of large and small sculptures.