Art collector Howard Tullman, president and CEO of Flashpoint, The Academy of Media Arts and Sciences in the Loop, displays artwork to the college’s students on a rotating basis. This painting by Jeremy Hughes is titled “Pussy Galore.”
John J. Kim / Sun-Times
Collector shares his love of art
COLLECTING | 'I've never understood putting it away in storage'
June 21, 2009
BY CELESTE BUSK - Sun-Times Staff Writer
Art collector Howard Tullman loves to share his collection of contemporary paintings with others.
Tullman, who's been collecting realistic figurative art for 30 years, has a collection of about 1,200 paintings, drawings and sculptures that have long ago outgrown the wall space in his home.
Tullman favors realistic figurative art because you can understand it and react to it.
John J. Kim / Sun-Times
That's why you'll often find Tullman carting paintings to display for students and faculty at the Flashpoint, The Academy of Media Arts and Sciences in the Loop.
Tullman is president and chief executive office of the school and hangs paintings on a rotating basis on the walls of the school's lobby, hallways and classrooms.
Tullman's collection is so large, that he's also opened The Loft, a private museum on the Near West Side. Portions of his collection are often lent to other art museums and educational facilities around the country and the museum is opened for private tours to educational institutions. Tullman's entire collection also is displayed for the public to enjoy on his Web site: www.Tullman.com.
"I've never understood buying artwork and putting it away in storage. It's important that art be shared," Tullman said. "I have so many paintings, many large, that they basically outgrew my home. Then, about 20 years ago, I bought The Loft [private art museum] to hold a lot of the bigger paintings. Then, over the years I've displayed the art in each of the schools I've been involved with, most recently, Flashpoint.
"The private museum is open for charities and special events. It's also opened for special tours to make it available for educators to bring students through here," Tullman said.
Much of Tullman's art collection is housed at the Loft, a private museum on the Near West Side.
John J. Kim / Sun-Times
Tullman's collection is a study in realism. His oldest painting dates to the early '70s and the collection goes forward to the present day.
"I like realistic art that almost always has a figure or object in it," Tullman said. "Realism is easy to understand and I'm not sophisticated enough to understand all these crafty types of art movements. In realism, you see the painting and then you can find narratives in so much of the art. You look at this art, understand it and react to it.
"I'm very interested in figurative and realistic art that is striking and well-executed," he said. "It also has to have a certain emotional content."
Tullman uses his art collection to stimulate students at Flashpoint. The college is a perfect setting for Tullman's cultural art since the school prepares students to work in the film, video game, recording and animation fields.
Flashpoint Academy's curriculum includes courses on film directing, music video production, video game design, studio recording, sound design, animated film direction, visual effects for TV and video, entertainment technology and screenwriting. Tullman also uses his art collection for the school's advertising -- walls of advertisements based on his painting collection line the walls of the Flashpoint's lobby.
Some of the artwork rotating hanging at Flashpoint and The Loft includes works by Sarah Bereza, F. Scott Hess, Peter Caine, Jeremy Hughes, William Lazos, Al Souza and Bruno Surdo.
"A lot of paintings are very emotional to look at and have stories built into them. We have writing instruction at Flashpoint and the paintings are perfect jumping off points," said Tullman said, who frequently changes the artwork at the school.
"Some students become so attached to some of the artwork that they don't want it moved. But, by and large, they like to see new things as well. Students are always coming up to me and saying I like this piece or that piece."
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