TOM OF FINLAND - The Official Life and Work of a Gay Hero

Contents:

• TOM OF FLAND EXHIB CELEBRAT NORDIC UNTRY’S GAY IN
• THERE'S A GAY PORNO STASHED IN YOUR WARDROBE: THE HISTORY BEHD PRI 2020'S BT COLLAB
• TOM OF FLAND: FROM GAY IN TO MASTREAM SENSATN
• TOM OF FLAND EXHIB CELEBRAT NORDIC COUNTRY'S GAY IN
• TOM OF FINLAND – THE OFFICIAL LIFE AND WORK OF A GAY HERO

TOM OF FLAND EXHIB CELEBRAT NORDIC UNTRY’S GAY IN

In 2013, the artist’s work was clud a two-person exhibn wh the gay erotic art trailblazer — and, as happens, the origator of Laaksonen’s famo psdonym — Bob Mizer at the Mm of Contemporary Art, Los Angel. Even Laaksonen’s home untry and namake, which homosexualy was crimalized until 1971, has e around to the artist’s importance: In 2014, ma a seri of stamps honorg Tom of Fland, and a succsful 2017 bpic was produced the by Brian Forrt.

THERE'S A GAY PORNO STASHED IN YOUR WARDROBE: THE HISTORY BEHD PRI 2020'S BT COLLAB

In the early 1960s, the pneerg, boundary-phg gay artist Robert Mapplethorpe, acrdg to Patti Smh, disvered Tom of Fland’s work a ed bookstall Tim Square.

”T talked to a wi range of artists about Tom of Fland’s fluence for what would have been his 100th by Anrs Sune Berg Elmgreen & Dragset, Berl-based artist duoTom of Fland’s art is unabashedly gay and celebratory of a subculture and sexual ruals that were nsired perverse when his drawgs first appeared public.

And I thk, siarly, perhaps when Tom of Fland was fg this inic style, he really took ownership over his fn of what was to be a homosexual, which was perhaps, at that time, a term that was viewed as weak or rogatory. Tom of Fland’s ft pencil work and the immediate eroticism are enough to make any young gay boy a quick fan, but after a of lookg at his drawgs, I unrstand that his work transcends pornography and occupi a space of queer spirualy.

TOM OF FLAND: FROM GAY IN TO MASTREAM SENSATN

I me for the giant phall and stayed for the joy of beg a gay person.

Tom’s drawgs are unapologetilly happy and have not a shred of shame them — an credible rary any pictn of homosexualy, even now.

TOM OF FLAND EXHIB CELEBRAT NORDIC COUNTRY'S GAY IN

Tom had the fortu of spir to celebrate men at play at a time when most of the world nsired gay people to be an abomatn.

Tom had such an abundance of radil self-acceptance that his work ntu to impart the spir of self-love onto gay men everywhere. -based wrer and artistWe kd of take Tom of Fland for granted, bee, let’s be hont, as gay men, do we really need any more imag of super mcular whe dus?

Before Tom, the homosexual stereotype was a narrowly limed negative one.

TOM OF FINLAND – THE OFFICIAL LIFE AND WORK OF A GAY HERO

Tom of Fland’s art beme an inic part of the gay visual vobulary durg s time. Homosexualy was illegal Fland until 1971. “Tom of Fland’s bodi are gog to be somethg that really also om the postwar era, the need to bat the ia of effemacy of homosexualy, ” says Dr.

The ia of the homosexual before the 1950s was only a highly effemate one.

While some gay men were (and rema) proudly effemate, others wanted to be gay on their own terms, whout havg their inty prcribed to them. In dog so, he created a visual language for gay men that had prevly been publicly unavailable to them, one where s actors were permted to be mascule, happy and sexually domant. “It then creat a siar kd of gatekeepg on the straight male that was hherto enclosed on the gay male.

” It also creat the possibily of straight men aspirg to what Tom of Fland shows as homosexual prentatn. “He creat this proxy gay universe … a gay Olymp.

Tom of Fland had ma his way to the Amerin visual market 1957, wh drawgs and on the ver of Physique Pictorial, a homoerotic magaze that displayed nu bodybuilrs unr the guise of athletic molg to avoid obsceny implitns. The “Tom of Fland” look — boots, leather, mtach, tight jeans — beme vibrant the gay muny and eventually crossed over to the mastream via the artists spired.

The gay man who created art that helped shape queer inty and sire.