Search results
Grayscale graphite
- An influential aesthetic force in late 20th-century gay culture, his illustrations were rendered in grayscale graphite and often featured uniformed men with exaggerated musculature and genitalia either performing or implying sexual activities. “I almost never draw a completely naked man,” he once explained.
www.artnet.com › artists › tom-of-finland
View Tom of Finland’s 130 artworks on artnet. Find an in-depth biography, exhibitions, original artworks for sale, the latest news, and sold auction prices. See available works on paper, prints and multiples, and photographs for sale and learn about the artist.
- Tom of Finland Artworks for Sale
Tom of Finland, a moniker of Touko Laaksonen, was a Finnish...
- Biography
Tom of Finland (Finnish, born May 8, 1920–died November 7,...
- Dealers
View a list of art dealers buying or selling works by Tom of...
- Tom of Finland Artworks for Sale
Jun 28, 2019 · Case in point: his imagery of Black men. In a new collaboration featuring a limited edition denim jacket, No Sesso puts Tom's work featuring Black men on display.
- Untitled (from Trucker's Delivery Series), 1965.
- Untitled, c. 1966.
- Untitled, c. 1966.
- Untitled (Cover for Kake Vol. 15 - "Violent Visitor"), 1971.
- Tom of Finland’s Biography
- Reception
- Legacy and Cultural Impact
- Famous Artworks
- Reading Recommendations
- Frequently Asked Questions
It’s hardly surprising that Tom of Finland was raised in a rural area, surrounded by rugged explorers, as seen by his beautifully portrayed pictures of burly men. Tom’s obsession with the rugged manliness of working males, which grew also to include mariners, law enforcement officers, and army personnel when he left his tiny community to explore ar...
Tom of Finland’s art has elicited both praise and scorn from various corners of the creative world throughout his lifespan and beyond. Touko Laaksonen became acquaintances with homosexual photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, whose work exhibiting sadomasochism and sexual imagery drew criticism as well. Although they are a minor part of his total work,...
Despite his warm description, Tom of Finland’s art must be regarded as more than dirty drawings, and recognition for the transformation in the LGBT world’s self-image must be acknowledged. When Tom of Finland’s drawings were originally released, gays believed they had to be imitators of women and lived in the shadows. Gays were significantly more l...
Due to his groundbreaking portrayal of the masculine body, Tom of Finland is widely acknowledged as one of the most significant artists of the 20th century. One of the most imaginative depictions of the human form in recent times is his paintings of wonderfully muscled males absorbed in acts of homoerotic yearning. 1. Sailor’s Dream(1959) 2. Buddie...
Today we explored Tom of Finland’s biography and art style. If you want to learn what else Touko Laaksonen is famous for, then why don’t you check out one of his books. Here are a few that we have selected for you to choose from.
Who Is Tom of Finland?
Tom of Finland was a well-known artist who helped bring gay fashion and lifestyle to the mainstream world with his art. Tom, along with the 1950s physique photographers, has now been identified as the people who created the concept of the Leatherman that has endured to this day. This age was established – and documented – by Tom. His designs shattered not just the borders of the gay culture at the time, but also the bounds of straight leather motorcycle clubs.
Why Is the Art of Tom of Finland Important?
Tom of Finland has never considered himself a highbrow painter or a member of the elite. His style blurred the lines between art and pornography, and he frequently stated that his motive for doing so was lower than art, claiming an instinctive urge to produce positive representations of masculinity that challenged conventional gender conceptions. Tom’s work aggressively challenges homophobic and heteronormative macho clichés seen in photos of his subjects.
- ( Head of Content, Editor, Art Writer )
- 7 November 1991
- 8 May 1920
- Finnish
Touko Valio Laaksonen (8 May 1920 – 7 November 1991), known by the pseudonym Tom of Finland, was a Finnish artist who made stylized highly masculinized homoerotic art, and influenced late 20th-century gay culture.
Tom of Finland (Touko Laaksonen, 1920–1991) is widely regarded as one of the twentieth century’s most influential artists for his groundbreaking representation of the male figure.
Tom of Finland, perhaps the most iconic creator of erotic gay art, understood his role as a liberator. His images of men unleashing their deepest fantasies have provided an outlet for self-identification and established a visual iconography of eroticism.
