In a case of art-imitating-life-imitating-art, Tom drew his leather men in outfits reminiscent of World War II military uniforms, but he rendered the clothing both tighter and sexier, tailoring it to his own specifications. “Showing romance, bondage, the fetish for leather and uniforms, the love of motorcycles, and all male subjects of pleasure.”Īccording to the Tom of Finland Foundation,” Tom’s influence on the fashion industry began around 1950. Did Tom type cultural identity or did he reflect it?” Wilzig, WEAM’s curator, also commented on the artist’s positive masculine depiction of gay men. Valentine Hooven III, author of Tom of Finland: Exposed! “Men are still emulating his types – the biker, the lumberjack, the sailor, the cowboy, etc. “The cultural impact of Tom of Finland is incredible,” said biographer F. While the artistic merit of the art of Tom of Finland has been continuously challenged and debated for years, his art remains popular not only among the gay community but with art collectors. Gay men, as depicted by Tom of Finland, were strong masculine images, not like the effeminate stereotypes represented in mainstream media. The work of Tom of Finland may also have helped influence fashion and culture or possibly just reflected the ever-changing sexuality of the times. “To the contrary, and reality, Tom exposes the strength, power, and true manliness of his subjects.” The images of Tom of Finland created new role models for gay men and the gay community embraced his work. “Many people think all gays swish and are effeminate,” says Wilzig.
#Chicago gay bars tom of finland free#
“By depicting masculine men enjoying their sexuality free of shame, Tom of Finland has had more of an effect on global culture than many other 20th century artists.” The images of Tom of Finland, known as the grand master of homoerotic art, helped smash the stereotypes of gay men. “As society progresses and becomes more tolerant and accepting, so does once marginalized art find new audiences,” explains Volker Morlock, curator of TOM OF FINLAND: Male Masterworks. The decriminalization of male gay pornography allowed his work to become more mainstream and very popular among the gay community. Until the seventies Laaksonen’s work was mostly shown underground and in private collections. It is noted that most of the manly subjects were versatile, meaning they enjoyed the bottom as well as the top role in sexual intercourse. Most of the artist’s drawings were of two or more men in a situation either before or during sexual activity. His men were masculine men, men wearing uniforms, men in work clothes, rugged men, and his men were most always, when wearing clothing, adorned in tight trousers that showed an oversized bulge. The artist produced approximately 3,500 illustrations mostly of a sexual nature. The work of Tom of Finland can indeed be shocking. It serves an educational function as well as an exciting experience.” I later began to explore the artistic value and originality of the works and now have a much better appreciation of his works and their importance to both the gay and straight world.
I was not astute enough to realize it was a comic fantasy interpretation of all the myths about gay men. Many of the depictions seemed to show men torturing or hurting each other. Naomi Wilzig, owner/curator of WEAM, a fan and collector of Tom of Finland’s art, admits that the imagery shocked her when she first encountered it. You can see the exhibition until July 31st at “The MoMA in New York owns a finished drawing depicting a young man and several studies,” states art collector Volker Morlock, who has been involved with the Tom of Finland Foundation since 1991 and is curator of TOM OF FINLAND: Male Masterworks, the major exhibition of Tom of Finland homoerotic drawings that opened at the World Erotic Art Museum during the Miami Beach Pride Weekend. Slade, however, his work has been exhibited in some of the world’s most important museums and galleries and is included in the permanent collections of The Art Institute of Chicago, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design to name a few.
Some may be shocked by the work of Tom of Finland, who was labeled as the “most influential creator of gay pornographic images” by cultural historian Joseph W. Tom of Finland, the pseudonym of Finnish artist Touko Laaksonen, is best known for his stylized in-your-face erotic and fetish art depicting heavily muscled men with large penises in tight or partially removed clothing. Tom of Finland: The Grand Master of Homoerotic Art Exhibits at WEAM Tom of Finland in South Beach 6th June 2012, 7:27 pm