Date/Time
Date(s) - 22nd Aug 2020
1:00 pm - 1:30 pm

Location
Sampsa

Categories

• Supporter - World

Memorial for Tom of Finland in Helsinki

TOM OF FINLAND (Touko Laaksonen, Finnish, 1920 – 1991), Untitled, 1981, Linocut on paper, 6/30, 10.44” x 7.88”, Tom of Finland Foundation Permanent Collection, ©1981-2020 Tom of Finland Foundation

To honor the centenary of the birth of artist Tom of Finland (born Touko Laaksonen 1920-1991), he will receive a memorial plaque on the façade of the apartment building, “Sampsa”, in Helsinki where he and his partner Veli Mäkinen (1932-1981) lived between 1969-1984.

The two-phased memorial plaque contest was organized in May 2016. Ten best proposals were presented first in the Sideways festival in mid-June and then at the Eurogames on Kansalaistori square in Helsinki in late June – early July 2016. The cofounder and president of Tom of Finland Foundation, Durk Dehner, acted as the head of the jury.

CONTEST

The three best proposals were presented to the board of directors of the housing cooperative Sampsa in early spring 2020. Amongst the proposals Sampsa chose the memorial plaque designed by the 47-years-old graphic designer Matu Kormano. It depicts a familiar masculine figure in profile by the late iconic artist and bears his famous signature. It is based on a Tom’s linoleum cut print from 1981.

The plaque in Finnish, Swedish (the second official language of Finland) and English

Winning design by Matu Kormano.

The memorial plaque was made possible by the support of MSC Finland – Tom’s Club ry; Tom of Finland Foundation, Inc., Los Angeles; Kuvittajat ry; Freelance-graafikot ry; Grafia ry; Sarjakuvantekijät ry; Sarjakuvaseura ry; ECMC European Confederation of Motorcycle Clubs; ToP Top of Europe; SLM København; SLM Stockholm; and LMC Estonia.