The little-known photography of Tom of Finland

29th April 2021, 8:22 pm

 

TOM OF FINLAND, Untitled (Val Martin), 1984, Tom of Finland Permanent Collection ©1984-2021 Tom of Finland Foundation

As a new exhibition of Tom of Finland’s photographs opens, Miss Rosen examines this relatively unexplored side to the hugely influential artist’s work

 

 

“Tom never thought that anything other than his finished drawings would be of interest or value to the public and his collector base,” president of Tom of Finland Foundation Durk Dehner tells Miss Rosen, as a new exhibition celebrating the legendary queer artist’s photography opens. “He would find a model, photograph them, develop the film, make the prints, cut the prints out and glue them into his reference binders. Then he would draw a preliminary sketch, sometimes two, and then do the finished drawing. He thought of his photography as a means to an end.”

SEE THE COMPLETE ARTICLE BY MISS ROSEN

 

 

 

 

“TOM OF FINLAND The Darkroom”

30th Apr 2021 – 19th Aug 2021 @ 11:00 am – 9:00 pm – Visitors to New York City museums, art fairs, and art galleries will now be required to show proof of vaccination starting 17th August 2021.     The exhibition consists of photographic portraits which served as reference images for his famed homoerotic drawings. These photographs were confined to Tom of Finland’s home studio and darkroom, displaying […]

Remembering Tom of Finland through stories of those who knew him

  As a selection of Tom of Finland’s photographs go on show, his friends, lovers, and models provide an oral history of the man behind the myth Those who had the pleasure of meeting Tom of Finland (born Touko Valio Laaksonen, 1920–1991) may have expected to encounter a walking, talking version of his drawings. Instead, they would… View Article

Published: 29th April 2021

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