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Tom of Finland Drawings (GLC 108)
LGBTQIA Center, San Francisco Public Library |
With the release of Dome Karukoski's film
Tom of Finland, there is renewed interest in the life and work of Finnish artist Touko Laaksonen (1920-1991). Better known as Tom of Finland, his work appeals to and represents an entire community
of gay men who enjoy the erotic charge of leather, uniforms, and well-muscled men.
A search in the library’s online catalog reveals several books about Tom of
Finland and a documentary. The books include:
Tom of Finland: Life and
Work of a Gay Hero and
Tom of Finland: His Life and
Times by F. Valentine Hooven, et al.;
Tom of Finland: The Art of
Pleasure, text by Micha Ramakers;
Tom House: Tom of Finland in
Los Angeles (2016); and
Dirty Pictures: Tom of
Finland, Masculinity, and Homosexuality by Micha Ramakers. The 1993 documentary
is called
Daddy and the
Muscle Academy: Tom of Finland.
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Tom of Finland Drawings (GLC 108)
LGBTQIA Center, San Francisco Public Library |
However, you might not be aware that the library owns five original
Tom of Finland drawings (GLC 108). In June 2015, Tom Nicoll contacted the LGBTQIA Center to see
if we would be interested in some original artwork by Tom of Finland.
Naturally, we jumped at the chance. Nicoll, who was a friend of Tom of
Finland's, had a small collection of drawings that nicely represented the
various themes of Tom of Finland's work: hyper-masculine men in uniforms or
leather and in erotically charged scenarios.
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Tom of Finland Drawings (GLC 108)
LGBTQIA Center, San Francisco Public Library |
We selected 5 representative pieces. In one, a beach scene with five men,
the jeans-clad fellow in the distance is Tom Nicoll. He also shared a copy of a
photo taken in his younger years. These
five original drawings
are available through the
San Francisco
History Center, 6th floor, Main Library. The artwork is housed, quite
appropriately, in an oversized folder.
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Tom Nicoll, Tom of Finland Drawings (GLC 108)
LGBTQIA Center, San Francisco Public Library |
