About Tom of Finland

Biography

Touko Valio Laaksonen (1920-1991), better known as Tom of Finland, was a Finnish artist renowned for his highly stylized and homoerotic drawings. He is particularly famous for his depictions of muscular men in leather and uniform gear, which have become iconic within gay culture and the leather community.

Born in Kaarina, Finland, Laaksonen grew up in a middle-class family of schoolteachers.

During World War II, Finland formed a temporary alliance with Nazi Germany primarily to recover territory lost to the Soviet Union after the Winter War (1939-1940). When Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, Finland joined forces with the Germans in the Continuation War (1941-1944). However, as the war's tide turned against Germany, Finland sought an armistice with the Soviets in 1944, resulting in the Lapland War (1944-1945), where Finnish forces expelled the Germans from their territory to comply with Soviet demands.

Laaksonen served in the Finnish Army during World War II as an anti-aircraft officer. His military service exposed him to the masculine camaraderie and uniforms that would later become central themes in his homoerotic art. Also influential were his sexual encounters with German soldiers while Finland and Germany were allied against the Soviet Union. His art later incorporated elements of Nazi uniforms. Despite this, Laaksonen maintained that his art had no political agenda. In Tom of Finland: His Life and Times by F. Valentine Hooven, Laaksonen is quoted explaining his use of fascist imagery: In my drawings I have no political statements to make, no ideology. I am thinking only about the picture itself. The whole Nazi philosophy, the racism and all that, is hateful to me, but of course I drew them anyway—they had the sexiest uniforms! (p. 30.)

After the war, Laaksonen worked in advertising while privately developing his distinctive style. His breakthrough came in the 1957 when his drawings were published in the Spring issue of Physique Pictorial magazine under the pseudonym Tom of Finland.

His artwork quickly gained a following within the gay community. His hyper-masculine men exude confidence and a sense of fun. They enjoy being themselves. They are always muscular and well endowed and often depicted in leather gear or military uniforms. His art provided much-needed positive representation for gay men, celebrating their beauty and sexuality during a time when such portrayals were scarce and often stigmatized.

His artwork helped shape the aesthetic of the leather subculture within the gay community. The hyper-masculine, leather-clad figures in his drawings became emblematic of the leather scene, influencing fashion, attitudes, and the overall image of the community.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, he continued to produce and refine his work, which became iconic in the emerging leather subculture. Tom of Finland's influence expanded internationally, with exhibitions in major galleries and a growing recognition of his contributions to art and gay culture.

In the 1980s, he co-founded the Tom of Finland Company and the Tom of Finland Foundation to preserve his legacy and support erotic art. His work remains influential, celebrated for its artistic merit and its role in empowering the LGBTQ+ community. Tom of Finland passed away in 1991, leaving behind a lasting impact on both the art world and gay culture.

Laaksonen passed away after an emphysema-induced stroke in 1991, but his impact endures. Beyond the leather community, his art has inspired countless artists, designers, and filmmakers including designers Jean-Paul Gaultier and Thierry Mugler as well as Queen’s Freddie Mercury. Major galleries worldwide have exhibited his work, including New York’s Museum of Modern Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles, and the Tom of Finland Foundation in Los Angeles.

The Leather Report on Tom of Finland (Video 7:25)

from the Leather Archives & Museum
According to Leather Archives & Museum channel on Youtube:

Produced by Jim Pfanner & Bob Khoury in 1998. This program features Durk Dehner, President of the Tom of Finland Foundation talking about Tom, his art and the history of the Foundation.

Tom of Finland Foundation (Video 5:29)

from The Museum of Contemporary Art
Nov 1, 2013

Famed erotic artist Tom of Finland made as much of an impact on the lives of individual men as he did on the history of masculine representation. On a palm tree-lined street in Echo Park sits the Tom of Finland Foundation, a site that testifies to both personal and historical memory. Foundation co-founder and former Bruce Weber model Durk Dehner met Tom because of a compelling image on a bathroom wall, and soon became the artist's muse, patron, and longtime friend. In this short video, Dehner and foundation vice president S.R. Sharp discuss Tom's radical imaginary, his command of the gay male gaze, how Tom of Finland got his name, and why Tom made the move to Los Angeles. Dehner has preserved the home he shared with Tom as a homage to Tom's legacy, and to this day, the home remains open to the public.

Tom of Finland Trailer (2017)

Links for and Additional Reading on Tom of Finland

• Hooven, F. Valentine (1993). Tom of Finland: His Life and Times. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-09325-X.
• The Tom of Finland Foundation
• The DVD for The Hidden Fuhrer: Hitler's Sexuality (a documentary exploring the possibility that Adoph Hitker was gay) contains an interview in the bonus section covering the influence of Nazi uniforms on the art of Tom of Finland.
• About Drummer Magazine