Iconic homoerotic artist Tom of Finland spent his twilight years in Los Angeles, enjoying the California and LA’s thriving leather scene. Though next week marks the 22nd anniversary of his death, Tom of Finland’s legacy lives on through TOM House — the Echo Park District Craftsman-style mansion where Tom lived and completed many of his final works — which also serves as a museum to all erotic art and housing the Tom of Finland Foundation archive.
In anticipation of the landmark Bob Mizer & Tom of Finland exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art, TOM House’s longtime residents Durk Dehner and S.R. Sharp shed light on Tom’s origins, his muses, his surprisingly humble daily routine and the brilliant work that continues to inspire and enrich our lives to this day.
Organized by MOCA Curator Bennett Simpson and guest co-curator Richard Hawkins, the exhibition is presented with the full collaboration of the Bob Mizer Foundation, El Cerrito, and the Tom of Finland Foundation, Los Angeles. The exhibition will run from November 2, 2013 to January 26, 2014.
ChasingJoe
I smell LEATHER! All The Men in the Art are Timeless and are Hot as ever! Thanks Daddy =).
TVC 15
I don’t think any gay man EVER forgets the first time he sees a Tom of Finland drawing. Without Tom, the modern gay man wouldn’t exist. We owe so much to his art.
dirknerd
Yes Tom of Finland set the standard for the unrealistic expectations of gay men with the ideal gay man. Who doesn’t wish that we were all gorgeous with a giant c**k. I actually have an original piece from a defunct leather bar in San Francisco. Sigh!