Today’s lesson is that apparently Finland is a very different country than the United States. It sounds like a prank, but multiple news outlets are reporting that Finland is issuing a stamp to honor erotic artist Tom of Finland. The artwork in question features full male rear nudity and some obscured frontal nudity. Okay!
It was only just this month that the U.S. finally got a Harvey Milk stamp, so we’re probably still quite a few years from a stamp that’s just opening homoerotic.
And it gets crazier: apparently the Finland’s postal museum will have a full exhibit of Tom of Finland art in September, when the stamps are released. Again, just try to imagine anything like this happening in the United States. Oh, to be a fly on the wall at that art opening.
So far we haven’t seen any outrage from the conservative right, although that’s eventually inevitable. For our part, we’re a little offended that the art features a character with a cigarette, when LGBTs have an elevated risk of smoking and dying of unpleasant tobacco-related diseases. But hey, it’s a product of its time.
“Of course, the choice was discussed, but we wanted to live in the year 2014,” said Itella development director Markku Penttinen. According to Washington Post, there will be 33 different designs in all. So get collecting, philatelists.
Also, delightfully, the postal service is also issuing stamps that commemorate beloved cartoonist and children’s author Tove Jansson, which is pretty much the polar opposite of Tom of Finland. Something for everyone!
Billy Budd
Please, someone from Finland, send me a letter ASAP.
Titityy
“Also, delightfully, the postal service is also issuing stamps that commemorate beloved cartoonist and children’s author Tove Jansson, which is pretty much the polar opposite of Tom of Finland.”
FYI, Tove Jansson was lesbian/bisexual/non-straight and lived openly with her female partner for decades.
NateOcean
These will be used on extra large packages
Stevenw
Finland, you are awesome!
Mezaien
@Billy Budd: VIVA FINLANDIA. Hoi man go to Helsinki, I got family over there you would love them.
HELyes
You can say ToF has been become an established artist in Finland, 23 years after his death. Even the state of Finland has been promoting him, there have exhibitions at the state’s cultural institutions abroad like at the Institut Culturel Finlandais in Paris in 1999 already.
An other thing is that generally Finns are relaxed with nudity, thanks to the old sauna tradition mostly. It seems it’s hard to shock a Finn by nudity, even if it’s a bare Tom’s butt.
HELyes
P.S
Finnish postal services (Itella) on Tom:
http://www.itella.fi/english/current/2014/20140413_stamps.html
ingyaom
Beautiful butt:
http://www.itella.fi/tiedotteet/images/2014/20140413_tom_of_finland_450.jpg
BrokebackBob
Now if they could just have some of the postmen look like the ones on the stamps!
misterhollywood
When will our postal service make these? 🙂
Billy Budd
I will buy these stamps when they come out. If I understood correctly, they made only three Tom of Finland stamps, all together in a same thematic sheet.
I love the way Europeans are liberal with sex and intolerant of violence. Violent movies can be watched by adults only, but movies with sex scenes can be watched by kids. Also, the age of consent in nordic countries is extremely low.
Billy Budd
The age of consent in Finland is 16. And according to the law, The sexual act may NOT be punishable if “there is no great difference in the ages or the mental and physical maturity of the persons involved”.
I love Europe.
HELyes
Funny to see Tom among all the ordinary stamps, with Christmas bells and reindeers 🙂
http://digilibrary.itella.com/?cart=1667-balleljgmd&l=FI
If interested to buy the ToF minisheet (3 stamps) check their Online shop later, the stamps will be released in September.
https://verkkokauppa.posti.fi/PublishedService?file=&pageID=3&action=view&groupID=782&OpenGroups=782
hephaestion
Finland could make a lot of money selling those stamps abroad online.
SHARP
We don’t need to imagine – Tom of Finland had a FULL exhibition at MOCA- Los Angeles just last year.
http://www.worldoftomoffinland.com/tomsblog/?p=9933
Throbert McGee
Personally, I much prefer the drawing style of the underappreciated homegrown American homoerotica illustrator Harry Bush (yeah, that was his real name!), but this is still pretty cool.