Tom of Finland - F. Valentine Hooven III

For an artist whose work is all about the erotic the image that has been chosen for the cover of this book doesn't really hit the mark; it looks a bit like the naked man on the right is putting his finger up the nose of the leather clad man. I can come to terms with most kinks but this might be beyond the pale. However; maybe once the removable orange sticker is removed from the cover then the finger in the nose becomes less of a focus of attention.

Touko Laaksonen, the artist who became known as Tom of Finland was born in 1920 and his artwork has become a shorthand for a certain type of homoerotica. His depictions of broad shouldered, narrow waisted men in various forms of undress or tight clothes have become a trope in gay culture. They also reference various other already established tropes; the man in uniform, the leather man, the cowboy and men cruising one another.

From the underground appeal of this work Tom of Finland pieces have become collectable and valuable. This book has a foreword by Jean-Paul Gaultier - who has himself played with the idealised images that Laaksonen made - and is written by F Valentine Hooven III to nark the centennial of Tom of Finland.

Hardback. 292 pages.

Measurements:

22.5cm x 29.4cm x 2.6cm

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