

Tom of Finland
Tattooed Sailors Beach Towel
£65
An oversize beach towel made from teddy cloth depicting Tom of Finland's distinctive 1962 drawing originally made for the 'Athletic Model Guild'. Exclusive to House of Voltaire.
Dimensions
180 x 100 cm
Finishing
100% cotton

Tom of Finland, 'Untitled', 1962. From the Atlantic Model Guild 'The Tattooed Sailor' series. © 1962 Tom of Finland Foundation.Courtesy the Tom of Finland Foundation
About The Artwork
Drawings such as this were first published in American ‘fitness’ or ‘beefcake’ magazines; homoerotic publications which tailored their images to avoid strict censorship laws. Though Tom of Finland’s work was heavily based in fantasy, and designed to titillate, the artist fundamentally aimed to produce images of gay men that counteracted the atmosphere of oppression and stereotypes of effeminacy he had grown up with. In contrast, Tom’s lasciviously smiling actors are explicitly strong, happy and sexual. Tom amplified the figures and attributes of the men he drew with tight narrow waists, broad shoulders, jutting jaws and bulging jodhpurs. Though adhering to a specific ideal, the artist’s overtly sexual images subverted heteronormative tropes of masculinity and authority, indelibly changing how gay men could be seen, and see themselves. Often set in forests and parks, on roadsides and in bars, his images recall cruising sites but also represented gay men openly and publicly engaging in pleasure without fear or censure. The radical promise that underpinned Tom’s work was a reality in which gay men were emboldened to fully and freely express desire.
About Tom of Finland
Tom of Finland (Touko Laaksonen, 1920-1991) is recognised for his ground-breaking representation of the male figure. A master draughtsman, Tom’s passion for both his medium and his subject matter enabled him to become a powerful cultural force. Tom gave form to an imaginative universe that, in turn, helped fuel real-world liberation movements and enabled gay men to access their strength in new ways. Tom’s drawings reaffirm the centrality of sexuality, joy, and the body in all areas of human endeavour.
In recent years there has been a significant re-evaluation of his artistic practice. Previously somewhat dismissed as only of gay interest, his work has since been exhibited in galleries and public institutions (David Kordansky, LA; ICA, London; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Artists Space, New York). His work is in the permanent collections of The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, Helsinki; Art Institute of Chicago; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.