Touko Laaksonen
Born in Finland in 1920, Touko Laaksonen transformed his private fantasies into one of the most influential visual languages in queer art history. Working under the name Tom of Finland, he created bold, hypermasculine figures that challenged the shame and criminalisation surrounding homosexuality in the postwar era. His drawings celebrated erotic freedom, confidence, and desire, redefining how queer men could be seen; both by society and by themselves.
In 1978, Tom held his second exhibition at the RoB Gallery for Male Erotic Art, a venue that had quickly become a landmark within Amsterdam’s emerging queer art scene. His first exhibition, held in Hamburg in 1976, had been a deeply discouraging experience: nearly all of the drawings were stolen, leaving Tom unwilling to exhibit his work again for two years.
Following the RoB Gallery exhibition, Robert Meijer became Tom’s official distributor and international representative. Through Meijer’s support and extensive network, Tom’s drawings reached audiences far beyond the underground scene, helping establish male erotic art as a legitimate artistic expression rather than something hidden or forbidden.
Tom of Finland Foundation
In 1984, the non-profit Tom of Finland Foundation (ToFF) was established by Durk Dehner and his friend Tom.
As Tom had established worldwide recognition as the master of homoerotic art, the Foundation’s original purpose was to preserve his vast catalog of work. Several years later the scope was widened to offer a safe haven for all erotic art in response to rampant discrimination against art that portrayed sexual behavior or generated a sexual response.
Today ToFF continues in its efforts of educating the public as to the cultural merits of erotic art and in promoting healthier, more tolerant attitudes about sexuality.
