Author and illustrator F. Valentine Hooven III presents the official biography of the renowned
homosexual artist Tom of Finland . “Long iconic and even formative for American gay society
Tom’s well-endowed and sexually charged imagery is now hitting the global mainstream.” —NBC
News With a foreword by Jean Paul Gaultier an extensive history and provocative photos and
illustrations this illustrated biography brings to life the story of the icon whose erotic
depictions of men influenced gay culture pop culture and many prominent artists including
Robert Mapplethorpe and Bruce Weber. The text was completed just a few months before the
death of the artist and he was interviewed at length for it—making this book the only fully
approved biography of the legend responsible for creating the muscled mustachioed gay
archetype of the 1960s and ’70s. Tom of Finland (born Tuoko Laaksonen 1920–1991) was an
iconic and ground-breaking artist who rose to cult status in the international queer community
and then beyond for his work celebrating the male figure and masculinity during a time when
being homosexual was still taboo. Avant-garde provocative sexual subversive and
rebellious Tom of Finland stamped history with his recognizable artistic style. A virtuoso of
drawing he fashioned the silhouette of a new Gay Man—strong confident joyful and
assertive—fully participating in the visibility and recognition of the nascent gay rights
movement. Created in partnership with Tom of Finland Foundation Tom of Finland: The Official
Life and Work of a Gay Hero includes text authorized by the artist himself a few months before
his death. This unique illustrated biography reveals a life of art pleasure and liberation
using never or rarely seen materials from his archive.
