Tom of Finland undoubtedly counts among the great and truly influential artists of the latter
20th century. Through his iconic images he almost single-handedly changed the way gay men were
perceived by society and - maybe even more important - how gay men perceived themselves. The
massive oeuvre that he produced over the course of a career spanning nearly six decades is
devoted almost entirely to this one topic: men their bodies and their spirits. This
extraordinary consistency in subject-matter was matched by a life-long passion for the supreme
discipline of freehand drawing. All he needed to create a universe of dazzlingly gorgeous hunks
was a pencil and a sheet of paper. And he most likely drew every day of his life. Drawing it
seems was an exercise for his restless imagination and desire. Tom's world was populated by
cowboys mechanics cops punks and thugs - all indulging their desires with great camaraderie
and without guilt or prejudice. This book assembles a cross-section of these characters as
dreamt up by the artist in rough sketches or more carefully executed studies. Mostly they
served as preliminary drawings for the highly finished works many of which were intended for
publication. The playful format of an imaginary sketch book lets the viewer take an intimate
glance over the artist's shoulder and share in his exuberant joie de vivre.
