• Log in
    PoliticsBusinessA&ETransgenderBisexualityReligionFamiliesVoicesVideo
    OUTPrideOut TravelerPLUSADVOCATE CHANNEL
    SubscribeSubscriber ServicesEmail Newsletter Signup
    CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
    © 2023 Pride Publishing Inc.
    All Rights reserved
    Advocate.comAdvocate.com

    Tom of Finland: Inventing Queer Art

    Christopher Harrity
    04/17/18
    Scroll To Top

    By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.

    Accept

    Tom of Finland's work helped define a queer generation. Read more below.

    Tom of Finland's work helped define a queer generation. Read more below.

    The Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD), Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts, and Graeme Flegenheimer (El Club Detroit) present "TOM House: The Work and Life of Tom of Finland," opening Thursday at Mike Kelley's Mobile Homestead at MOCAD.

    The exhibition will feature work by Tom of Finland (Touko Laaksonen, Finnish, 1920-1991) and incorporate artists who supported and admired his work over the years, including Richard Hawkins, Robert Mapplethorpe, Raymond Pettibon, Jim Shaw, and John Waters. The presentation will also include photographs, reference materials, and ephemera.

    Tom of Finland's drawings -- remarkable not only for their masterful rendering, but also their fantastical representation of the male form -- have been long celebrated for their radical role in broadening the popular understanding of queer experience in art. Placed in context with the work of his peers, the assemblage of these artworks engages a sensational narrative, one that helped define a generation.

    The exhibition will remain on view through May 19.

    4454 Woodward Ave.
    Detroit, MI 48201

    close button
    Art
    Replay Gallery

    More Galleries

    Tribeca Festival offerings
    film
    Badge
    gallery

    38 LGBTQ+ Films and Events at the Tribeca Festival

    10h
    45 Pics of Soaked! White Party Global to Get You Wet for Summer
    Photography
    Badge
    gallery

    45 Pics of Soaked! White Party Global 2023 to Get You Wet for Summer

    14h
    Days of Rage posters
    Activism
    Badge
    gallery

    ​14 Inspiring Queer Protest Posters in Days of Rage from ONE Archives

    June 06 2023 12:20 PM
    Sky High Pride: Unveiling New York City’s Top LGBTQ-Friendly Rooftop Bars
    Business
    Badge
    gallery

    Sky High Pride: Unveiling New York City’s Top LGBTQ-Friendly Rooftop Bars

    June 05 2023 8:00 PM
    Glamorous
    television
    Badge
    gallery

    10 First-Look Photos of New Queer Netflix Series 'Glamorous'

    June 05 2023 6:01 PM
    15 Steamy Photos from the 'True Colors' Pride Series by Kuros
    Photography
    Badge
    gallery

    15 Steamy Photos from the 'True Colors' Pride Series by Kuros

    June 03 2023 10:00 PM