Tom Of Finland -2017- (2024)

In his native Finland, the exhibition was held at the Wäinö Aaltonen Museum of Art in Turku from January to March 2017. This exhibition explored the profound influence of music on the artist's work and life.

Simultaneously, Finland’s postal service, Itella, issued three Tom of Finland stamps as part of a series celebrating “Erotica.” This act of national endorsement was stunning in its simplicity: the country that had once institutionalized him for being gay (Laaksonen was forced to hide his homosexuality during military service) was now affixing his art to everyday envelopes. The stamps featured a smirking sailor and a shirtless lumberjack, transforming homosexual desire into mundane, state-sanctioned postage. This move sparked global debate. Critics argued that the stamps domesticated his radical eroticism, sanitizing the dangerous, pre-Stonewall subtext for mass consumption. Supporters countered that seeing a Tom of Finland man on a letter was a profound victory for visibility—a quiet, powerful declaration that gay male sexuality, with all its leather-and-lace code, belonged to the national identity of a progressive Nordic nation.

In 2017, as we marked a quarter-century since Tom of Finland's passing, his art continues to inspire new generations of artists, designers, and activists. The artist's fearless celebration of male beauty and desire has helped to foster a sense of community and belonging among LGBTQ+ individuals around the world.

In 2017, Tom of Finland’s imagery was no longer confined to underground magazines. High-profile collaborations brought his work to a broader public. Designer Nicola Formichetti, through his brand Nicopanda, launched a capsule collection of hoodies, t-shirts, bomber jackets, and a faux-fur coat imprinted with Tom’s erotic artwork. A percentage of the proceeds went to the Tom of Finland Foundation, which is dedicated to preserving and promoting erotic art. "When I visited the Tom of Finland Foundation in LA, there was mutual love and admiration," Formichetti said, noting that the collection was intended to be worn by people of all genders. That same year, a limited-production was launched, with a percentage of sales also benefiting the Foundation and featuring a bottle that depicted one of Tom's favorite characters, "Kake". tom of finland -2017-

For many older gay men watching this happen in real-time in 2017, the feeling was one of vertigo. They remembered the days when buying a Tom of Finland calendar meant going to a grimy adult bookstore and paying in cash to avoid a paper trail. Now, a teenager in Idaho could buy a Tom of Finland phone case from Amazon in two clicks.

The history of the in mid-century Scandinavia

The man looks back at his phone. A notification: "Tinder has run out of people in your area." In his native Finland, the exhibition was held

The year 2017 marked a seismic moment for the legacy of Touko Laaksonen, the Finnish artist better known to the world as Tom of Finland. Several decades after his death, a powerful convergence of art, film, fashion, and commerce introduced his hyper-masculine, homoerotic imagery to a global mainstream audience, transforming a once-underground cult icon into an internationally celebrated hero. Through a landmark biopic, major exhibitions, and a cultural reckoning in his home country, 2017 was the year the world formally embraced the man who shaped the fantasies of generations.

Pekka Strang as Touko Laaksonen (Tom of Finland), Lauri Tilkanen as Veli (Nipa), and Jessica Grabowsky as Kaija

Living under the guise of mere roommates—even sharing an apartment with Touko’s disapproving sister, Kaija (Jessica Grabowsky)—Touko and Nipa carved out a life of quiet devotion. The film handles their romance with immense tenderness, showing that the ultimate act of defiance in a hostile world was simply loving one another. The later segments of the film touch gently but powerfully on the devastating arrival of the AIDS epidemic, which claimed Nipa's life and threatened to silence the community Tom had helped build. The Cinematic Legacy of the 2017 Film The stamps featured a smirking sailor and a

, directed by Dome Karukoski and written by Aleksi Bardy , stands as a monumental cinematic tribute to Touko Laaksonen , the visionary artist who revolutionized global gay culture. Released during Finland’s centenary of independence, the movie meticulously chronicles Laaksonen’s transition from a traumatized World War II officer into the world's most influential pioneer of homoerotic art.

Strang’s performance is subtle yet powerful, conveying the quiet strength of a man who fought for freedom through art.

Are you specifically interested in the of the film’s depiction of WWII, or Movie Review: TOM OF FINLAND (2017)

Key historical and narrative milestones in the film include: