New exhibition to pay homage to Tom of Finland
From August 17, the exhibition will showcase unknown works by the iconic artist
By Steve Brown
From August 17, in time for the Folsom Fetish Fair in Berlin, The Ballery in Schöneberg, Berlin is showing in an exhibition and book presentation ‘My Gay Eye – Homage to Tom of Finland’.
The exhibition includes original Tom of Finland drawings as well as a selection of the artworks of the current anthology of the same name.
Tom of Finland (Touko Laaksonen, 1920-1991) created a fascinating gay world with his iconographic drawings.
This special volume of the series ‘My gay eye’ presents largely unknown pages of Tom of Finland’s work, such as Facsimiles of leaves from his scrapbooks, which illustrate his working process, as well as his effect on subsequent artist generations.
In addition, the diverse work of the Tom of Finland Foundation is presented.
For the first time, selected treasures from their extensive collection of gay art are published, probably the largest of its kind in the world.
Several original drawings and prints from this collection are now being presented in Berlin.
Durk Dehner was the life partner Tom of Finland and together with him founded the Foundation, which he has been directing ever since.
It is thanks to his tireless work that Tom’s works are represented in numerous museums today and are part of the global pop culture.
Preview opening: Friday 17th August 2018 7pm (Tom of Finland’s partner Durk Dehner will be present)
Duration: 17th August – 11th September 2018
FOLSOM Special event: Saturday 8th September 6-10pm
Location: The Ballery, Nollendorfstraße 11-12, 10777 Berlin