Mar
27
Taschen Touts ‘Tom of Finland XXL’
March 27, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Mainstream publishing house Taschen has released Tom of Finland XXL — a comprehensive photobook covering six decades of the prolific artist’s iconic career. The tome is a follow-up to Taschen’s first Tom of Finland book, 1998′s The Art of Pleasure. Tom of Finland’s real name was Touko Laaksonen, and prior to the release of The Art of Pleasure, the artist “enjoyed an intense cult following in the international gay community, but was largely unknown to the broader audience,” the publisher said. The first book “gave Tom well-deserved recognition and increased his following exponentially. Tom of Finland XXL will fix him forever in the realm of fine art.” Accompanying the images are personal essays commissioned for the project by such disparate personalities as author and social critic Camillle Paglia, novelist Armistead Maupin, filmmaker John Waters, and designer Todd Oldham. CLICK HERE for a few more details…
In addition, art historian Edward Lucie-Smith provided an analysis of a number of individual drawings. The project was curated and edited by Dian Hanson (The Big Penis Book).
The new book measures an oversized 29 by 40.5 cm and runs more than 660 pages with over 1000 images culled from “all known collections across the U.S. and Europe, with the help of the Tom of Finland Foundation,” the studio said. “Many drawings, paintings and preparatory sketches have never been reproduced in any book.”
Other well-known images have often been reproduced out of context, but in Tom of Finland XXL they will be shown in sequential order as originally produced by the artist.
“This elegant, oversized volume will showcase the full range of Tom’s talent, from sensitive portraits to frank sexual pleasure to tender expressions of love and Tom’s haunting tributes to young men struck down by the AIDS epidemic,” Taschen said.
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