Queer Artists Say Tom of Finland Foundation Has Lost Its Way
Former artist residents of the LA nonprofit fear leadership has strayed from the radical, queer energy that Tom and his house embody.
LOS ANGELES — For over four decades, the Tom of Finland Foundation has been a vital hub for queer artists. Now, an acrimonious rift between the foundation’s board and its co-founder leaves its future uncertain.
The nonprofit foundation was established in 1984 to preserve the art and legacy of Tom of Finland (born Touko Laaksonen, 1920–1991), whose erotic depictions of hypermasculine men — sailors, lumberjacks, and leather-clad bikers — have become iconic images of queer culture. Over the years, its scope grew beyond Tom’s work. The foundation began supporting contemporary artists through exhibitions and acquisitions, and in 2011, it started an artist residency program based out of its headquarters, an Echo Park craftsman home known affectionately as “TOM House.”
On Monday, September 28, a group of 41 former artist residents released an open letter to the foundation’s board in which they expressed concern over “the lack of transparency and abrupt interruption of several programs by the current administration,” specifically the Artist-in-Residence (AIR) program, which they say was “discontinued without prior communication or warning.” They also claim that “nearly the entire staff” of the House was laid off this past June.
The letter asks the board to “guarantee the continuation of the Foundation’s mission, not only by preserving the legacy of Tom of Finland and his work, but also by maintaining an active commitment to new generations of queer and erotic artists through a residency program, mentorship, support, exhibitions, research, and access to the Foundation’s unique archive.”
Carta Monir, a 2022 AIR and coordinator of the open letter, told Hyperallergic that the board was “refusing to answer any questions.”
“It felt vital to write the letter,” Monir said. “It’s clear that, unless there’s public scrutiny, they won’t be transparent.”
