The Project
Working from a rare surviving proof preserved in the artist’s collection, the Tom of Finland Foundation and Dropshop collaborated with Los Angeles-based master printshop Cirrus Editions to enlarge and transfer the image to new lithographic plates, allowing the previously unreleased image to be reproduced. Sold by the Tom of Finland Foundation, the Drop will benefit the Foundation’s variety of arts programs, including its Artist-in-Residence Program, which provides an immersive experience for visiting artists to cultivate their freedom of expression, nurture their emerging talent, and build new levels of support for their artistic practices in a historic, inspiring context.
Tom of Finland, born Touko Valio Laaksonen, is celebrated for his groundbreaking contributions to Gay culture and art. His work not only influenced the aesthetic of late 20th-century Gay culture but also played a significant role in the broader acceptance and visibility of LGBTQ+ community. Although best known for his ink, pencil, and pastel drawings, Tom experimented with using linocut printmaking a few times in the 1980s and intentionally selected compositions that enabled anyone, in his words, “to have them on view when mother comes on a visit.”
Hunting will be sold as a time-limited edition available for purchase from 10am on 17 June until the drop closes at 10am on 1 July. The edition will be printed following the closure of the drop and the edition size will be determined by the number of prints sold during the release period, with each print individually numbered.
Hunting, 1978/2025
Medium: Two color lithograph on Velin BFK Rives paper.
Image: 12 1/4 x 8 7/8 inches (31.1 x 22.5 cm)
Sheet: 16 1/4 x 13 inches (41.3 x 33 cm)
Price: $600, unframed
©Tom of Finland Foundation
The Artist
Tom of Finland (Touko Laaksonen, 1920–1991) is widely regarded as one of the twentieth century’s most influential artists for his groundbreaking representation of the male figure. In his youth, Tom trained at an advertising school, but what he would come to call his “dirty drawings,” which he first began developing as a teenager, were the true focus of his attention, both during this formative period and throughout the entirety of his life. These masterful renderings of virile men engrossed in acts of homoerotic desire can be approached along several interpretative lines—art historical, social, technical—but each of them points to the revolutionary nature of his project. A master draftsman, whose passion for both his medium and his subject matter enabled him to become a powerful cultural force, Tom gave form to an imaginative universe that in turn helped fuel real-world liberation movements and enabled Gay men to access their strength in new ways. Tom’s drawings reaffirm the centrality of sexuality, joy, and the body in all areas of human endeavor.
JACK SHEAR Tom at TOM House, Los Angeles, 1984 © Jack Shear
The Foundation
Tom of Finland Foundation was established in 1984 to preserve Tom’s vast catalog of work. Over time, the organization’s mission expanded to provide a safe haven for LGBTQ+ artists in response to widespread discrimination and censorship of art that portrays sexual behavior or generates a sexual response. Today, building on its history of advocating for and collecting artwork by LGBTQ+ artists who draw inspiration from their sexuality, identity, and experience, the Foundation continues to inspire future generations of artists and audiences to investigate their personal and creative expression without censorship. Through stewarding its collection of artworks by more than 700 artists of all genders and sexual orientations, offering mentorship through its Artist-in-Residency Program at historic TOM House in Los Angeles, and hosting a variety of public initiatives and programs, the Foundation champions creative expression and empowers artists to share their unique voices with the world helping to ensure that Tom’s artistic legacy positively impacts current and future generations of LGBTQ+ artists. Tom of Finland Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization under California law.
©Tom of Finland Foundation
Cirrus Editions
Originally located on Manhattan Place in Hollywood, California, Cirrus Gallery & Cirrus Editions Ltd. was founded by Jean Robert Milant in 1970 as a gallery, publisher, and workshop—creating and presenting groundbreaking prints and seminal exhibitions of painting, sculpture, installation, performance, video, and new media. In its early years, Cirrus worked with now legendary artists such as John Baldessari, Vija Celmins, Ed Moses, Bruce Nauman, and Ed Ruscha, evidencing the gallery's longstanding commitment to California-based artists. In 1979, Cirrus moved to Alameda Street in downtown Los Angeles, where it remained for 35 years. As other galleries opened downtown, Cirrus helped shape the burgeoning identity of the LA Arts District as a center for artistic practice and public display. As downtown business grew, redevelopment created change, and in February of 2015, the gallery moved to its current location on South Santa Fe Avenue, part of a more recent gallery district. Now in its 55th year as a fine art workshop, publisher, and exhibition space, Cirrus continues to focus on the future by presenting a diverse roster of LA artists through publishing and exhibitions, with international exposure.
©Tom of Finland Foundation
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