Monthly Archives: July 2019

45th Anniversary Celebration | 20th September | LA

Posted on by July 23, 2019
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In the historic Tom Bradley Room of Los Angeles City Hall

Join the men of the Regiment of the Black and Tans as they celebrate 45 years of service to the community and at the same time,
contribute to the legacy of  Tom of Finland Foundation in Los Angeles.

Tom of Finland artwork is copyrighted Tom of Finland Foundation

After entering on Main Street and going through security, guests will proceed up to the 26th floor to enjoy cocktails and appetizers in the Mayors’ Portrait Gallery. Then they will be invited up the stately staircase into the iconic Tom Bradley Tower Room to enjoy breathtaking 360° views of the city on the observation deck and a formal reception.

Proceeds (in excess of expenses) benefit the Regiment Fund for TOM House to provide a much needed sustainable source of funding for critical maintenance, preservation and improvement of the building under the auspices of Tom of Finland Foundation.

Dress code: Uniforms, Leather uniform reproductions, BLUF or formal attire (dinner suit/tuxedo) required.

Friday, 6-10p

TICKETS
(Seating is limited)

In order to maximize the impact of the Fund, we are offering sponsorships to members of the leather and uniform community to form the initial endowment.  Please contact for more information on how you can contribute to the legacy of this important piece of our history.

Free parking provided at City hall, vehicle registration is required at time of buying ticket. LAPD will be providing security. No handcuffs, batons, sabers, swords, knives or weapons permitted per the venue.

 

The Mavericks donate to Tom of Finland Foundation

Posted on by July 23, 2019
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Tom of Finland Foundation would like to take the opportunity to thank The Mavericks, a Michigan based leather social club, for their generous donation.

The funds will go a long way in helping the Foundation to preform our mission of promoting, protecting and preserving the erotic arts. A portion of the donation was used to purchase much-needed archival supplies which will help preserve our art collection for future generations.

The Mavericks raised the money during their 2019 events, 2nd February and 30th March.

The Mavericks were also instrumental in helping promote the TOM House exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit in 2018.

 

TOM’s Foundation thanks The Mavericks for their continued support!

ToF dogtag produced by The Mavericks

GIO BLACK PETER Summer Presentation | 27th July | TOM House

Posted on by July 28, 2019
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Bird Song (Detail), 2019, Oil and acrylic on canvas, 66″x 50″

2019 Tom of Finland Foundation Artist-in-Residence
New Works and Works for Sale

Everything I want to say to you is in my work.  x Gio Black Peter, 2019

 

In every generation, there are those who resist the sweeping tide of proscription and conformity. For New York based artist Gio Black Peter, such a reaction comes naturally. Through his work, he is able to break through the hardening shell of uniformity and tap into something more honest. While undeniably modern in his approach—often utilizing technology to offer a multimedia-fueled commentary on current issues—the artistic results are irrevocably rooted to the past.

 

In his bold use of color and shape, Peter’s work is perhaps most reminiscent of the French post-impressionists. Sensual and emotive, he has a Paul Gauguin style primitiveness to his art, where the everyday and the natural are fused with an almost dreamlike sense of the fantastic. Picking up from where Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat left off in the 1980s, Peter is steering the downtown New York art scene back to the unapologetic celebration of life-outside-the-mainstream that it was before complacency began to take hold.

 

At its core, Peter’s art is a provocation and, whether addressing issues of violence or oppression, alienation or love, it seeks to spark a reaction in its audience. While that reaction may be visceral and dejected, or ecstatic and inspired, the ultimate aim is to fuel awareness, both of the self and society. In that, Peter’s art is a mirror of his own life—the two are, at times, indistinguishable.

 

Like Jean Genet, there is a bit of an outlaw in Peter, a bit of a fighter—he doesn’t back away from the demands of his artistic expression. Equally willing to strip down on camera for a blood soaked orgy as he is to work through sleepless nights when in the grip of inspiration, Peter breathes a life unfettered by shame, unencumbered by fleeting notions of morality. His work is a testament to the belief that it is possible to celebrate life without being bound to the form most common. He reveals the truth that unexpected beauty and unanticipated vitality can be found by challenging the norm, by pushing past our collective comfort.

4-8p

PRICE LIST

 

Bring a picnic, we’ll have drinks, and stay for the screenings.