Art World
Fancy Sleeping With Tom of Finland?
Photo via: Tumblr
Photo via: Tumblr
The Finnish textile manufacturer Finlayson has joined forces with the Tom of Finland Foundation to create a line of home products printed with Touko Laaksonen’s trademark cartoonish gay hunks, Huffington Post reports.
Finlayson has launched a range of pillow cases, bed sheets, towels, and tote bags patterned with the homoerotic imagery of Tom of Finland’s characters. Following a strong initial response, the manufacturer is planning to expand the line in 2015.
In a statement, Berndt Arell, director general of the National Museum of Sweden and co-author of the book Tom of Finland: Unforeseen, said: “I am confident that Touko Laaksonen would be proud of the respect that he as an artist has gained during recent years thanks to the Tom of Finland Foundation and Finnish trendsetter companies such as Itella Posti Oy, the Finnish national post office, and now Finlayson.” He also added: “[For Laaksonen] Becoming a world-known artist has required determination and courageous work in a world that was not that respectful and permissive at the time.”
Last April, the Finnish national postal service honored the illustrator for his “proud homoeroticism” with a series of stamps (see Lick Me! Finnish Postal Stamp Honors Tom of Finland’s Proud Homoeroticism”).
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