From a teenager, Tom of Finland produced what he referred to as ‘dirty drawings’. His skilful drawings of macho men indulging in acts of homoerotic desire became a powerful force of change in liberation movements and helped to promote healthier, more accepting attitudes towards sexuality.
Demand for Tom of Finland’s work rose after it was featured in Physique Pictorial. Although erotic art did not pay well and the United States censorship codes of the 1950s and 60s prohibited homosexual pornography, the artist continued to produce photorealistic work that depicted gay sexual fantasies.
The Kake Comics
In 1968, the artist created a character called Kake, a moustached leatherman who enjoyed explicit gay sex and travelled the world by motorbike. Many of Tom of Finland’s personal fantasies were lived out through Kake and his escapades. The comic strips depict Kake enjoying sex with uniformed men like sailors, lifeguards, cowboys, and policemen.
The Kake comics became extremely popular. Between 1968 and 1986, Tom of Finland published 26 episodes of Kake’s adventures. In 2008, Taschen published a book of The Complete Kake Comics (1968—1986), celebrating Tom of Finland’s artwork.
Film
Directed by Ilppo Pohjola in 1991, Daddy and the Muscle Academy is a documentary that traces the career of Tom of Finland. The film focuses on how the artist’s iconic imagery had a powerful effect on gay consciousness in the 20th century.
