Touko Valio Laaksonen was one of the most meticulous and talented pencil illustrators of the 20th century, but his subject matter kept him out of the mainstream. Known by his pseudonym Tom of Finland, the Finnish artist produced more than 3500 homoerotic illustrations of beefed up, hypermasculine men. See his impressive and downright erotic illustrations— as well as work by artists who supported and admired him over the years, including Richard Hawkins, Robert Mapplethorpe, Raymond Pettibon, Jim Shaw, and John Waters— during The Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) exhibit, TOM House: The Work and Life of Tom of Finland, opening Thursday, April 19 and on view through May 19. In addition to the exhibit, special programming— like a screening of the Tom of Finland film and a Naughty Drawing class— will be hosted at the MOCAD. For full details, see online.
$5 suggested admission, prices for special events vary.
Mature audiences only | MOCAD, 4454 Woodward Ave., Detroit
313-832-6622 | Mocadetroit.org
