[TOUR] Tom of Finland Foundation in Los Angeles

Located in the quaint and cozy back streets of Echo Park in Los Angeles, the Tom of Finland Foundation is not so much a gay mecca as it is a mecca of sexuality and a celebration of desire. The house โ€“ an early craftsman built in 1910 โ€“ was purchased by Durk Dehner in the late 70s. After Durk met Touko Laaksonen (aka Tom of Finland), the house became their sanctuary and the attic became Toukoโ€™s private studio. The house also became a safe haven for art with homosexual overtones when AIDS was painted as a gay disease. Today, the home is full of Tom of Finlandโ€™s distinctive black and white illustrations of buxom men with their muscles glistening and members bulging. Even though Tom of Finland died a little more than twenty years ago, his room is virtually the same โ€“ with his boots propped up and a smudge of ash still in the ashtray. We were fortunate to be given a tour of the foundation by its vice-president and curator S.R. Sharp who took us on an extensive journey that started with the entry drawing room and ended in the backyard โ€“ dubbed Pleasure Park โ€“ where palm trees swayed and Los Angeles sparkled under a crepuscular sky. Text and photographs by Oliver Maxwell Kupper