Tom of Finland stamps

The Tom of Finland stamps are a collection of three stamps drawn by and celebrating the work of Finnish artist Tom of Finland (born Touko Laaksonen).

Description and history

The stamps, considered to be the world's first depicting homoerotic art,[1] were announced by the Finnish postal service Itella Posti Oy in April 2014 and were released on September 8.[2][3] Itella Posti Oy said of the artist: "His emphatically masculine homoerotic drawings have attained iconic status in their genre and had an influence on, for instance, pop culture and fashion. In his works, Tom of Finland utilized the self-irony and humor typical of subcultures. During his career, Tom of Finland produced more than 3,500 drawings… The drawings on the stamp sheet represent strong and confident male figures typical of their designer."[2] The Finnish Postal Museum showed an exhibit of the artist's work to coincide with the stamps' release.[4]

According to the Tom of Finland Foundation (TFF), the three first class stamps were coordinated by Solja Järvenpää of Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Susanna Luoto and Durk Dehner of TFF, and Timo Berry of the Finnish design agency BOTH.[3] One of the stamps depicts a nude man sitting between the legs of another man dressed as a police officer; the others depict a nude backside with a man's face peering between the two legs.[1][4]

Reception

Bustle wrote, "The designs aren't quite explicit, but they're worlds more graphic than anything that's ever appeared on a U.S. postage stamp." Art critic Estelle Lovatt said the stamps were a "great statement" given Finland's ban on same-sex marriage.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "World's first homoerotic stamps produced in Finland". BBC News. 17 April 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  2. 1 2 Nichols, JamesMichael (15 April 2014). "Tom of Finland Stamps to Be Released in Finland (NSFW)". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Tom of Finland Stamps". Tom of Finland Foundation. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  4. 1 2 Millstein, Seth (15 April 2014). "Finland's Homoerotic Postage Stamps Are Pretty Bold". Bustle. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
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