Tom House: Tom of Finland in Los Angeles

Description

While there have been successful monographs on this influential artist in recent years, no book on Tom of Finland has more than passingly dealt with the artist's personal life. This book offers a room-by-room tour of the artist's home, complete with interviews with former friends and lovers, and in-depth depictions of his works, from rough sketches to final, completed works. This volume offers an immersive glimpse into the private, domestic world of one of the gay community's most celebrated and revered artists.

Michael Reynolds is a New York-based creative director, editorial stylist, exhibition and set designer, advertising director, curator, and visual brand consultant. He helped to create Wallpaper* Magazine, for which he currently serves as U.S. Editor. He also is a contributing editor for Architectural Digest, among other publications, and a consultant to such global luxury brands as Calvin Klein Home, Calvin Klein Fragrance and Herman Miller. Mayer Rus is the West Coast editor of Architectural Digest. He previously served as Design & Culture Editor of the Los Angeles Times Magazine. Prior to moving to California, he was the Design Editor of Conde Nast's House & Garden. He has contributed to the New York Times, Vogue, Artforum, W and Wallpaper. Martyn Thompson began his career making clothes before deciding to document them instead, working as a fashion photographer in Paris, then moving to London where his scope broadened into the world of interiors and still life. He collaborates with many leading brands and publications and is the author of 2 recent books: Interiors and Working Space: An Insight into the Creative Heart.

"Tom of Finland's artistic legacy is global. Yet - undeniably - his energy is the most present in his L.A. home, known affectionately as Tom House. . . Tom House: Tom of Finland in Los Angeles reveals the uninhibited mind of Tom to the masses, and gives us a peek into the house-now the site of the Tom of Finland Foundation-that doubles as a museum of his work." -MUSEE MAGAZINE "Tom House, as it's become known, was the erstwhile home and workplace of renegade Finnish artist Touko Laaksonen, perhaps the most influential homoerotic artist of the 20th century . . . Lavish interior photographs by Martyn Thompson provide an intimate glimpse into the rambling 17-room house and its surrounds. . . At Tom House, pleasure is always a moral imperative and life itself is a form of activism." -WALLPAPER* MAGAZINE "The book explores each room in the house, all crammed with works and artefacts that explore every dimension of Tuoko's life, giving insight into what inspired him artistically, and, of course, carnally. Martyn's images are packed with detail and depth, and are juxtaposed on page with previously unpublished preparatory drawings and sketches to give an idea of process. . . [Tom House] provides context for a body of work that never fails to provoke a response." -ItsNiceThat.com "Tom House: Tom of Finland in Los Angeles offers an intimate perspective into the extraordinary world of one of the most revolutionary artists of the 20th century. . . Throughout the sleekly-designed monograph, Thompson's evocative images recreate the suggestive seductive atmosphere that fueled Tom of Finland's art." -Examiner.com "Gay men across America will recognize Tom of Finland's iconic illustrations . . . But few know about the radical life of Touko Laaksonen, the man behind the brand. Tom House: Tom of Finland in Los Angeles provides a window into Laaksonen's world, taking readers on a full-color tour of the late artist's home, from 'dining-room to dungeon.'" -SLATE MAGAZINE "Tom House: Tom of Finland in Los Angeles is a fascinating collection of photographs showcasing the works of Touko Laaksonen (aka Tom of Finland) and the house in which a large portion of his work was created. . . Fans of Tom's work will appreciate the showcasing of his production process, the images that inspired him, and the world he inspired." -EDGE MEDIA NETWORK "Tom House: Tom of Finland in Los Angeles, from the Rizzoli imprint, is a delicious peek inside the legendary former residence of Finnish erotic illustrator and painter of all your gay fantasies, Touko Laaksonen. . . Straight or gay, Tom's House is a must visit when you spend time in Los Angeles, and the book is an excellent way to visit if you can't actually be there. All in all, the book is also one of the best testaments to the legacy of Tom of Finland." -AUTRE MAGAZINE