Tom of Finland: Threesome

Tom of Finland: Threesome is a major new catalogue that documents three exhibitions held at David Kordansky Gallery between 2015 and 2021: Early Work 1944 – 1972, 100 Years, and Pen and Ink 1965 – 1989. The work featured in each of these three exhibitions highlights Tom’s technical virtuosity as well as his revolutionary spirit, while the exhibitions themselves reflect the ongoing collaboration between the gallery and the Tom of Finland Foundation. The publication includes essays by art historian Richard Meyer and artist and writer Brontez Purnell, alongside a preface by the book’s editor, Stuart Krimko. Together, these texts contextualize Tom’s work in an art historical framework, speak to Tom’s remarkable legacy and continued influence on artistic and queer communities, and underscore Tom’s development and devotion to his craft.

Over the arc of his life Tom of Finland made connections to the Los Angles queer, leather, BDSM, and art communities. With those connections in mind, Polymode designed the catalog using a typeface designed by Los Angeles-based Jeremy Mickel. The title, headings, and captions are set in Owners based the typeface on local hand-lettered signage he encountered while walking his dog in the Silver Lake neighbor, home to iconic sites of LA queer community: the Eagle LA leather bar and Tom of Finland Foundation.