41 Queer Artists Accuse Tom of Finland Foundation of Losing Its Way

Forty-one former artist residents have accused the Tom of Finland Foundation of dismantling the programs that made it a vital hub for queer artists, in an open letter delivered to the foundation's board on Monday, September 28.

The signatories, all alumni of the foundation's artist residency, expressed concern over "the lack of transparency and abrupt interruption of several programs by the current administration." They specifically cite the Artist-in-Residence (AIR) program, which they say was "discontinued without prior communication or warning." They also claim that "nearly the entire staff" of the foundation's headquarters was laid off this past June.

The dispute cuts to the core of an institution that has served queer artists for over four decades. The nonprofit was established in 1984 to preserve the art and legacy of Tom of Finland, born Touko Laaksonen (1920–1991), whose erotic depictions of hypermasculine men — sailors, lumberjacks, and leather-clad bikers — have become iconic images of queer culture.

The foundation's scope grew well beyond preserving Tom's own work. It began supporting contemporary artists through exhibitions and acquisitions. In 2011, it launched an artist residency program based at its headquarters: an Echo Park craftsman home in Los Angeles known affectionately as "TOM House." That residency produced the community now in open conflict with the board.

In their letter, the former residents frame the stakes as existential for the foundation's mission. They ask the board to "guarantee the continuation of the Foundation's mission, not only by preserving the legacy of Tom of Finland and his work, but also by maintaining an active commitment to new generations of queer and erotic artists through a residency program, mentorship, support, exhibitions, research, and access to the Foundation's unique archive."

The letter's language makes clear that the artists see the two halves of that mission as inseparable. The archive and the estate carry the legacy; the residency, mentorship and exhibitions carry it forward. Cutting the latter, they argue, reduces the foundation to a static repository.

Among the signatories is Carta Monir, photographed at the Tom of Finland House by Mark Hanauer. The public release of the letter, hosted online, invites broader scrutiny of the board's decisions at a moment when the foundation's future is already uncertain amid what observers describe as an acrimonious rift between the board and the foundation's co-founder.

The board has not yet publicly responded to the letter's demands. Whether it restores the AIR program and rehires staff will determine whether TOM House remains a working home for queer and erotic artists or becomes solely a monument to one man's oeuvre.