House of Illustration will open the UK’s first public solo show dedicated to artist Tom of Finland

This year House of Illustration will open the UK’s first public solo show dedicated to gay cultural icon and prolific artist Tom of Finland (born Touko Laaksonen), in partnership with Tom of Finland Foundation and the Finnish Institute in London.

This timely exhibition, on the centenary of his birth, will celebrate the artist whose homoerotic visions had a profound effect on gay communities in Europe and North America during a pivotal period in their history and continue to have an immeasurable influence on popular culture today. Tom of Finland: Love and Liberation will display 40 works on paper produced from the 1960s to the 1980s, both before and after homosexuality was decriminalised in much of Europe and the U.S.

It will include early drawings of men fighting that constituted the only legal way to show physical contact between men before decriminalisation, as well as illustrations from his iconic Kake comics and rare linocuts produced in very limited editions.

The exhibitiion wil be on from the 6th of March until late June.

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GUCCI will host a new exhibition in Florence during Pitti Uomo

Gucci opened Gucci Garden within the Palazzo della Mercanzia in Florence on January 10, just in time for this year’s Pitti Uomo trade show. Renovated by Alessandro Michele himself, the space holds several exhibition rooms overseen by critic and curator Maria Luisa Frisa, as well as a boutique filled with exclusive products, and a restaurant with the best chef in the world, Massimo Bottura, at its helm. Now, for the 95th Pitti Uomo in January 2019, Gucci has unveiled its plans for a brand-new exhibition, after dedicating one to Alessandro Michele’s collaborations with the house the designer’s homage to Björk’s. Two news artists, succeeding the work of Coco Capitán and Jayde Fish, will present their new murals.

Spread over two floors, the Gucci Garden highlights the history of Gucci, from its founding in 1921 to the present day, through a series of exceptional artefacts such as clothes, accessories, video installations and pieces of art. Each room explores the inspirations that were driving forces behind the house’s success, such as flora and fauna, one of Alessandro Michele’s favorite sources of inspiration and a recurring theme for several seasons now. Artists such as Coco Capitán, Jayde Fish and Trevor Andrew who all contributed to Gucci’s rise in the art world, have also contributed to the space, redecorating its walls with their unique artistic vision. Following the work of Capitán, Fish and Andrew, two new artists will take over the Gucci walls on January 8 2019, just in time for the 95th Pitti Uomo. The new exhibition will take over from the Björk-themed presentation currently in place.

source: vogue hommes