Forty-one former residents of the Tom of Finland Foundation have challenged its board over the reported end of the Artist-in-Residence program and what they describe as a lack of transparency. In an open letter released on September 28, they called for the Los Angeles nonprofit to sustain support for new generations of queer and erotic artists. Their concerns put the foundation’s current direction in question; the available material does not establish how its leadership has responded.
A letter focused on transparency and programs
The former residents say the Artist-in-Residence program was discontinued without advance communication or warning. They also cite an abrupt interruption to several programs under the current administration, making continuity—not only the preservation of Tom of Finland’s art—a central issue in their appeal.
The letter asks the board to maintain a working commitment to emerging queer and erotic artists through residency, mentorship, support, exhibitions, research and access to the foundation’s archive. The former residents frame these activities as part of the institution’s mission, rather than optional additions to its collection work.
Former residents raise staffing concerns
The letter also claims that nearly the entire staff of TOM House was laid off in June. That allegation, alongside the reported interruption of the residency, suggests that the dispute concerns the foundation’s day-to-day capacity as well as its public programming. The source material does not give a staff count or specify which roles were affected.
Carta Monir, a 2022 Artist-in-Residence and coordinator of the letter, told Hyperallergic that the board was refusing to answer questions. Monir said public scrutiny was needed to prompt transparency. Those statements describe the residents’ account of their dealings with the board; the material provided contains no board response to set alongside it.
A house with a history of artist support
The foundation was established in 1984 to preserve the art and legacy of Tom of Finland, the name used by Finnish artist Touko Laaksonen, who lived from 1920 to 1991. His erotic images of hypermasculine men—including sailors, lumberjacks and leather-clad bikers—became widely recognised within queer culture. The foundation’s work later expanded beyond safeguarding his art to include contemporary artists.
In 2011, the organisation began an artist residency based at its Echo Park headquarters, a craftsman home known as TOM House. The program was described as bringing queer men from different backgrounds together to share stories. The letter’s focus on preserving the residency therefore concerns a specific practice at the house, not simply an abstract commitment to artistic inclusion.
The foundation’s wider cultural role
The foundation’s public-facing activity has included the Tom of Finland Art and Culture Fest in Los Angeles. A festival listing described more than 60 queer artists, including Seth Bogart, Hector Silva and the late Michael Kirwan. That example illustrates the breadth of artists associated with its cultural programming, while the open letter asks the board to keep such support active for future generations.
Other accounts point to the continuing debate around Tom of Finland’s legacy. A 2024 journal essay reconsidered the political radicality of his work, while a review of a Helsinki retrospective argued that the exhibition affirmed his place in art history without fully connecting the complexities of his life. These are distinct assessments, but they underscore why the foundation’s choices about archives, artists and interpretation matter beyond its immediate operations.
What remains unresolved
The former residents’ letter makes a clear request: preserve Tom of Finland’s legacy while maintaining practical support for queer and erotic artists through the residency and related activities. Its claims about program interruption, staffing and unanswered questions are attributed to the letter and Monir; the available source material offers no definitive account from the board.
For now, the dispute leaves the foundation’s direction unsettled. The key test raised by the 41 former residents is whether the organisation can continue its artist-support work alongside its custodianship of Tom of Finland’s art and archive.
Takeaway: Former residents are calling for transparency and the continuation of the residency, but the foundation’s response remains unavailable in the material provided.
What this piece draws on
- hyperallergic.com — “Queer Artists Say Tom of Finland Foundation Has Lost Its”
- losangelesblade.com — “Tom of Finland Art and Culture Fest unleashes Queer”
- invisibleculturejournal.com — “Facing Sameness: Reconsidering the Radicality of Tom”
- tomoffinland.org — “Artist-in-Residence Program”
- frieze.com — “Tom of Finland Hitches a Ride into the Mainstream”
Topic guide: Artists: The Complete Guide