- Hardcover: 704 pages
- Publisher: Taschen; 1st edition (April 1 2009)
- Language: French
- ISBN-10: 3822826073
- ISBN-13: 978-3822826072
- Product Dimensions: 46.5 x 33 x 8.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 7 Kg
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#23,052 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3 in Books > History > Europe > Finland
- #14 in Books > History > Gay & Lesbian
- #14 in Books > Gay & Lesbian > History
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Product Details |
Product Description
Product Description
In 1998, TASCHEN introduced the world to the masterful art of Touko Laaksonen with The Art of Pleasure. Prior to that, Laaksonen, better known as Tom of Finland, enjoyed an intense cult in the international gay community but was largely unknown to the broader audience. The Art of Pleasure gave Tom well-deserved recognition and increased his following exponentially; Tom of Finland XXL will fix him forever in the realm of fine art. With Tom of Finland XXL contains nearly 1000 images, covering 6 decades of the artist's career. The work was gathered from all known collections across the world with the help of the Tom of Finland Foundation and features many drawings, paintings that have never been reproduced in any book. Completing this collector's edition are eight specially-commissioned essays on Tom's social and personal impact by Camille Paglia, John Waters, Armistead Maupin, Todd Oldham, and others, plus a scholarly analysis of individual drawings by art historian Edward Lucie-Smith.
About the Author
Camille Paglia is University Professor of Humanities and Media Studies at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. She is the author of "Sexual Personae: Art and Decadence from Nefertiti to Emily Dickinson"; "Sex, Art, and American Culture"; and "Vamps & Tramps: New Essays," She has also written "The Birds," a study of Alfred Hitchcock. She lives in Philadelphia.
"From the Hardcover edition."
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must have for fans,
This review is from: Tom of Finland XXL (Hardcover)
There is but a finite amount of pieces in this man's imprssive body of work. Given the subject matter, XXL seems quite appropriate. Tom of Finland has a way of conveying sensuality even if you don't see the naughty bits you know that erotica is involved. He conveys a mood so efortlessly, he stand out from the pact of erotic artists. While erotica was his modus operendi, he is a master at it, so much so, that he is an artist without having to put the descriptive "erotic" in front of it.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.9 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews) 20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally a book big enough enough to answer all the complaints about earlier collections!!!,
By William Norton - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Tom of Finland XXL (Hardcover)
I have a majority of the earlier TOF collections. The most universal complaint has always been "Its too small", with the exception of the 1st printing of the "Art of Pleasure" this was the subjective case.
Now the largest collection ever has been printed in the largest format ever. Pardon the cliche, but if you must buy one TOF collection, this would be the one. True to the liner notes, it contains many never published works as well as lager repros of well known works. Paper quality and binding are above average. When you receive your book you will get it shrink wrapped in a stylish cardboard case, with artwork on the outside of the case itself. Also of note the illustration on the dust jacket is raised and textured to match the musculature of the figure, a nice plus. Amazon has the best pricing on this. I was in a retail outlet the other day and saw the same book for $200. The price is hefty, but once you receive your copy you can see that it is well worth it. On a final note, based on my experience, these over-sized editions tend to get downsized and cheapened on the second printing. If you want all the extras like the sculpted dust jacket and carrying case buy the 1st edition before it sells out. 4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tuoko Laaksonen honored in the realm of fine art - Finally!,
By Grady Harp - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Tom of Finland XXL (Hardcover)
Tuoko Laaksonen (1920 - 1991) may have enjoyed worldwide fame as Tom of Finland during his lifetime, his fame due largely to an extensive following of those who praised his courage to paint and draw what he wanted to paint and draw rather than keeping his talent for figurative work in the dark corners of only certain bookstores. Now, thanks in large part to this very fine tome edited by Dian Hanson, the general public can appreciate the fact that not only did he appeal to a specific audience; he can now be seen as an exceptionally gifted draughtsman and artist.
Laaksonen/Tom of Finland restricted his output to figurative works that highlighted massively macho males in all manner of situations. While his work is erotically charged it always retains a brilliant sense of humor and parody: he celebrated his audience by saying it is not only OK to enjoy these works, it is also OK to see the humor in the distortion of fantasies. Many of these works in this exhaustive volume are well known, having been reproduced many times in literature and in galleries, but for the connoisseur there are unpublished works here, many of which show a more tender side to the artist. Hanson has the good idea of presenting these works of art in chronological order - another way of examining public acceptance of the artist's works - and the chapters covering sixty years of his output are arranged by decades, the Forties through the Eighties. Another fortunate aspect of this massive book is the decision to include essays and commentaries by such important writers as Edward Lucie-Smith, Armistead Maupin, John Waters, Todd Oldham and Camille Paglia. This is a long awaited volume that places an underground artist in the same echelon with other contemporary figurative painters. It is a beautifully produced, edited, written and illustrated homage to an artist who is now recognized for his talent not only as an artist, but also as a spokesman for human rights! Grady Harp, November 09 22 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Coulda been a contender,
By Berkeley Webster - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Tom of Finland XXL (Hardcover)
As I've shared with the editor(and the Foundation, who obviously had some yea/nay approval), this should have been(and at such a price), the definitive edition of the work - start to finish. Instead, the editor's preference for 'white space,' and a 'look how clever I am' design style, sadly dimishes the overall effect. Rather than a specific, h-core, chronical of Tom's life & times, it's instead a thoughtless disrepect (and regard) for the viewer; re-publishing material already in the Tashen catalog, while some images, rare & obscure, are reproduced as postage stamps. Tashen is richer for my purchase, perhaps you may want to rethink yours.
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