Tom of Finland is a well-known artist who created images of bikers, cowboys, laborers, and uniformed soldiers and sailors with a focus on homosexual machismo. His artwork had a significant impact on many cultural figures, including Jean Paul Gaultier, Freddie Mercury, Robert Mapplethorpe, and the Village People. Through his masterful drawings, Tom of Finland created an imaginative universe that helped to fuel the real-world queer liberation movement.  

Beryl Cook was a renowned painter who was famous for her depictions of everyday life, particularly in Plymouth. Her works featured larger-than-life women enjoying themselves in nightclubs, cafes, and hen parties, and were created in colorful and graphic forms. In the mid-1970s, Cook’s work gained popularity, and she quickly became known as one of Britain’s best-loved artists, highly recognized for her distinctive and provocative works.  

This exhibition is packed with rich archive material, much of which has never been seen by the public. It includes fan mail, preparatory sketches, source photography, and early publications and merchandise that offer insight into their working processes.

Read QX feature here.

Image credits: Beryl Cook, Lady of Marseille c. 1990 Courtesy of the Beryl Cook Estate © John Cook 2023 / Tom of Finland, Untitled 1962 (From the Athletic Model Guild ‘The Tattooed Sailor’ series) © 1962 Tom of Finland Foundation. Images supplied.