My Gay Eye

This is a pretty amazing book, presenting over 100 artists associated with the Tom of Finland Foundation, cofounded by himself with Durk Dehner, which serves as a space for artists, a community, a collection of artworks, and what looks like a fantastic house where Tom lived, complete with giant murals, stained glass, men running around in gear on motorbikes etc. There are many interviews with artists and copious reproductions of their art - people like Etienne, The Hun, Marc Debauch, Teddy of Paris, Player etc, plus an almost equal amount of photography. Of course some things appeal more than others, but it would be hard to find a more wide-ranging, no-holds-barred collection. There is a lot of Tom's work as well, and images directly inspired by it, such as the cover, montages made by Tom, subtle alterations to newspaper photos etc. Some of the photos set against murals and collages are inspired, and some of the photos themselves have extraordinary details that set the mind reeling, even though they may not be all that outre in themselves. This really is a cornucopia for gay men who like this kind of art - something to be returned to over and over. It is a book that gets much more to the heart of Tom of Finland than the recent film about him - this is the thing to have!