Tom of Finland's Legacy Explored in Group Exhibition at David Kordansky Gallery

David Kordansky Gallery in Los Angeles presents "Tom's Stretch," a group exhibition running from July 10 to August 22, 2026, that places the erotic drawings of Tom of Finland (born Touko Laaksonen) alongside works by over 70 artists including Matthew Barney, Peter Hujar, Robert Mapplethorpe, Cindy Sherman, Salman Toor, Jonas Wood, Mike Kelley, Paul McCarthy, R. Crumb, James Bidgood, and the Cockettes. The show examines Tom of Finland's impact on gay aesthetics, his battles with U.S. obscenity laws, and his influence on queer visual culture. Participating artists Huma Bhabha, Hardy Hill, Jonathan Lyndon Chase, Kye Christensen-Knowles, Mark Grotjahn, Tala Madani, Tiona Nekkia McClodden, and Nayland Blake discuss their first encounters with Tom's work, the state of erotic art today, and their relationships to risk. The exhibition spans mediums from drawing and painting to photography and sculpture, highlighting themes of camp, transgression, and the politics of the body.