PRESS RELEASE October 15, 2024

For Immediate Release

FOR INQUIRIES, PLEASE CONTACT:

Richard Villani rvillani@tomoffinland.org

Tom of Finland Foundation

at the Inaugural The Salon by NADA and The Community

October 18–20, 2024 30 bis Rue de Paradis 10th Arrondissement, Paris

Tom of Finland Foundation is delighted to announce its participation in the inaugural edition of The Salon by NADA and The Community, taking place in Paris this October. This invitational art fair will convene a curated selection of contemporary art from NADA's network of galleries alongside The Community's non-profit arts organizations, culminating in four days of immersive programming that intersects art, music, fashion, and publishing.

TOM OF FINLAND Untitled, 1978, Marker on paper, 8.38” x 11.75”, Tom of Finland Foundation Permanent Collection, © 1978 Tom of Finland Foundation

Our relationship with The Community began in February 2018, when representatives from the Parisian institution visited TOM House in Los Angeles. This encounter sparked a shared commitment to exhibiting, promoting, and supporting underrepresented artists. In 2022, the two organizations collaborated on AllTogether, a landmark group exhibition that showcased the Tom of Finland Foundation’s permanent collection to the public for the first time outside of Los Angeles, held in the context of the Venice Biennale. This partnership continued with a subsequent exhibition at The Community Centre in Paris in the summer of 2022, followed by an exploration of New York's rich queer histories in a multimedia experience in the summer of 2023.

FLORIAN HETZ

At The Salon, highlights from AllTogether, our permanent collection will be on display—works typically found adorning the walls of TOM House. The diverse curation features the narratives of over a dozen artists including: Bastille, Tom of Finland, Florian Hetz, Sal Salandra, Annie Sprinkle and Al Urban.

In conversation with these historical pieces, we will also present the works of emerging artists who have participated in our sought-after residency program at TOM House. The legacy of Tom of Finland endures through our Artists-in-Residence Program, which empowers a new generation of LGBTQIA artists from around the globe.

Since 2011, the Tom of Finland Foundation Artist-in-Residence Program provides an immersive experience for visiting residents to cultivate their freedom of expression and engage with the Foundation’s extensive collections and archives to nurture their emerging talent and build new levels of support for their artistic practices in a historic, inspiring context. Hosting LGBTQIA artists to stay at TOM House for periods of up to three months, the Program features and encourages a diverse selection of artists who embrace the expression of their sexuality and identity in their work. 

The Tom of Finland Foundation Artist-in-Residence Program is designed to provide Queer artists with the freedom and support they need to explore and refine their work. By offering a sanctuary-like space free from censorship, enables artists to delve deeply into their creative process, take risks, and develop their unique voices. Residents benefit from the collaborative atmosphere at TOM House, where they can engage with our staff, and fellow artists, and draw inspiration from the Foundation’s extensive archives.

Join us in Paris as we celebrate the vital contributions of erotic art and its power to foster understanding and acceptance within our culture.

VIP Opening Preview (by Invitation)

Thursday, October 17, 10am–6pm

Vernissage

October 17th, 6 PM – 8 PM

Open to the Public

Friday, October 18, 11am–8pm

Saturday, October 19, 11am–8pm

Sunday, October 20, 11am–6pm

Address

30 bis Rue de Paradis Paris

THE EVENT ON OUR WEBSITE

MORE IMAGES

TOM OF FINLAND

ABOUT TOM OF FINLAND FOUNDATION

In 1984, the nonprofit Tom of Finland Foundation was established by Durk Dehner and his friend Tom. As Tom had established worldwide recognition as the master of homoerotic art, the Foundation’s original purpose was to preserve his vast catalog of work. Several years later the scope was widened to offer a safe haven for all erotic art in response to rampant discrimination against art that portrayed sexual behavior or generated a sexual response. Today ToFF continues in its efforts of educating the public as to the cultural merits of erotic art and in promoting healthier, more tolerant attitudes about sexuality. 

Tom of Finland Foundation is dedicated to protect, preserve, document and educate the public about erotic art and erotic artists. ToFF shall continue to encourage the work of erotic visual artists regardless of race, creed, religion, gender, sexual identity, medium of expression or any other censoring criteria.

ABOUT THE COMMUNITY

The Community is a multidisciplinary, new-generation art institution based in Paris, founded in 2016. Operating both within its exhibition space, The Community Centre in Pantin, and through diverse international programs, The Community curates and presents projects that transcend traditional art world boundaries. The Community’s program fosters dynamic dialogue, often in partnership with estates, galleries, institutions, universities, foundations, and collections. It has organized exhibitions in cities such as Venice, New York, and London, including collaborations with esteemed organizations like the Tom of Finland Foundation and the Tove Jansson estate. Notably, The Community hosted the Salon de Normandy, an alternative art fair, in 2019 and 2020. Over the past eight years, The Community has brought together more than 350 artists from over 40 countries.

ABOUT NADA

The New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA) is the definitive non-profit arts organization dedicated to the cultivation, support, and advancement of new voices in contemporary art. Founded in 2002, NADA’s membership comprises an international roster of leading contemporary art galleries and professionals. The organization hosts year-round programming, including art fairs and collaborative exhibitions in New York, Miami, Paris, and Warsaw, as well as at its exhibition space in the Lower East Side, NADA East Broadway.