AllTogether explores the erotic art collection consisting of thousands of artworks, spanning multiple decades and encompassing all media and techniques. This exhibition is possible because of the Foundation’s efforts in preserving the work of queer artists, many of whom have faced discrimination and misrepresentation due to the nature of what they create.
For over thirty years, Tom of Finland Foundation has been building the world’s most extensive collection of LGBTQ+ art. Durk Dehner and Tom of Finland cofounded Tom of Finland Foundation in 1984 with the aim to better preserve and promote Tom’s work. However, quickly the Foundation’s role extended to promoting and archiving the works of other queer artists: the early years of the Foundation coincided with the onset of the AIDS epidemic. Many erotic artists of the time, some working anonymously throughout their career, were concerned that their work would be forgotten or destroyed after their deaths. Thus, they donated their life’s work to Foundation, knowing it would be carefully archived and their stories preserved. AllTogether acknowledges the profound social and cultural impact Tom’s Foundation has made, in providing an open, unique space of freedom and love for this community of artists.
Usually witnessed hung on the walls of TOM House in Los Angeles, the diverse curation highlights the stories of over eighty featured artists. AllTogether inaugurates at Studio Cannaregio in Venice, Italy, on 23 April coinciding with the opening weekend of the Venice Biennale. A second distinct exhibition will open at The Community Centre in Paris on 8 May. Both run through 26 June. The two shows comprise more than two hundred works of art from the 1940s to the present day.
“It’s always been my vision to have an international exhibition with the amazing artists from the Foundation’s rich collection. That day has arrived and I am very pleased it has come to fruition thanks to The Community and Glenn Martens of Diesel.” — Durk Dehner, President and Cofounder of Tom of Finland Foundation
AllTogether encapsulates the bonds of community where interchange inspires others to create or collect art that represents their own definition of beauty.
AllTogether is proudly supported by DIESEL.
