It's no secret among the leather community that Tom of Finland's art is not only iconic, it's incredibly erotic and sexually charged.  Nov 30 - Dec 4 some of his work will be featured in Desire a Basel Week Exhibition in Miami, Fl.

“Part of my mission had been to expand the art platform, to open it up, so it’s not just the top ten, or what you would see at the Museum of Modern Art,” said Deitch, who had high praise for the work of Tom of Finland in “Desire.” “A lot of artists collect Tom of Finland—Richard Prince, for one—and a lot admire the quality of the draftsmanship. I think that’s going to be a big surprise.”

Last year, Gagosian and Deitch brought to the Moore Building in Miami “Unrealism,” a sprawling figurative painting and sculpture show that focused on young emerging artists while also reaching back to the ’80s and ’90s. For the sequel, they have turned to Diana Widmaier-Picasso to curate a show called “Desire.” The press release elaborates, broadly:

“Desire” explores modern and contemporary approaches to eroticism in art. One of the very earliest and most fundamental artistic themes, eroticism has served to reflect the social mores and cultural values of different civilizations...Eroticism fuses together opposing and complementary concepts: form and feeling, spirit and body, intellect and emotion. It is at once the most accessible and most challenging subject in art. Its portrayal can be theoretical, abstract, romantic, carnal, or all of these combined. It may be infused with humor, anxiety, or terror..."

Included will be work from Noboyushi Araki, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Balthus, Allen Jones, Walter Robinson, Vanessa Beecroft, Jeff Koons, Ed Ruscha (seen above), Hans Bellmer, Harmony Korine, David Salle, Cecily Brown, Deana Lawson, Jenny Saville, Joe Coleman, Roy Lichtenstein, Kenny Scharf, William Copley, Diego Rivera, Malerie Marder, Tschabalala Self, R. Crumb, Marilyn Minter, Hajime Sorayama, John Currin, Pierre Molinier, Eric Stanton, John DeAndrea, Carlo Mollino, Juergen Teller, Urs Fischer & Georg Herold, Helmut Newton, Tom of Finland, Eric Fischl, Gaspar Noé, Andy Warhol, Nan Goldin, Eddie Peake, John Wesley, Keith Haring, Francis Picabia, Jordan Wolfson, Barkley L. Hendricks, Pablo Picasso, Martin Wong, Noritoshi Hirakawa, Richard Prince, Francesca Woodman, Alex Israel & Bret Easton Ellis, Man Ray Harumi Yamaguchi.

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