MICHAEL KIRWAN (December 27, 1953 – May 26, 2018)
An American artist, known for his distinctively stylized erotic illustrations and comics, published in more than 600 magazines. Although he focused primarily on homoerotic themes, he also produced substantial work for the heterosexual and fetish markets. He worked primarily in watercolor markers and permanent ink.
Rather than a photorealist or idealist approach, he drew characters cartoonishly, to "universalize" the scenes for audience identification. He depicted diverse subjects – including inter-racial and inter-generational scenes, and people from different socio-economic backgrounds – who were not physical ideals, sometimes with disabilities or physical deformities. He wrote "My guys are stand-ins for everyone who's ever sucked a dick, incorporating the lust, confusion, contentment, guilt, passion, and bonding that I observe in the homo realm." His style has been likened to Paul Cadmus, Robert Crumb, and George Grosz, and contrasted with Tom of Finland.
Kirwan began producing homoerotic art in the early 1980s, inspired by his job as an attendant at St. Mark's Baths, a gay sex club. His first published work appeared in Playguy magazine. He produced monthly comic strips for Playguy, including The Roadies, which ran from October 1995 through September 1997; The Adventures of Richie Tease, from October 1997 through January 1999; and Beginner's Luck, which began in July 1999. As the market for magazine illustrations declined, Kirwan turned to commissioned work.
He spent a year as the first Artist in Residence with the Tom of Finland Foundation, which inducted him into its Erotic Artist Hall of Fame in 2004. In 2011, Bruno Gmünder published Just So Horny, a 128-page collection of his work.
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