Michael Kirwan (December 27, 1953 – May 26, 2018)[1][2][3] was an American artist, known for his distinctively stylized erotic illustrations and comics, published in more than 600 magazines.

[2][5] Kirwan began producing homoerotic art in the early 1980s,[6] inspired by his job as an attendant at St. Mark's Baths, a gay sex club.

[4] In 2003, the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art featured Kirwan alongside Bill Schmeling, Howard Cruse, Rob Clarke, and Adam (Jack Bozzi) in its Deliciously Depraved exhibit.

In 2003, Wayne Snellen, director of the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art, wrote:[8]Michael Kirwan's work finds a vibrantly colorful world in the day-to-day realities of gay erotic life.

[...] Unlike many gay artists, Kirwan deliberately avoids idealizing his subjects, portraying men of ages, races and appearances well outside the "Tom of Finland" mold.

The result provides an exuberantly raunchy, yet tender window into typical gay sexual experiences beyond the view of the larger straight world.In 2018, the Tom of Finland Foundation wrote, "Michael’s drawings exposed the fevered excitement and erotic beauty in every body and face.

"[2] In 2019 the National Leather Association International established an award named after Kirwan for creators of erotic art in the style of Expressionism.