Tom Sachs is a contemporary American sculptor known for his elaborate, bricolage-style recreations of iconic consumer products and space-age technology. His work often utilizes everyday materials like plywood, foam core, and adhesive tape to explore themes of consumerism, space exploration, and institutional critique.
Born in New York City in 1966, Tom Sachs studied at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London and Bennington College in Vermont. He gained significant attention in the 1990s for his provocative installations that recontextualized luxury goods and corporate branding through a DIY, hand-crafted aesthetic.
Sachs is widely recognized for his Space Program series, a multi-year project involving large-scale, functional-looking replicas of NASA equipment and lunar modules. His practice frequently employs a process he terms Bricolage, where he repurposes industrial materials to construct complex mechanical objects, furniture, and architectural models that emphasize the labor and process behind their creation.
His work continues to be featured in major international institutions and design-focused exhibitions. Recent programming in New York has highlighted the intersection of his aesthetic with high-fidelity design and immersive installation environments, cementing his influence on contemporary sculpture and design culture.
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On September 23, 2026, Thaddaeus Ropac announced Tom Sachs' latest project "31 Rue Cambon," a recreation of Chanel's Paris flagship boutique.
On September 11, 2026, Thaddaeus Ropac announced Tom Sachs's new project, an ersatz Chanel store at 31 Rue Cambon on Centre Street in New York's SoHo neighborhood.
Tom Sachs has opened an installation at 245 Centre Street in Lower Manhattan featuring over a dozen plywood suits inspired by Chanel designs, including pieces named for Anna Wintour and Marge Simpson.
On September 11, 2026, the gallery announced that artist and designer Tom Sachs has opened “31 Rue Cambon,” a Chanel-inspired pop-up exhibition in a building on Centre Street in New York, a few blocks north of Canal Street.
Tom Sachs has installed "31 Rue Cambon" at his long-time SoHo studio, transforming the workspace into a fully immersive Chanel boutique.
On September 10, 2026, Thaddaeus Ropac announced '31 Rue Cambon,' Tom Sachs's recreation of Chanel's Paris flagship inside his SoHo studio, constructed from plywood, corrugated cardboard, diamanté, and Lego.
Tom Sachs will open '31 Rue Cambon' in his SoHo studio, a handmade replica of Chanel's Paris flagship. The installation features plywood sets, LEGO jewelry, cardboard fixtures, and a chandelier made from recycled bicycle reflectors.
On September 9, 2026, Thaddaeus Ropac gallery announced that American artist Tom Sachs has unveiled a homemade and unauthorized Chanel flagship in New York's Chinatown.
Tom Sachs will open '31 Rue Cambon,' an immersive installation recreating the Chanel flagship boutique in Paris, at his SoHo studio on Centre Street on September 11, 2026, during New York Fashion Week.
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