With Tom Sachs Guide, coming out on December 1, 2025 from Phaidon, we will find ourselves in front of the most complete work on the creative universe of the American artist, an atlas that gathers decades of work, processes, and collaborations. And to present it, Sachs has transformed his Soho studio into a total installation.
As Whitehot Magazine reports, during the preview the walls were completely covered with the book’s pages: two copies sacrificed and laid out in order, so you could see the entire book at a glance. A gesture perfectly in line with him, who prefers to show everything, immediately, without the mediation of binding. For those who wanted it, there was still an intact copy near the entrance to flip through.
With 528 pages, over 650 color photos and 23 essays, Tom Sachs Guide doesn’t just document: it pulls you in. It’s the classic book you open “just for a moment” and find yourself half an hour later immersed in sculptures, installations, films, design, collaborations with Nike, and NASA reinterpretations. An archive that carries the same obsessive energy as his studio.
The presentation, Whitehot also notes, had the relaxed and unpredictable atmosphere typical of Sachs: tequila and tortilla chips served in NASA bowls, napkins printed with the motto “It won’t fail because of me,” a gong marking the start of the talk. In conversation with Yeju Choi and Howie Kahn, the artist brought to life a funny and straightforward dialogue — a rarity in the art world.
Organized in thematic chapters, the book spans his whole practice, from his most iconic works to the reimagined NASA missions, all the way to the lists and diagrams that reveal his method. Written and designed together with the artist, Tom Sachs Guide is an object that works as an extension of his studio.
If you love Tom Sachs, it’s a must. If you don’t (yet), it could be the perfect entry point: a complete portrait of an artist who builds worlds and invites anyone to step inside.
