Tracey Emin

Key facts

Born

1963, British

Movement

• Contemporary

Works held in

3 museums^[1]

• My Bed

  Tate

  Tate Britain, United Kingdom

  2 works

  Museum details

Plan your visit to see Tracey Emin →

• Did tracey emin win the turner prize?+

  Tracey Emin was shortlisted for the Turner Prize after displaying her unmade bed in a gallery.
• How did tracey emin became famous?+

  Tracey Emin became famous after she put her unmade bed in a gallery and was shortlisted for the Turner Prize. The bed was real, complete with stained sheets, empty vodka bottles, used condoms, a pregnancy test, and slippers, representing a depressive episode.
• Was tracey emin ill?+

  Tracey Emin spent four days in bed during a depressive episode.
• What is tracey emin famous for?+

  Tracey Emin is best known for her autobiographical artwork, which explores traumatic events, family tragedies, promiscuity, rape, and abortion.
• What is Tracey Emin's most famous work?+

  Tracey Emin is best known for her autobiographical and confessional artworks. These often explore themes of sex, trauma, and personal experience. Emin's most famous work is probably *My Bed* (1998). This installation consists of her own unmade bed, surrounded by discarded objects. These include used condoms, cigarette packets, underwear stained with bodily fluids, and other detritus. The work caused a sensation when it was exhibited as part of the 1999 Turner Prize exhibition at Tate Britain. It was both praised and criticised for its explicit and unflinching depiction of personal life. *My Bed* was purchased by Charles Saatchi in 2000. It was then displayed as part of the Saatchi Gallery's *New Neurotic Realism* exhibition. In July 2014, *My Bed* was sold at auction for £2.54 million to Count Christian Duerckheim. He has displayed it at the Museum Frieder Burda in Baden-Baden, Germany. The work remains a talking point in discussions of contemporary art and the boundaries of what can be considered art.
• What should I know about Tracey Emin's prints?+

  Tracey Emin is a British artist known for her autobiographical and confessional work. Born in London in 1963, she often explores themes of sex, trauma, and personal experience. She works across different media, including drawing, painting, sculpture, textiles, and printmaking. Emin's prints often feature handwritten text and simple, expressive imagery. These prints are closely related to her drawings, monoprints, and neon works. The phrases and lines are personal, emotional, and sometimes sexually explicit. Examples include lithographs such as "Mad Tracey from Margate" (1997), and screenprints like "I Can Feel Your Smile" (2005). Her printmaking is characterised by its directness and immediacy. The apparent spontaneity of her mark-making is a deliberate artistic choice. While some critics have dismissed her work as overly sentimental or attention-seeking, others praise its honesty and emotional power. Her prints offer an accessible entry point to her larger body of work, allowing collectors to engage with her distinctive artistic vision at a range of price points.
• What style or movement did Tracey Emin belong to?+

  Tracey Emin is associated with the Young British Artists (YBAs), a group of artists who began exhibiting together in London in 1988. Emin studied fashion, then fine art, completing a master’s degree in painting at London’s Royal College of Art^[2] in 1989. Emin is best known for autobiographical artworks that explore personal subjects such as trauma, family events, and sexuality. Her work uses a range of materials, from readymades and neon lighting to what are considered traditional domestic crafts, such as needlework and appliqué. One of her influences is Edvard Munch. In 1993, Emin and fellow YBA Sarah Lucas established The Shop in East London to market their work. Emin’s first solo exhibition, ‘My Major Retrospective’, took place that same year. She gained wider attention in 1997 after exhibiting in ‘Sensation’ at the Royal Academy of Arts^[1], and again in 1999, when her installation *My Bed* was nominated for the Turner Prize.
• What was Tracey Emin known for?+

  Tracey Emin is best known for autobiographical artworks that explore personal experiences. These include traumatic events, family difficulties, and subjects that challenge traditional expectations of women. She works in varied media, from readymades and neon to what are seen as traditional domestic crafts. Edvard Munch is among her influences. Emin studied fashion and fine art, earning a master’s degree in painting from London’s Royal College of Art^[2] in 1989. In 1988, she participated in ‘Freeze’ with other young artists in London; they became known as the Young British Artists, or YBAs. In 1993, she and Sarah Lucas, another YBA, opened The Shop in East London to sell their art. That same year, Emin held her first solo exhibition in London, ‘My Major Retrospective’, which combined installation art with an autobiographical archive of personal items. She also exhibited in the ‘Sensation’ exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts^[1] in 1997. Emin achieved wider fame in 1999 when her installation *My Bed* (1998) was nominated for the Turner Prize. The work, a readymade, included surrounding drawings and needlework.
• When did tracey emin become a dame?+

  Tracey Emin was awarded a CBE in 2015 for her services to the arts.
• When did Tracey Emin live and work?+

  Tracey Emin was born in London in 1963. Much of her early life was spent in Margate, on the north Kent coast. She studied at Maidstone College of Art, receiving a degree in Fine Art in 1986. Later, she attended the Royal College of Art^[2], London, earning a Master of Arts degree in 1988. Emin is known for her confessional and autobiographical work. These pieces often explore themes of sex, trauma, and personal experience. She employs a variety of media, including drawing, painting, sculpture, film, and textiles. Emin gained prominence in the 1990s as part of the Young British Artists movement. Her work continues to be exhibited internationally, and she maintains a studio in London. She was appointed Professor of Drawing at the Royal Academy in 2011.
• Where can i see tracey emin's art?+

  Tracey Emin's works can be seen at Tate, Royal Academy of Arts^[1], Royal College of Art^[2], and 1 other museums worldwide.
• Where can I see Tracey Emin's work?+

  Tracey Emin's artworks appear in many public collections. In London, you can view her pieces at the Tate Modern, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the British Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Saatchi Gallery. Outside of London, collections holding her work include the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (also in Edinburgh), the Leeds City Art Gallery, and the Manchester Art Gallery. These museums all hold significant collections of modern and contemporary art, so it is advisable to check their websites for current exhibitions or search their online catalogues to confirm which Emin works are on display. Given the movement of artworks between museums, and into and out of storage, advance enquiry is always recommended.