Tracey Emin

Tracey Emin, born 3 July 1963 in Croydon, UK, is an English artist. Emin lives in Spitalfields, East London, in a Georgian house from 1726. She is part of the group known as Britartists or YBAs (Young British Artists). She studied fashion at Medway College of Design (now the University for the Creative Arts) 1980–1982.

In 2025, Tracey Emin presented a major solo exhibition, Sex and Solitude, at the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence (March 16 – July 20, 2025). This significant institutional exhibition brought together more than 60 works – paintings, drawings, sculptures, installations, and neon pieces – exploring themes of sexuality, solitude, desire, love, loss, and healing, reaffirming the autobiographical and emotional dimension of her practice. The same year, she continued the development of TKE Studios in Margate, strengthening her commitment to emerging contemporary artists through residencies and group exhibitions.

In 1999, Emin had her first solo exhibition in the United States at Lehmann Maupin Gallery, entitled "Every Part of Me's Bleeding". Later that year, she was a Turner Prize nominee and exhibited My Bed — an installation, consisting of her own unmade dirty bed with used condoms and blood-stained underwear.

In May 2011, Emin's largest major solo exhibition in a public space was held at Hayward Gallery, London titled Love Is What You Want. In December 2011, she was appointed Professor of Drawing at the Royal Academy.

Emin has received numerous honors, including being appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2013 and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2024. Her works are held in prestigious collections such as the Tate, MoMA, Centre Pompidou, and the National Portrait Gallery. She continues to live and work in Margate, delving into themes of resilience, love, and memory through her deeply personal artistic practice.