Tracey Emin: A Second Life (2026) Paperback

Step into the tender, confessional world of Tracey Emin with this stunning hardback Tracey Emin: A Second Life exhibition book. With a faux vellum dustjacket encasing a white hardback cover, the hardback catalogue is an enthralling accompaniment to this groundbreaking exhibition.Dame Tracey Emin is one of the most important contemporary artists of her generation. She was catapulted into the public eye in the 1990s with iconic works like her Turner Prize nominated My Bed, which sparked fierce critical and public debate, challenging what art could be. Emin’s disregard for any separation of the personal and the public, along with her commitment to unapologetic self-expression, came to define a historic moment in British culture and global art history.Broadening Emin’s story, this monograph celebrates her raw and confessional approach as she poses profound questions on love, trauma, and autobiography. It also demonstrates her lifelong commitment to painting, showing her recent work as the culmination of the ways she has channelled her life into her art.Published alongside a major retrospective tracing 40 years of her groundbreaking practice, the catalogue reproduces Emin’s career-defining sensations alongside works never exhibited before. Through painting, video, textiles, neons, writing, sculpture, and installation, Emin continues to challenge boundaries, using the female body as a powerful tool to explore passion, pain, and healing.Maria Balshaw is Director of Tate. She is Chair of the National Museum Directors’ Council and is a Trustee of the Factory International Board in Manchester. She is also a member of the Women Leaders in Museums Network and a member of the Bizot group of leading global museums. In 2015, she was awarded a CBE for services to the arts.Alvin Li is Curator, International Art at Tate Modern.With contributions by Josh Cohen, Johanna Hedva, Helen Laville, and Harry Weller.