Tracey Emin, landmark retrospective A Second Life at Tate Modern
Published on 08/31/2026 at 13:10 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Tracey Emin occupies a central place in Tate Modern’s 2026 exhibition program with the retrospective A Second Life. As Tate Modern states, the show runs in London from February 27 to August 31, 2026 and traces 40 years of her practice Tate Modern exhibition page.
The retrospective at Tate Modern
Tracey Emin: A Second Life is described by Tate Modern as a landmark exhibition that brings together career-defining works and pieces never exhibited before, spanning painting, video, textiles, neons, writing, sculpture and installation.
According to a detailed overview by White Cube, the exhibition focuses on Emin’s use of the female body as a vehicle for exploring passion, pain and healing, and positions her recent painting as a culmination of how she channels life into art.
Monday focus on exhibitions
ArtatBerlin emphasizes that A Second Life is the largest survey of Emin’s work to date, conceived in close collaboration with the artist and comprising over 100 works across four decades, including seminal 1990s installations and recent bronzes.
Studio International’s review notes that the retrospective spans early embroidered blankets, drawings and videos through to major pieces like My Bed, situating the show as a comprehensive narrative of Emin’s autobiographical practice.
Further news and background on Tracey Emin
Readers can follow additional coverage on Tracey Emin’s exhibitions, market milestones and institutional projects via the AD HOC NEWS archive and Tate Modern’s exhibition resources.
The work core in A Second Life
Across the Tate Modern galleries, Emin’s longstanding engagement with confession and autobiography appears in media ranging from intimate drawings to large-scale canvases, with works such as the installation My Bed anchoring the narrative.
The exhibition presents early embroidered blankets and text-based pieces alongside recent figurative paintings and bronzes, showing how motifs of the body, desire, grief and resilience recur with shifting tonal registers.
Where Tracey Emin stands now
Against this backdrop, Tracey Emin’s 2026 program is defined by the Tate Modern retrospective A Second Life, which remains on view through August 31, 2026 in the Eyal Ofer Galleries at Bankside in London.
Key facts on Tracey Emin
- Artist: Tracey Emin
- Medium / Genre: Mixed media (installation, painting, drawing, neon, sculpture)
- Born: 1963, London, United Kingdom
- Place(s) of practice: Studio practice based in the United Kingdom
- Active since: Late 1980s, with key installations emerging in the 1990s
- Key work groups: My Bed, Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963–1995, autobiographical drawings, neon text works
- Current/last exhibition: Tracey Emin: A Second Life, Tate Modern, London, February 27–August 31, 2026
- Major collections: Works by Emin are held in leading public collections including Tate (London), as noted in institutional documentation.
- Awards: Turner Prize nomination 1999, among other distinctions reported in art-historical surveys.
- Next date: Tracey Emin: A Second Life at Tate Modern, London, runs until August 31, 2026.
Frequently asked questions about Tracey Emin
Where is Tracey Emin currently on view in 2026?
Tracey Emin is the subject of the retrospective A Second Life at Tate Modern in London, presented in the Eyal Ofer Galleries from February 27 to August 31, 2026.
What does the exhibition A Second Life at Tate Modern include?
Tate Modern describes A Second Life as a survey of 40 years of Emin’s practice, bringing together career-defining works and previously unexhibited material across painting, video, textiles, neons, writing, sculpture and installation.
Why is the Tate Modern show considered a landmark in Emin’s career?
ArtatBerlin and White Cube characterize the exhibition as the largest survey of Emin’s work to date, conceived with the artist and focusing on how her use of the female body and autobiographical approach have shaped contemporary art discourse.
This article was produced with a.i. support and editorially reviewed. All statements without guarantee; auction results, exhibition dates and awards may change at short notice.
