TRACEY EMIN. SEX AND SOLITUDE

Art | June 7, 2025 |

traceyermin florence 006 — Image courtesy of White Cube

Tracey Emin. Sex and Solitude
Palazzo Strozzi, Florence
March 16 – July 20, 2025

Tracey Emin’s first institutional solo show in Italy opens at Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi with a wide selection of historic and recent works exploring passion, vulnerability and self-expression. From 16 March to 20 July 2025, Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi in Florence presents Tracey Emin. Sex and Solitude, the first major institutional exhibition in Italy dedicated to one of the most celebrated British contemporary artists.

traceyermin florence 008 1 — Image courtesy of Tracey Emin

Curated by Arturo Galansino, Director General of the Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi, this exhibition delves into Emin’s varied work, encompassing paintings, drawings, film, photography, embroidery, appliqué, sculptures, and neon installations. The titular themes of sex and solitude underpin over 60 works on display, that span from different moments of her career, taking visitors on an intensely personal yet universally resonant journey that reflects deeply on the themes of the body and desire.

traceyermin florence 002 — Image courtesy of Tracey Emin

Several artworks on view at Palazzo Strozzi will be shown in Italy for the first time, including the new monumental bronze sculpture I Followed You to the End (2024), installed in the Palazzo’s Renaissance courtyard, and the seminal installation Exorcism of the Last Painting I Ever Made (1996). Furthermore, selected artworks will be specifically produced on the occasion of the exhibition. Emin is renowned for her candid, confessional approach to art, transforming personal experiences into deeply intimate, vulnerable and powerful works. Rather than depicting precise events literally, Emin conveys the raw emotions they evoke as well as the physical reactions they elicit, from sexual passion to love, from anguish to melancholy.

traceyermin florence 007 — Image courtesy of White Cube (George Darell)

Life and art are inseparable in her creative process, leading her to create works where personal stories transform into existential metaphors. Through her honest and autobiographical expression, Emin focuses on themes of the body and figuration, situating herself within a distinct lineage in art history alongside artists like Edvard Munch and Egon Schiele, two of her primary influences. Her exploration of the body and raw emotions aligns her with a long-standing artistic tradition centered on the human figure, creating a resonance that both contrasts with and converges upon Florence’s Renaissance heritage, embodied by Palazzo Strozzi itself.

more. www.palazzostrozzi.org

traceyermin florence 001 — Image courtesy of Tracey Emin and HV-Studio

traceyermin florence 005 — Image courtesy of White Cube

traceyermin florence 004 — Image courtesy of Tracey Emin

traceyermin florence 003 — Image courtesy of Tracey Emin

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