Tracey Emin's Major Retrospective 'A Second Life' Opens at Tate Modern in February 2026
From February 27 to August 31, 2026, Tate Modern will present 'Tracey Emin: A Second Life,' featuring over 90 works from the past 40 years. This exhibition, revealed in September 2025, explores Emin's evolution as an artist through collaborations. Among the highlights are her early destroyed paintings, the contemporary bronze Ascension 2024, and installations like My Bed from 1998. It also includes pieces from her first solo exhibition My Major Retrospective 1982-93, the 1995 Tracey Emin CV, and her video Why I Never Became a Dancer. Works in neon and embroidery tackle themes of sexual assault and misogyny, while the quilt The Last of the Gold 2002 will be shown to the public for the first time. Additionally, the impressive bronze I Followed You Until The End 2023 will be displayed outside the venue.
Key facts
- Exhibition runs 27 February to 31 August 2026 at Tate Modern, London
- Features over 90 works spanning more than 40 years of Emin's career
- Includes seminal installations My Bed 1998 and Exorcism of the Last Painting I Ever Made 1996
- Showcases recent works like bronze Ascension 2024 and photographs of her stoma
- The quilt The Last of the Gold 2002 shown publicly for first time
- Monumental bronze I Followed You Until The End 2023 displayed outside Tate Modern
- Emin collaborated closely on exhibition narrative and selection
- Announced by Tate Modern in September 2025
Entities
Artists
- Tracey Emin
- Laure Prouvost
- Phoebe Boswell
- Sarah Lucas
- Rachel Whiteread
- Anna Müller
Institutions
- Tate Modern
- Royal College of Art
- Dreamland
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Margate
- Stockholm
- Sweden