From March 16 to July 20, 2025, Palazzo Strozzi in Florence will host Tracey Emin. Sex and Solitude, the most extensive exhibition ever dedicated to the acclaimed British artist in Italy. Curated by Arturo Galansino, General Director of the Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi, the show explores Emin’s multifaceted artistic practice, encompassing painting, drawing, video, photography, and sculpture, as well as her experiments with embroidery, bronze, and neon.
The exhibition’s title, Sex and Solitude, encapsulates two key themes running through more than 60 works on display. Spanning different phases of Emin’s career from the 1990s to today, the exhibition offers an intense journey through themes of the body and desire, love and sacrifice. Many of the featured pieces will be shown in Italy for the first time, alongside newly created works in various media produced specifically for this exhibition.
Renowned for her raw and direct approach, Emin creates works in which intimate and personal moments are transformed into existential metaphors. Her art delves into sexuality, illness, loneliness, and love, often incorporating autobiographical experiences into powerful and emotionally charged pieces. Her distinctive neon phrases, known for their explicit and poignant language, contrast with the material intensity of her paintings and sculptures.
The exhibition is promoted and organized by Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi, with public support from the City of Florence, the Tuscany Region, the Metropolitan City of Florence, and the Florence Chamber of Commerce. Private supporters include Fondazione CR Firenze, Intesa Sanpaolo, Fondazione Hillary Merkus Recordati, and the Palazzo Strozzi Partner Committee. Gucci serves as the main sponsor of the event.
About Tracey Emin
Born in 1963 in Croydon, London, and raised in Margate, Tracey Emin has developed an artistic practice spanning drawing, painting, tapestries, embroidery, film, bronze sculptures, and neon installations. Her work is deeply personal, drawing from her life experiences, including her sexual history, past traumas, abortion, relationships, and, more recently, her battle with cancer.
Emin gained significant media attention in 1999 when she was shortlisted for the Turner Prize and exhibited My Bed at the Tate Gallery in London. Created during a period of emotional turmoil, the installation featured her unmade bed surrounded by personal belongings, including used condoms, blood-stained underwear, empty alcohol bottles, and cigarette butts. This work became one of the most iconic pieces of contemporary art, cementing her reputation as a bold and uncompromising artist.
Her career has continued to flourish, with Emin representing the United Kingdom at the 52nd Venice Biennale in 2007 and being appointed Professor of Drawing at the Royal Academy in 2011—one of the first two women to ever hold the position. Today, she enjoys widespread institutional recognition and, in 2024, was honored with the title of “Dame” in the King’s Birthday Honours for her contributions to the arts.
Recently, Emin founded the Tracey Karima Emin (TKE) Studios in Margate, a professional art space she personally funds, which includes the Tracey Emin Artist Residency (TEAR), a free studio residency program for emerging artists.
Visiting the Exhibition
Tracey Emin. Sex and Solitude at Palazzo Strozzi promises to be an unmissable event for contemporary art enthusiasts. This landmark exhibition offers a unique opportunity to experience the work of one of Britain’s most influential artists in an extraordinary setting in the heart of Florence.
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