Jenny Holzer Solitude Teacup and Saucer
Last updated: 19 October 2026
Sold out: the Tate Shop last listed the Jenny Holzer teacup at £10 in its clearance sale, down from £40, and it has now gone from the Holzer range. Four other pieces from Holzer's Tate collection are still in stock, and they are listed below.
The Jenny Holzer teacup and saucer is a ceramic set with one of her Truisms, SOLITUDE IS ENRICHING, printed inside the cup. Holzer designed it for Tate, and it was decorated and fired in Stoke-on-Trent.
What the Jenny Holzer teacup was
The words sit inside the cup, so you cannot see them while it is full. They appear as you drink, which is a neat trick for a phrase about time alone.
The set was part of a collection Holzer designed for the Tate Shop. Tate says she donates all her proceeds from it to help more people experience and engage with art.
The Truisms behind it
Holzer wrote the Truisms between 1977 and 1979, more than 250 one-line statements made to sound like proverbs and clichés. She first showed them on anonymous posters pasted up around New York. Since then they have appeared on LED signs, stone benches, T-shirts and billboards.
Her links with Tate go back years. Tate held ARTIST ROOMS: Jenny Holzer in 2018, and in 2021 she projected text onto Tate Modern's chimney to draw attention to the climate emergency. Tate's artist page covers her works in the collection.
Key facts
- Last price: £10 in Tate's clearance sale, down from £40
- Status: no longer listed by the Tate Shop
- Text: SOLITUDE IS ENRICHING, printed in black inside the cup
- Made in: decorated and fired in Stoke-on-Trent
- Care: Tate recommends hand washing
- Item code: 30841
Jenny Holzer pieces still at Tate
These four are still in the Tate Shop's Holzer range, three of them reduced:
- Protect Me socks: £12, down from £18.
- Abuse of Power T-shirt: £30.
- Raise Boys and Girls children's T-shirt: £3, down from £20.
- Guileless large weekend bag: £38.50, down from £55.
The limits
The teacup is gone, and clearance pricing suggests Tate is winding the range down. It may not come back.
Sizes and stock on the other pieces change quickly in a sale, so check the listing before you count on one as a present.
Other art you can drink from
If it was the teacup itself you were after, the Tracey Emin cat bowl and teacup page covers another artist's tableware from the Tate Shop.
FAQs
Can I still buy the Jenny Holzer teacup?
No. It has gone from the Tate Shop's Holzer range, which I checked on 19 October 2026.
How much was the Jenny Holzer teacup?
£40 at full price. Its last listed price was £10 in Tate's clearance sale.
What does the teacup say?
SOLITUDE IS ENRICHING, one of Holzer's Truisms, printed inside the cup so it shows as you drink.
Is the teacup dishwasher safe?
Tate recommends hand washing it to make it last.
Where does the money go?
Tate says Holzer donates all her proceeds from the collection to help more people engage with art.
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- Anthony Burrill You Me print: more art made from words.
- Rose Wylie at the Royal Academy review: our verdict on another big London show.
- Gifts for artists: presents for creative people.
I checked the Tate Shop on 19 October 2026. Prices and stock change, and brands do not choose what we feature.
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