Tracey Emin: A Second Life at Tate Modern Review (2026)

Last updated: 31 March 2026

This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional advice.

Cool Factor: 4/5

This Tracey Emin Tate review covers A Second Life, the largest ever survey of Dame Tracey Emin's work now showing at Tate Modern until 31 August 2026. Spanning over 100 works across 40 years, it is ambitious, deeply personal and, at times, genuinely difficult to look at. It is also one of the best exhibitions in London right now. The textile works alone justify the £20 ticket, and seeing My Bed in person still hits differently after all these years. However, the sheer pulling power of Emin's name means crowds can make the experience feel more like rush hour than a gallery visit.

What's on?

Tracey Emin: A Second Life brings together paintings, videos, quilts, neons, sculptures and installations from across Emin's extraordinary career. Curated by Jessica Baxter and conceived in close collaboration with the artist herself, it traces a path from her early Margate memories through the YBA years, cancer diagnosis and into her recent large-scale paintings and bronzes. The exhibition sits in the Eyal Ofer Galleries at Tate Modern, in partnership with Gucci. Tickets cost £20, with free entry for Tate Members and £5 for under-25s via Tate Collective.

First impressions

You feel the energy before you even enter the galleries. Tracey Emin is, quite simply, one of the most recognisable names in British art. That fame brings serious footfall. On the day we visited, every room felt packed. Bottlenecks formed around the two main video pieces, where visitors stood transfixed and refused to budge. Reviewers have noticed the same thing. The galleries can be tricky to navigate, with major pinch points around key works like Why I Never Became a Dancer (1995). If you want breathing room, aim for a Friday or Saturday evening slot when the gallery stays open until 21.00.

There is also a relaxed hours session on the third Tuesday of each month from 10.00 to 11.00, which could help if crowds put you off. Because they will test your patience.

The experience

Once you get past the crowds, the exhibition rewards your attention in every direction. The standout works for us are the textile and fabric pieces. Seeing quilts like Mad Tracey From Margate: Everybody's Been There (1997) and The Last of the Gold (2002) up close is something else entirely. The hand-stitched phrases, drawings and patches carry a rawness that photographs cannot capture. They combine craft, fury and vulnerability in a way that feels completely unique to Emin. Critics broadly agree on this point, with several reviewers highlighting how the embroidered works convey emotional trauma far more effectively than conventional drawing ever could.

Then there is My Bed (1998). Placed deliberately in the second half of the show, it sits alongside more recent paintings, neon works and the striking bronze Ascension (2024). The curation is clever here. There is no wall text next to the bed, which forces you to sit with it rather than read about it. After nearly three decades, it still carries weight. The objects around it remain the originals, and you can feel their age. Knowing what Emin has since survived, including her 2020 cancer diagnosis and major surgery, gives the piece an entirely new layer of meaning.

The recreation of Exorcism of the Last Painting I Ever Made (1996), the Stockholm gallery space where Emin locked herself away for three weeks, is another highlight. It is something many visitors assumed they would never get to experience first-hand, which makes its inclusion here feel like a genuine gift.

The difficult middle

This Tracey Emin Tate review would not be honest without addressing the corridor gallery. Here, Emin displays Polaroid photographs of her body before and after her cancer surgery, including images of her stoma. Placed alongside earlier, more playful self-portraits, the contrast is stark and intentionally confronting. It is raw, unflinching and not easy to look at. This is, without question, the hardest part of the show. Several visitors around us visibly paused before moving through.

Amusingly, these are not among the items available in the gift shop. You can pick up neon prints, tote bags, a Tracey Emin cat bowl and even a gorgeous recycled cotton blanket featuring her cats Teacup and Pancake, but the Polaroids remain firmly off the merchandise list. Probably wise.

The paintings

If we have one reservation, it is the paintings. Emin's recent large-scale canvases are ambitious and clearly personal. They explore the female body with an expressionistic energy that nods to Francis Bacon and Frank Auerbach. Yet for our taste, they feel a touch simplistic compared to the textile works and installations elsewhere in the show. They lack some of the layered complexity that makes the quilts and videos so compelling. That said, they serve an important purpose. Tate has positioned the paintings as the destination point of the entire exhibition, showing how Emin's lifelong desire to paint has finally become the centre of her practice. For an artist who destroyed all her early paintings in a moment of crisis and started again from scratch, that arc matters.

Form and space

One thing the curation gets absolutely right is the use of form and space. By avoiding thematic wall text in each room, the experience feels like one continuous journey. The rhythm of the hang is impressive. You move from tiny photographs to a full-size wooden rollercoaster (It's Not the Way I Want to Die, 2005) to intimate bronze sculptures where you can see Emin's fingerprints transferred from the original clay. Outside the museum, the monumental bronze I Followed You Until The End (2023) greets you before you even step inside. It is all very her.

Value for money

At £20 for a standard ticket, this sits at the typical Tate Modern exhibition price point. For the sheer volume and variety of work on display, it feels fair. If you visit galleries regularly, a National Art Pass or Tate Membership will quickly pay for itself. The audio guide is free via your smartphone, which is a nice touch, though bring your own headphones.

Budget a bit extra for the gift shop if you are the type who cannot leave empty-handed. The Tracey Emin blanket at £200 is the premium pick, while the cat bowl is a more affordable memento that still feels properly Emin.

The verdict

This is an important, moving and frequently brilliant exhibition. The textile works and installations are world-class. My Bed still resonates. The curation is thoughtful and the variety of media on show demonstrates just how much range Emin has across her 40-year career. The crowds are the main downside, along with paintings that do not quite reach the heights of the other work. But those are minor complaints against an exhibition that has critics and visitors alike calling it one of Tate Modern's best shows in years.

Cool Factor

★★★★☆

4 out of 5

Overall, a solid 4/5 Stone cold. A Second Life earned that score through the sheer power of the textile works, the emotional weight of My Bed in its new context, and a curation that treats 40 years of output as one unbroken story. It did not quite hit Ice cold because the paintings feel a step behind the rest, and the popularity of the show creates crowd pressure that makes it hard to spend proper time with individual pieces. Still, this is essential viewing for anyone with even a passing interest in contemporary art. Book early, go on a quieter evening, and give yourself time.

Tracey Emin: A Second Life runs at Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG until 31 August 2026. Book tickets on the Tate website.

Content note: The exhibition includes references to sexual assault, abortion, miscarriage and life-threatening illness.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Tracey Emin exhibition at Tate Modern worth it?

Yes. It is one of the strongest exhibitions Tate Modern has staged in recent years. The breadth of work is impressive, the curation is smart, and several pieces, particularly the textiles and My Bed, are genuinely moving to see in person.

How much are tickets for Tracey Emin at Tate Modern?

Standard tickets cost £20. Tate Members get free entry without needing to book. Under-25s can join Tate Collective and book for £5. Concessions are also available.

How long does the Tracey Emin exhibition take?

Allow at least 90 minutes. There are over 100 works on display across multiple rooms, plus two video pieces that many visitors watch in full. If the galleries are busy, expect it to take longer.

When does the Tracey Emin Tate exhibition close?

The exhibition runs until 31 August 2026. It will then tour to the Louisiana in Denmark, the Ho-am in Seoul, and the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne.

Is My Bed in the Tracey Emin exhibition?

Yes. My Bed (1998) appears in the second half of the show, positioned alongside more recent works. There is no wall text next to it, which the artist intended so that visitors reflect on it without guidance.

What should I buy from the Tracey Emin gift shop?

The standout items are the Teacup and Pancake blanket (£200), a recycled cotton throw featuring Emin's painting of her cats, and the Tracey Emin cat bowl. Both are exclusive to Tate Shop and make excellent gifts for art lovers.