The Lowdown on Investment: Tracey Emin

Discover five reasons why investing in Tracey Emin's works can be a smart move for art collectors and investors alike. As one of the most significant artists of our time, Emin is critically and commercially successful and her pieces resonate and challenge emotionally. Here are our key insights on how and why to make informed investments in her work.

1. Emin is a highly respected contemporary artist, whose work has been widely exhibited and collected around the world.

This artist has garnered a loyal and passionate following, which includes collectors, curators, and art critics who closely track her career and appreciate her distinctive artistic perspective. She has been a prominent figure in the contemporary art scene for more than 20 years and evokes both adoration and criticism for the unapologetic emotional depth, intimacy, and vulnerability conveyed through her creations.

Emin's willingness to invest her emotions into her art has allowed her to connect with a diverse audience. Her impressive career has garnered numerous awards and accolades, such as being a finalist for the Turner Prize in 1999 and representing Britain at the esteemed Venice Biennale in 2007. Notably, she was only the second British female artist to exhibit solo at the prestigious art festival.

2. She's redefined the boundaries of contemporary art.

Emin rose to fame when she began exhibiting with the Young British Artists group in the early 1990s. During this time, she created some of the most controversial works including Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963-1995 and My Bed. In the former, she embroidered a tent with the names of everyone with whom she had shared a bed, sexual or otherwise. The latter was created to highlight a mental breakdown she had suffered and displayed empty bottles, cigarette packets, blood-stained underwear, condoms, and containers of contraceptive pills.

At the time, she received much backlash due to the nature of her work, which tackled complex themes such as identity, sexuality, love, loss and mental health in a graphic and sometimes confrontational way. However, the trailblazing nature of her work coupled with a courageous honesty means she's made a valuable contribution to artistic feminist discourse.

3. Emin's vast range of mediums appeals to buyers building diverse collections.

Despite exploring various art forms such as painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, photography, and embroidery, her unique style remains consistent and easily identifiable. She maintains a core theme of raw, personal monologue, whether it's displayed through neon letters or quilted tapestries on a large scale.

Over the past few years, she has ventured into the world of public art. Notable examples of her work in this realm include The Distance of Your Heart, which was exhibited in Sydney in 2018, and The Mother, which was installed outside the Munch Museum in Oslo in 2022.

Collectors tend to appreciate this kind of variety, as it allows them to build a collection that is both distinctive and engaging.

4. Emin’s work has been consistently sought-after and has achieved high prices at auction.

Her artwork My Bed was sold for a staggering £2.5 million at a Christie's London auction in 2014, setting a new record for the artist. It's not just 'My Bed' that's been a hit at auctions – many of her pieces have sold for prices above their estimated value. For instance, I told you don't try to find me sold for £1.36 million, nearly double its high estimate. In 2022, Like a Cloud of Blood sold at Christie’s for £2.3m, just short of her existing record. The proceeds from this sale have been used to fund her newly opened, Margate-based art centre, TKE Studios. Emin says:

Over the past five years, the market for Emin's editions has grown by a third. In the last 12 months alone, there have been over 100 sales of her editions at auction, totalling a value of over £415k. These figures indicate that there is a strong and active market for her works, making Emin a great investment for collectors interested in building a valuable collection over time.

5. Investing in Emin's work can be a way to support and contribute to the ongoing development and evolution of contemporary art.

With works held in the permanent collections of many major museums and celebrities around the world, purchasing an edition by Emin is a chance to own a piece of history from one of the most important and influential artists of our time.

The Tate Modern in London holds an extensive collection of Emin's work, including the seminal piece My Bed. Meanwhile, the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam includes the neon piece titled I Promise To Love You whilst The Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago holds many of Emin's works in its collection, including a sculpture titled Fuck You Cunt.

Charles Saatchi, Elton John and the late George Michael are all well-known for their art collections and have been reported to own, or have owned several pieces by Emin. Furthermore, The American pop icon Madonna has described Emin as "intelligent and wounded and not afraid to expose herself" and is rumoured to own one of Emin’s coveted neon sculptures.

The fact that Emin's work has been acquired by such high-profile individuals and institutions is testament to her influence and marketability in the art world.