Palazzo Strozzi will welcome in spring 2025 the largest exhibition ever dedicated in Italy to Tracey Emin

From March 16 to July 2025 Palazzo Strozzi will host Tracey Emin. Sex and Solitude, the largest exhibition ever dedicated in Italy to Tracey Emin (Croydon, London, 1963), one of the most influential British artists in contemporary art. Curated by Arturo Galansino, director general of the Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi, the exhibition explores Emin’s multifaceted art, which spans painting, drawing, film, photography, embroidery, sculpture and neon installations.

The title, Sex and Solitude, recalls two central themes of the more than sixty works on display, spanning the artist’s career from the 1990s to the present. In this personal and collective journey, Tracey Emin addresses issues related to the body and desire, capturing universal emotions through varied artistic languages. Many works are presented for the first time in Italy, including the monumental sculpture I Followed You To The End (2024), which will be displayed in dialogue with the Renaissance space of Palazzo Strozzi’s courtyard, and the historic installation Exorcism of the Last Painting I Ever Made (1996), reconstructed for the occasion in one of the rooms on the piano nobile.

The exhibition also includes new productions, made specifically for the exhibition event, highlighting Emin’s ability to transform personal experiences into intimate, vulnerable and powerful works. His works do not represent specific events, but evoke deep emotions such as sexual passion, melancholy, grief and love. This artistic universe manifests itself in paintings such as It - didnt stop - I didnt stop (2019) and There was blood (2022), where figuration merges with abstraction through intense painterly gestures and bold colors. At the same time, sculptures such as All I want is you (2016) flesh out emotions through volumes and postures that convey intimacy and introspection.

Even textual works, such as the neon installation Those who suffer love (2009) or ornate embroideries such as I do not expect (2002), use direct and explicit language to engage the audience, and a totally personal gesture based on the visual translation of one’s own handwriting.

The exhibition emphasizes the link between art and life in Emin’s work, in which intimate and private themes are transformed into existential reflections on sexuality, loneliness, illness and human relationships. Through honest and highly autobiographical research, Emin focuses particularly on the idea of figuration, placing herself in particular relationship with masters such as Edvard Munch and Egon Schiele, two of her most beloved artists. Indeed, her exploration of the body places her in an artistic tradition centered on the human figure.

Tracey Emin. Sex and Solitude is promoted and organized by the Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi, and is supported by the City of Florence, Region of Tuscany, Metropolitan City of Florence, Florence Chamber of Commerce, Fondazione CR Firenze, Intesa Sanpaolo, Hillary Merkus Recordati Foundation, and the Palazzo Strozzi Partners Committee. Main Sponsor Gucci.

Palazzo Strozzi will welcome in spring 2025 the largest exhibition ever dedicated in Italy to Tracey Emin

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