Tracy Emin's Tate Modern exhibition opens today: all the details

A major retrospective of Tracey Emin’s work has just opened at the Tate Modern, and tickets are running low for some dates.

Tracey Emin: A Second Life looks back through the 40-year career of the artist, with works on show including the iconic Her Bed, Emin’s neon light work and her paintings — plus “works never exhibited before.”

Tickets costs £20, and the exhibition is on show up until August 21st 2026. You book a time slot, and these run up until 7:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays, 4:30pm on other days, to give you 90 minutes before you need to be out of the door. The Tate Modern closes at 6pm, or 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays.

Emin has over the years been a contentious figure at times, but reviews of the exhibition suggest she’s firmly in her national treasure era.

“In the gritty, bloody reality of living, Emin celebrates the beauty of being alive,” says Wallpaper.

The Times’s evocative line is this is a show “that gets under your skin and into your bowels.”

The Guardian’s reviewer, who gave the show a solid 4-star write-up, says it left them “a teary wreck.”

If you’re game for that sort of experience, you can even book a slot for later today.

Alternatively, you can ditch the ticketing system by becoming a Tate Member. This costs £78 for your first year, £90 thereafter, or a membership plus guest pass is £120 a year — £132 after your first year.

Challenging boundaries

“Through painting, video, textiles, neons, writing, sculpture, and installation, Emin continues to challenge boundaries, using the female body as a powerful tool to explore passion, pain, and healing,” reads the exhibition’s summary.

Emin was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2020 and has lived with a stoma since. As part of the promotional circus surrounding the exhibition, she’s given interviews about her life since, including ones with The Guardian and The New York Times, which may be worth a read before you head to the Tate Modern.

Other Exhibitions currently showing at the gallery include Theatre Picasso, until April 12th, and Nigerian Modernism, which closes on May 10th.

• Want to see the Bayeaux tapestry at London's British Museum? Get this date in your diary

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