Tracey Emin

Tracey Emin was born in Croydon, England, and was raised in Margate under difficult circumstances, including family turmoil and sexual assault at the age of 13. Once she came of age, Emin went to Medway College of Design to study fashion, and met up with a fellow student, punk musician Billy Childish, to form The Medway Poets. Emin was considered part of the YBAs, Young British Artists, that were coming up at the time, alongside contemporaries like Damien Hirst. Emin continued her studies at Maidstone Art College, plus the Royal College of Art, where she received an MA in painting. She also studied philosophy at Birkbeck University of London.After school, Emin opened a shop called The Shop, and wrote to potential investors, asking them for twenty pounds each to help her become a professional artist. One who donated money, Jay Jopling, would one day become her art dealer. Emin's first solo show was at the White Cube Gallery in November 1993. Her first well-known piece was called "Everyone I Have Ever Slept with 1963-1995." Emin's list didn't only include sexual partners, but also her brother, who shared their bed when they were children. Charles Saatchi, the creator of the Saatchi and Saatchi ad firm, eventually bought "Everyone" and displayed it at the Royal Academy of London. Another racy Emin piece, "My Bed" (1999), featured her disheveled place of rest messy with the stains of bodily functions; a controversial piece, it was nonetheless nominated for the Turner Prize. The same year, Emin did art pieces in memory of Princess Diana, including "They Wanted You to Be Destroyed" (1999). Emin gained a following among a number of famous celebrities, including Elton John, Madonna, David Bowie, and George Michael. Michael and his partner, Kenny Goss, collected several pieces of Emin's work, and ran a tribute to her at their personal museum, The Goss-Michael Foundation. Along with the acclaim her art gained, Emin joined the Royal Academy of Arts as Professor of Drawing; she was one of the first two female professors to teach there. She also won a Commander of the Order of the British Empire honor in 2013.