TRACEY EMIN C.B.E., R.A. (BRITISH B.1963) §
ROSETTE WITH LITTLE BIRD
£7,375
Auction: 17 August 2017 at 12:00 BST
Description
Signed and dated 2005, handstitched cotton, ribbon and felt assemblage
Dimensions
37cm x 22cm (14.5in x 8.75in)
Footnote
Note: One of the most infamous artists of the generation of 'Brit art' artists, christened YBAs, who emerged onto the London art scene in the early 1990s, Tracey Emin, best known for her 'tent' and 'bed', has gone on to become a leading figure in the British art establishment.
In August 2006, Emin was selected as Britain's representative in the British Pavilion at the Venice Biennale for 2007. The first major retrospective of her work was held at the Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh in August 2008 and included My Bed and a monumental, room-sized installation entitled Exorcism of the Last Painting I Ever Made dating from 1996. It also featured her appliquéd blankets, paintings, sculptures, films, neon works, drawings and multiples, and travelled to the Centro de Arte Contemporáneo in Malaga and the Kunstmuseum in Bern. In December 2011 Emin was appointed Professor of Drawing at the Royal Academy; drawing has always played a major part in her practice.
Fabric, particularly in the form of appliqué, has been a constant feature of her art. For her, the material itself retains an emotional significance related to its original function and history. The work on offer here unites these two key aspects of Emin's oeuvre. It is closely related to a limited edition of 200 appliqué pieces entitled International Woman produced by the artist in 2004, but differs in that it is a unique piece. Also, instead of the Longchamp logo it carries a delicately executed drawing of a bird in red crayon along with the artist's signature. The bird motif appears close to those prevalent in Emin's celebrated pen and ink drawings, dating from 1999. The work is also similar in style to a piece entitled An Angel for my Daughter, a unique patchwork work which was made in 2004 and sold at auction in 2006.