The largest collection of works by artist Tracey Emin ever assembled in Ireland is set to feature when Art Source returns to Dublin’s RDS later this week.
A showcase of the iconic artist’s work will be the centrepiece at Art Source, which will feature over 200 of the best contemporary Irish and international artists and galleries. Ten of Emin’s works with a combined value of €143,000, are expected to be a big draw for an expected 15,000 art lovers when the country’s largest art fair opens its doors on Friday, November 13th.
The pieces feature a mixture of handmade lithograph print and limited-edition photography pieces, ranging from 2015 up to her 2026 series, I Need Tomorrow. This series was released earlier this year to coincide with Emin’s prestigious retrospective Tate Modern exhibition A Second Life, which celebrated 40 years of her work.
Published in editions of 50, I Need Tomorrow featured six works of blue and black hand-pulled lithographs, each depicting the artist as a reclining figure, her body loosely rendered and dissolving.
Three of those pieces, Because It’s You, I Kept Dreaming of You, and I Need Tomorrow, will be available to view and purchase at the fair.
Known as art’s enfant terrible for her autobiographical and confessional artwork, Emin was catapulted into the public eye in the 1990s with iconic works such as her Turner Prize nominated My Bed, which sparked fierce critical and public debate.
She continues to challenge boundaries today, through painting, video, textiles, neons, writing, sculpture, and installation – using the female body as a powerful tool to explore passion, pain, and healing.
“While best known for her installations and paintings, Emin’s prints have become highly sought after for their immediacy, intimacy and unmistakable hand-drawn quality,” said Gerard Gormley of Gormleys, who has curated the Emin pieces at the Dublin fair.
“Her work draws on themes of love, longing, vulnerability and memory, and they capture the raw emotion and honesty that define her wider practice. What makes Emin’s prints particularly compelling is their accessibility, with works starting at €5,000 on display at the show. They offer collectors the opportunity to own work by one of the most influential artists of her generation.”
Art Source also features a huge selection of affordable art as well as a wide range of pieces from some of the biggest names in the art world, such as Banksy and Andy Warhol.
As an added bonus, visitors will have a unique chance to get their hands on 100 pieces of original artwork for €100 each on a first-come, first-served basis on the opening morning of the show.
Art Source opens on Friday at 11am and runs until Sunday evening. For more information and tickets visit artsource.ie.