Tracey Emin talks painting: what it is, why she does it, and why it matters.

'A book full of heart - frank and confessional - that presents Emin at the zenith of her powers, having survived near-fatal cancer and found new purpose and conviction ... this concise, elegant and beautifully illustrated study, with Gayford's skilful and always apposite narrative, is as thought-provoking as it is readable, and I closed it with a greatly enriched understanding of the mysterious process by which life is transmuted into art' Ariane Bankes, The Spectator

'Gayford is an established confidant of painters, the artist-whisperer of Lucian Freud and David Hockney. He elicits a remarkable trove of information and opinion from Emin ... My Heart Is This is the story of how a dark stretch in her life led Emin to a new love and appreciation of paint and greater facility at the canvas. It will appeal to her many fans as well as the gallery crowd' Stephen Smith, Financial Times

Tracey Emin talks about painting: what it is, why she does it, why it matters.

Richly illustrated with photographs of the artist and her art, here is a vivid and intimate portrait of her life and work in her own words, in conversation with art critic Martin Gayford. Emin reflects on painting - how she approaches it, why it matters to her, and how it connects to her life - and how everything has changed since her cancer diagnosis.

'Every image has first entered my mind, travelled through my heart, my blood - arriving at the end of my hand. Everything has come through me.'

Offering a uniquely personal insight into the artist's extraordinary life and career, Emin expresses herself in her characteristically frank, confessional style that is so familiar to anyone who has seen her paintings. This is Tracey Emin on her own terms: on learning to paint, on living her life after cancer, and relearning why painting matters to her above everything else.

Details

ISBN13: 9780500031018
Format: Hardback
Number of Pages: 256
Edition:
Publication Date: 26 Jun 2026
Publisher: Thames & Hudson Ltd
Publication City, Country: London, United Kingdom
Dimensions (cm): 22.9(H)x15.2(L)700
Weight (gm): 700

Author Biography

Martin Gayford is art critic for The Spectator and the author of acclaimed books on Van Gogh, Constable and Michelangelo. He is the author of Man with a Blue Scarf: On Sitting for a Portrait by Lucian Freud, A Bigger Message: Conversations with David Hockney, How Painting Happens (and why it matters), Venice: City of Pictures and Love Lucian: The Letters of Lucian Freud, 1939-1954, among others.

Reviews

'Gayford is an established confidant of painters, the artist-whisperer of Lucian Freud and David Hockney. He elicits a remarkable trove of information and opinion from Emin ... My Heart Is This is the story of how a dark stretch in her life led Emin to a new love and appreciation of paint and greater facility at the canvas. It will appeal to her many fans as well as the gallery crowd' - Stephen Smith, Financial Times
'A book full of heart – frank and confessional – that presents Emin at the zenith of her powers, having survived near-fatal cancer and found new purpose and conviction ... this concise, elegant and beautifully illustrated study, with Gayford’s skilful and always apposite narrative, is as thought-provoking as it is readable, and I closed it with a greatly enriched understanding of the mysterious process by which life is transmuted into art' - Ariane Bankes, The Spectator
'This is Emin: honest, unpretentious and endlessly fascinating' - Christie’s
'The structure is simple: dialogue, reflection, image. Yet within this looseness, the reader gains a vivid sense of Emin’s working environment and is influenced by the studio’s clutter and intensity, the presence of other artists, and the push-and-pull of past and present. The illustrations, generously included, do more than document; they punctuate the text with moments of pause, offering glimpses of the work as extensions of the conversations themselves' - Artlyst
'A vivid portrait of why she paints' - House & Garden
'Richly illustrated with photographs of Emin and her art, the book unfolds as a candid dialogue in which the artist speaks openly about her practice and the central role painting plays in her life. Emin discusses how she approaches the canvas, what gives a painting emotional force, and why the act of painting remains essential to her creative and personal survival' - FAD Magazine