Tracy Emin - I Never Stopped Loving You (Unit 2)

I NEVER STOPPED LOVING YOU

Above: Tracy Emins, I have never stopped loving you

Tracy Emins, I Never stopped loving you is placed in Margate, it is positioned on top of the building outside the new Turner Contemporary . The building is named Droite house on the Margate Peir. Tracy Emin was   raised in the town of Margate , Her ealry works bought her to fame such as Everyone I have ever slept with 1963 - 1995 and My Bed. These two peices of art are some of her most famous pecies.

Above: My Bed by Tracy Emin

Droite House:

The building of Margate Harbour itself was carried out in 1810 by John Rennie. Up until this time, the whole of the coastal area from Margate almost to Broadstairs, was a perfect haven for smugglers due to the numerous rocky bays that exist on the Thanet coast. Indeed, smuggling was a common way for local men to support themselves and their families. The building of the harbour enabled trade to expand using, instead of the traditional sailing hoys, the faster cutters and steamships. Coastguards were stationed along the coast and as a consequence marked the beginning of the end for the smuggling trade.

Although much of the seafront buildings are shabby and in need of renovation they still retain a certain charm. Along the Promenade at this end of the town there are still many enchanting, typical, Victorian seaside resort buildings to admire. Take note of the 34 streetlight columns along the seafront with their decoration, variously described as sturgeons or dolphins, at the base. From the harbour, across the road on The Parade, you can see Royal York Mansions. Dating from the late 19th century it is a purpose built mansion block of flats with splendid wrought iron balconies that look out over the harbour and the beach. On the side of this building is a blue plaque commemorating the fact that Prince Frederick, (of Grand Old Duke of York fame) had lived in a house on this spot in the 18th century. And it now contains Tracy Emins, I  never stopped loving you.


Tracy Emin:

Tracey Emin (born 1963) is an English artist, one of the so-called Young British Artists (YBAs). She is probably only second to Damien Hirst among the YBAs in terms of notoriety among the general public. In particular, her piece My Bed, part of 1999's Turner Prize exhibition, and consisted of her own unmade bed complete with used condoms and blood-stained underwear, brought her a great deal of attention from the press.  Emin was born in London, but brought up in Margate. She has a twin brother Paul. Emin's father was married to a woman other than her mother and while still young he abandoned the family which lead to a decline in their standard of living, an event which has featured in a number of works. Around the age of 14 she was raped. She initially studied art in Maidstone which she has described as one of the best experiences of her life where she was greatly influenced by Billy Chidish, then returned to London to study at the Royal College of Art, where she obtianed an MA in painting. She was initially influenced by Edvard Munch and Egon Schiele, though later destroyed all her paintings from this early period. Later still, she studied philosophy at Birkbeck.



I Never Stopped Loving you, will never be forgotten !!!