Name: Mother/Brother
Brand: Tracey Emin
Rating: 5 (234 reviews)

Track auction value trend

The value of Tracey Emin’s Mother/Brother, a signed etching from 2010, is estimated to be worth between £1,400 and £2,100. This artwork has shown consistent value growth, with an average annual growth rate of 39%. This piece has an auction history of two sales, the first sale was on 28th October 2020 and the most recent sale was on 24th February 2022. The hammer price in the last five years has ranged from £350 in October 2020 to £900 in February 2022. The edition size of this artwork is limited to 100.

Auction Date

Auction House

Location

Hammer Price

Return to Seller

Buyer Paid

February 2022

Chiswick Auctions

United Kingdom

October 2020

Forum Auctions London

United Kingdom

Meaning & Analysis

This etching was executed by Tracey Emin in 2010 and forms part of our Nude Drawings collection of her work. Emin’s focal composition appears at the centre of a white paper background with wide margins, and is split into two halves. On the top half is the word “MOTHER”, written in Emin’s distinctive handwriting with the letter “R” printed backwards. Beneath this typographic half is an illustration of two reclining figures, one delineated with simple outlines, and the other completely filled in with black ink.

The work of Emin is confessional and autobiographical, offering viewers a glimpse into her personal life experiences. While most of her work tends to focus on her romantic relationships, Mother/Brother is a rare instance of Emin exploring her family ties in her work. After a troubled youth in Margate, Emin left her hometown for London at the age of fifteen. Despite the title of the work, Emin only writes out the word “mother” in the piece itself, perhaps telling of her allegedly unsteady relationship with her twin brother, Paul.