Male artists ‘peak in their 40s,’ Tracey Emin says

By Issy Ronald, CNN

(CNN) — Renowned British artist Tracey Emin has said that many male artists, like her contemporary Damien Hirst, “peak in their 40s,” whereas women retain their creative force as they age.

Emin was speaking on “The Louis Theroux Podcast” in an episode released Tuesday. She told Theroux that women have more longevity in their careers as artists, pointing to French-American artist Louise Bourgeois, who kept working until she died in her late 90s.

“Women have the capability of doing that (carrying on) as long as they’re given the opportunity to do it,” Emin said. “I think a lot of men peak in their 40s and women continue, so maybe Damien (Hirst) peaked, I don’t know, we’ll have to see, only time can tell.”

When they first broke onto the art scene, Emin and Hirst tended to be grouped together as part of the Young British Artists (YBAs) movement, which became known for their innovative use of materials and broad conception of the things that constitute art.

One of Emin’s most notable works was her 1998 installation “My Bed,” which presented her own unkempt bed as a window into her private life, strewn with used condoms, soiled underwear and a full ashtray. It was shortlisted for the Turner Prize and later sold for more than $4 million.

She had displayed her frank, confessional style with previous artworks too, like a tent appliquéd with the names of people she had slept with and alongside, called “Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963-1995.”

“I think it’s really hard to be an artist,” Emin said after being asked about her contemporary, Hirst. “I think it’s really difficult. And I think people who don’t make art or don’t attempt to be an artist, don’t understand how difficult it is to have that conviction, that self-belief and everything. Damien was a young artist that started off with a lot of that belief and a lot of that conviction. He was like a force. And now he’s not.”

CNN has contacted Hirst’s representatives for comment.

Now 61, Emin has continued producing art that wrestles with her recent health issues after she was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2020. To treat it, she underwent a six-and-a-half hour operation in which surgeons removed her bladder, urethra, uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, part of her colon and part of her vagina.

“The operation I had is like a last chance saloon and very few people survive it or live for more than five years afterwards. I’ve lived for four years now, so it’s getting better and I’m determined to live,” she said.

Emin added that her health issues have given her a newfound perspective on life, saying she doesn’t measure life by money or accolades.

“You measure life on a day-to-day level of success of how good your day was and since I’ve been very ill, my days have got better and better and better,” she added. “I love my life now and I couldn’t say that five years ago. I certainly couldn’t say that 15 years ago.”

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CNN’s Jack Guy contributed to this report.