Name: When I Think About Sex
Brand: Tracey Emin
Rating: 5 (236 reviews)

Track auction value trend

The value of Tracey Emin's When I Think About Sex (signed) is estimated to be worth between £1,300 and £1,900. This photographic print, created in 2005, has shown consistent value growth, with an impressive average annual growth rate of 60%. This work has a strong auction history, having been sold 30 times at auction since its initial sale in October 2009. Over the past 12 months, the average selling price was £1,000, across 2 total sales. In the last five years, the hammer price has ranged from £580 in April 2023 to £1,400 in June 2022. The average return to the seller over this period was £762. This work is part of a limited edition of 1,000.

Meaning & Analysis

When I Think About Sex is a 2005 photographic print by Tracey Emin from her exhibition at White Cube of the same title. Emin depicts her nude self-portrait in black ink against a wide blank white background. Typical of her oeuvre, the work is intensely personal and has a synonymously playful and sombre appeal.

read more about Nude Self-Portraits

“When I think about sex … it makes me realise just how alone I feel … What the world perceives of me from the outside is not the same from within”. The loneliness that Emin attaches to sex is made manifest in this poignant print from 2002. Set against a blank background, Emin illustrates herself against this void of sorts to highlight the solitary nature of her nude figure. Emin reduces her Nude Self-Portrait to simple line in this work, and pictures herself smiling shyly at the very thought of sex.

Emin has never been an artist to shy away from putting her personal experiences on show to the public through her art. When I Think About Sex is just one print from this confessional exhibition which charted her own experiences and musings on sex and romantic relationships. Through this unassuming yet touching print, Emin alludes to the fears, excitement, bashfulness and anticipation bound to sex.