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Tracey Emin Me + Paul We Are the Trolls, 1995

Tracey Emin Me + Paul We Are the Trolls, 1995

Tracey Emin

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Description

Tracey Emin Me + Paul We Are the Trolls, 1995

Monotype on paper

Hand-signed by artist, Signed, titled and dated in graphite pencil on the front

Frame included

Measurements:

Framed
15.5 inches vertical by 20.5 by .75 inches
Work
11.5 inches vertical by 16.5 inches horizontal

Provenance:
The Collection of Douglas S. Cramer, USA
Hubert S. Bush Collection USA (with label)

Jay Joplin Gallery, London (with label)

This monotype is part of Tracey Emin's "troll" series, depicting her younger self and her (now estranged) twin brother Paul as children with sometimes murderous thoughts. It was acquired from the collection of Douglas Cramer, (August 22, 1931 – June 4, 2021) a top American television producer who worked for Paramount Television and Spelling Television, producing series such as Mission: Impossible, The Brady Bunch, and Dynasty - who amassed one of the most distinguished collections of contemporary art in the United States.
A 2011 Daily Mail article entitled "If you Think Tracey Emin is Wild, say Hello to her Terrible Twin" describes a different monotype, also from the troll series, that Tracey gave to her brother Paul, which he promptly and publicly sold on a TV show, much to her chagrin. The article reads:
"Yet there is one person central to Tracey's life who has managed to stay largely shielded from the public eye: her twin brother Paul.. He leads a life that could hardly be more different to Tracey's. She is worth millions, is a household name, owns an estate in the South of France and has A-list friends such as Kate Moss, Orlando Bloom and David Bowie. Meanwhile, at the age of 47, Paul Emin is an unemployed carpenter who suffers from epilepsy and survives on benefits. Worse still, he is on bad terms with Tracey, thanks to a rare and possibly ill-judged public appearance. This week he will appear on television to sell one of his treasured possessions - a picture by his sister - in an attempt to raise enough cash to emigrate. 'She went a bit wild when she found out and we haven't really spoken since,' says Paul who, like Tracey, is generously tattooed. He will not be paying a visit to her current exhibition at the Hayward Gallery in London, which is hardly surprising given what happened when he attended one of Tracey's earlier exhibitions. After enjoying the lavish hospitality, he fell on to one of her pieces and destroyed it. Paul and Tracey's lives have been unusually close. Born on July 3, 1963, in Margate, Kent, they shared a cot. After enjoying the lavish hospitality, he fell on to one of her pieces and destroyed it. Paul says: 'I remember getting really drunk and having a dance with Kate Moss.
'On another night, I went to her private launch at the White Cube gallery in Hoxton. I had a few beers before we went inside and then hit the wine and champagne. I remember talking to Janet Street-Porter and David Walliams. 'The next thing I knew the wine had hit me and I had fallen over onto one of Tracey's neons (light displays). I got the biggest electric shock of my life as it went pop and I went zap. I landed at David's feet. Luckily Tracey saw the funny side. It soon sobered me up.'
However, Paul's partying lifestyle came to a sudden halt in December 2007 when he had a serious accident while working as a carpenter near Cardiff. He fell 30ft down a ladder and landed on his head. He fractured his neck and was later diagnosed with epilepsy. He admits: 'Sometimes I go to bed and I wake up on the floor. I lose control of my body. It's not a pretty sight.'
Tracey was concerned about Paul's situation, particularly since his relationship with his girlfriend collapsed soon afterwards and his money ran out. ...'I haven't been back to work since. It's been a burden - I was used to earning £1,000 a week - but I've managed to struggle through on disability benefits. I've had to put my partying days behind me as I'm on so much medication. 'Tracey is very generous - I have borrowed money from her in the past. But I cannot keep asking her to bail me out. We have had periods before when we haven't spoken as we are both strong characters. But I am very proud of her, and I love her more than anything in the world.' Paul, who describes his past as 'pretty wild', agrees he has felt the effects of own dysfunctional childhood. He says he has never been in a relationship that lasted more than four years and has had three children with three different women."