SRSLY?

Received in my email today from the National Portrait Gallery:

Tracey Emin homeware range (tea towels and plates).  Exclusive to the National Portrait Gallery. 

This 100% organic cotton tea towel features a portrait from Tracey Emin's Untitled, 2023 series. Featuring a design from her preparatory acrylic on paper drawings for the unique commission The Doors, 2023, printed in deep blue to emulate the original brush strokes with Emin’s signature printed at the bottom. 

The artist shares her thoughts on the project: ‘Women in history are greatly underrepresented. I didn’t want to depict specific or identifiable figures. I felt like the doors of the National Portrait Gallery should represent every woman, every age and every culture throughout time.'

Well, I think it's safe to say that she has certainly succeeded in not depicting any specific or identifiable figures, although I can see that they might be women, once this is pointed out. I suppose I could be persuaded that she is quoting (ironically? angrily?) the mask-like faces that Picasso used for the young prostitutes in Les Demoiselles d'Avignon. But, so what? And it's hard to imagine many regular gallery-goers who would be happy to pay £14 for one of these sketchy tea towels.

In many ways I admire Tracey Emin – she has been a bold and provocative presence on the bland contemporary art scene – but her elevation as a modern exemplar of excellence in drawing of all things (she was elected Professor of Drawing at the Royal Academy in 2011) is baffling to me. Her work is instantly recognisable, yes; but convincing as graphical artistry? No. But then what do I know? Perhaps the idea is to decry "mere" graphical skill as facile and elitist, and to show that Art is something anyone can and should be doing. An excellent point, but doesn't it seem odd, then, to bestow accolades and loadsamoney on anyone holding that view? After all, football may be the people's sport, but you wouldn't get far as a professional if you deliberately avoided scoring or saving goals as mere show-offish skills, contrary to the true, deep, democratic spirit of the game. Not yet, anyway...

But plates and tea towels? Really? Although, in the end perhaps that's the true destiny of all art, however well or poorly executed. Tea towels, key rings, coasters, fridge magnets... You know you've arrived when you've been merched.