Tracey Emin’s ‘funeral’ for the true love of her life – her cat Docket
HE WAS the love of her life and the inspiration for much of her work.
But grief-stricken English artist Tracey Emin has had to say farewell to Docket the cat – her friend, companion and muse for almost two decades. The pet, who featured in many of her drawings, ceramics and sculptures, has died aged 19.
The devastated Turner Prize nominee is understood to have asked her closest friends, including some of art’s biggest names, to attend a commemoration service for the feline, who was given to her as a kitten by former boyfriend Mat Collishaw in 2002.
The gathering will no doubt raise eyebrows in some quarters and reinforce Ms Emin’s reputation as an eccentric artist.
But the touching gesture will also strike a chord with animal-lovers who have been left distraught by the death of a much-loved pet.
Ms Emin, 56, has frequently spoken of her affection for Docket. Last year she wrote: ‘I never knew I could love an animal so much, but it is a joining of souls.’
She declined to comment on her plans to commemorate Docket when contacted by The Mail on Sunday. A spokesman confirmed that the cat had died but said it was a ‘private matter’.
However, one art insider, who asked not to be named, said Ms Emin had recently posted a series of photographic tributes to Docket on her private Instagram account.
The artist, best known for confessional works such as My Bed and Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963-1995, doted on Docket, describing him as ‘her baby’ and her soulmate. During his life, the grey and white cat had claim to be one of Britain’s most celebrated pets.
In 2012, Ms Emin made a bronze sculpture Docket In My Hand and the following year travelled to Venice so she could immortalise him in glass. It went on sale for £25,000. In 2002 she put up ‘wanted’ posters around her London neighbourhood after Docket went missing – only to see them be torn down by art collectors and some sold on eBay.
Docket continued to be an inspiration until the very end, with Ms Emin last year producing a series of autographed china plates of the cat alongside some birds.
She has been dreading life without Docket for some time. In 2008, she revealed her worst fears when he fell ill, saying: ‘I can’t imagine my life without my cat…
‘I am afraid of the thing that I love most in the world leaving me.’