EXCLUSIVE: Madonna's Most Madcap Friendship Yet Revealed — With Female Artist Who Keeps Outraging the World

The iconic singer, who has long maintained homes and professional ties in the U.K., shared her reflections on the visit publicly after spending time with Tracey Emin, a Turner Prize winner known for confessional, sexually explicit, and confrontational art.

Their friendship, stretching back more than 25 years, has now drawn attention because both women built careers on shocking audiences and challenging ideas of female behavior, fame, and autonomy.

Describing Margate, Madonna said: "The whole town seems to be inhabited and energized by creativity – writers and performance artists, photographers and painters."

She continued: "This is my idea of heaven. Whenever I go there, I feel like I've entered a dream."

Madonna added Emin was central to that atmosphere, calling her friend "a pearl."

Madonna said, "I have known Tracey for over 25 years, and I've always been a fan of her extremely personal and provocative work." She added: "But what she has created in this community by the sea is quite remarkable."

Her remarks came as she toured Emin's studio and learned more about the Tracey Emin Artist Residency, a free, studio-based program positioned as an alternative to a Master's degree.

A source close to the residency said Madonna's endorsement carried weight. They added: "Madonna sees something of herself in Tracey – the refusal to soften, the insistence on turning personal experience into art that makes people uncomfortable."

Another art world figure told us: "This friendship makes sense because both women have survived decades of outrage and moral panic by leaning into it."

Emin first shocked the art establishment with works such as "My Bed," the 1998 installation featuring her own unmade bed surrounded by used condoms, stained sheets, and debris from a depressive episode.

She later caused further controversy with "Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963–1995," a tent embroidered with the names of people with whom she had shared a bed.

Critics at the time accused her of exhibitionism, while supporters argued she had redefined honesty in art.

Madonna has followed Emin's career closely. A longtime associate of the Like a Virgin hitmaker said: "Madonna respects Tracey because she put female sexuality and shame on display without apology, something Madonna has done in pop culture for decades."

Emin's later work – including explicit neon texts and raw paintings about illness, abortion, and trauma – has continued to divide audiences.

Madonna also praised the students at the new residency, saying: "I'm always struck by the commitment and passion of all of these artists – hungry, possessed, and extremely grateful to have this opportunity."

The program aims to keep emerging artists working outside London, rooted in Margate's growing creative scene.

The visit came amid a busy period for Madonna, who is working on a new album after reuniting with Warner Records and maintaining a high-profile personal life.

One source close to the singer said: "Her bond with Tracey feels less like celebrity networking and more like mutual recognition between two women who changed their fields by refusing to behave."