Frank Briffa’s letter in the last issue of The Jackdaw (No. 68, May 2007) about the election of Tracey Emin to the Royal Academy is very much to my liking: pithy, stark, and droll. Also to my liking, its core is but a humble quote, too. Here it is in its entirety:

“Emin will make a notable Academician … in the footsteps of Gainsborough and Turner” (Jane Shilling, The Times, March 30, 2007). Discuss.

Wonderful. And here I go. For my part, I am quite delighted to learn about Tracey’s election. Bright, talented, and industrious, she is likely to kill two birds with one stone. I have two institutions in mind—one young, the other old—both long defunct, albeit still kicking absurdly. The first is the institution of Young British Art. The second is the Royal Academy itself. Pace Gainsborough and Turner. Give them hell, Tracey!