Tracey Emin's controversial artwork 'My Bed', which became a symbol of the 'ladette' culture of the 1990s, is set to be sold at auction by Christie's for an estimated £1.2 million. The piece, originally bought by Charles Saatchi in 2000 for £150,000, is being sold from his collection.
When first exhibited in 1999 as part of Emin's Turner Prize nomination, the unmade double bed strewn with used condoms, vodka bottles, and other detritus appalled critics and fascinated the public. It drew such large crowds that Tate Britain had to redesign the exhibition space to accommodate them.
Emin, now 50 and a CBE, created the work after a period of severe depression following a failed romance. She described waking up one morning after a binge and seeing the bed as 'horrible' at first, then 'beautiful, even classical'.
The artwork is considered a defining piece of the Young British Artists movement and a stark depiction of the 'ladette' phenomenon—young women who drank heavily, swore, and embraced laddish attitudes. Emin herself embodied this image, famously appearing drunk and rude on a TV panel show in 1997.
Despite not winning the Turner Prize that year, 'My Bed' made Emin one of the most famous artists in Britain and a lightning rod for debates about contemporary art. The sale is expected to take place over the summer.
