Tracey Emin’s My Bed will go up for sale for the first time this July, Christie’s announced this week. With an estimate of £800,000–£1,200,000 the piece will be sold on 1 July to benefit the Saatchi Gallery’s education programme and free entry policy.
My Bed was ‘made’ in 1998: the artist purportedly spent a week in it during a depressive period. It was exhibited at the Turner Prize the following year, and Charles Saatchi bought it from the artist in 2000.
Whatever you make of it, it’s certainly one of the most recognisable beds in the history of art. But is it the best? Here at Apollo we’ve been wondering how much, if anything, it has in common with the famous artistic examples that came before it:
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The many faces of Mary Magdalene