Tracey Emin's My Bed artwork sold for £2.2m at auction
My Bed sparked debate about the nature of contemporary art when it was shortlisted for the Turner Prize
Tracey Emin's controversial My Bed modern artwork has sold for £2.2m at auction at Christie's in London.
The 1998 work features an unmade bed and a floor littered with empty vodka bottles, cigarette butts and condoms.
The work, which was shortlisted for the 1999 Turner Prize, had been put up for sale by millionaire art collector Charles Saatchi who bought it for £150,000 in 2000.
It went under the hammer with a guide price of between £800,000 and £1.2m.
The piece gives a snapshot of Emin's life after a traumatic relationship breakdown.
Applause
The artist, from Margate, was in the packed auction room as the work was sold, to applause from the crowd.
My Bed, one of the key works of the Young British Artist movement, was auctioned to support the work of the Saatchi Gallery Foundation.
Christie's said that, with buyer's premium, My Bed went for £2,546,500, which is a world record for Emin at auction....MORE
