‘It caused a lot of discomfort’: why Tracey Emin’s messy bed shocked the art world in the 1990s

In 1999, a disheveled book artwork filled with condoms and beer cans sparked a media sensation and turned artist Tracey Emin into a celebrity. Why? What happened next?

As the world moved into the 21st century, creative culture was in a state of revolution of its own. In London, the city itself was changing, and the Young British Artists (also known as YBAs) were a wild constellation of rising stars (among them Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst, Sarah Lucas, Jake and Dinos Chapman) who embodied a confrontational energy: visual art; nightlife; Rock and roll. Suddenly, the art scene was making global media headlines, and the most controversial and scandalous statement of all seemed to be… a woman’s bed.

Warning: This article contains language that some may find offensive

In 1999, Tracey Emin’s My Bed (1998) was shortlisted for the prestigious Turner Prize and exhibited at the sumptuous British Tate Gallery: a disheveled divan with stained linens, scattered and surrounded by personal detritus such as contraceptives, slippers, old bloodstained trousers, empty vodka bottles, Polaroid selfies, and an overflowing ashtray. She recreated her post-breakup depressive breakdown, when Amin stayed in bed for days, before rising to see the chaos.