'My Bed' expected to sell for $1.7 mil USD.

[Iluvmycam]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Bed


LONDON.- British artist Tracey Emin sits on her iconic art installation, "My Bed" during a press preview at Christie's auction house. Tracey Emin's unmade bed artfully littered with condoms, cigarette packs and underwear is expected to fetch around £1 million (1.2 million euros, $1.7 million) at auction. The work, called simply "My Bed", cemented Emin's notoriety when it was shortlisted for the 1999 Turner Prize, although the British artist eventually lost out to future Oscar winner Steve McQueen, who directed "12 Years a Slave". AFP PHOTO/NIKLAS HALLE'N.

http://artdaily.com/?date=06/29/2014&bfd=0

[Telecaster]

The commercialized part of the art world is such a hoot!   

-Dave-

[Justinr]

I once knew a fellow who actually fancied young Tracey and he even confessed that 'My Bed' was a bit of a turn on for him. I doubt that he has the $1.7m in loose change to fulfill his desires though.

Strange but true.

[Ellis Vener]

Fools and their money are soon parted. The machinery of the art world just facilitates the transaction. I get the Tracey E.'s political and sociological points but this piece ain't art especially if you define art as something that wakens the imagination and manages to transcend the specifics of the subject and materials.

[Isaac]

Imogen said: "And one morning I got up and that was the way my bed looked, and I threw my hairpins in it."

Price: $2,500

[Robert Roaldi]

Cynically speaking (tongue-in-cheek), shouldn't creative types and artists be happy about exhorbitant price inflation of artworks?  My wife is a painter and she'd love it if the value of her works sky-rocketed. And so would I. 

[Isaac]

Price inflation of artworks celebrity.

[Misirlou]

Cynically speaking (tongue-in-cheek), shouldn't creative types and artists be happy about exhorbitant price inflation of artworks?  My wife is a painter and she'd love it if the value of her works sky-rocketed. And so would I. 

There's one problem with that. We live in a world where the present definition of "art" is rather fuzzy. Some people think $1.7M is a reasonable price for this work, while others (perhaps including myself) would charge its owner to haul it off to the dump, had they not been told it was an impressive feat of artistic brilliance with a significant dollar value attached. In fact, some might charge more than a typical matures disposal fee, due to the known presence of potentially dangerous bio waste.

You can't make the big bucks now unless your work elicits such diverse reactions. Does your wife paint things that offend large numbers of laymen deeply? If not, sadly, this type of price is probably out of reach for her for now.

[Misirlou]

I had a running joke with one of my fine art instructors at the academy. When I was finished working on something, I'd assemble the leftover scraps and take them to him and act as if they were the intended product. He'd say "It has a strong sense of immediacy." I still laugh when I think about that, 35 years later.

[BobDavid]

The business of art is as tawdry as the business of politics. Oh, I forgot. They are indistinguishable.

[Justinr]

The business of art is as tawdry as the business of politics. Oh, I forgot. They are indistinguishable.

'Politics is theatre for the ugly'

Can't remember who said that now.

[fdisilvestro]

Well, it was sold for £2.2 Million  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/10939458/Tracey-Emins-bed-sells-for-2.2-million.html

[Justinr]

Well, it was sold for £2.2 Million  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/10939458/Tracey-Emins-bed-sells-for-2.2-million.html

Perhaps now she can afford someone to come in and make it properly.

[David Anderson]

I heard a funny interview with Tracey on BBC radio this morning.
She admits to having grown up a little since that work was created..
Interesting, but not art in my opinion.

[WalterEG]

Great to hear from you David, how are things?

WG

[Rhossydd]

Cynically speaking (tongue-in-cheek), shouldn't creative types and artists be happy about exhorbitant price inflation of artworks?  My wife is a painter and she'd love it if the value of her works sky-rocketed. And so would I. 

An interesting point to mention here is that the artist gets nothing from this sale, Saatchi sold the work (that he'd bought from her for 150k).

Maybe the discussion should be about the morality of buying 'art' for relatively small amounts, then allowing intermediaries to hype the work and resell it for much high prices without the original artist profiting.
OK the artist's current work might see an increase in value as a result, but if their later work isn't as well regarded ? ........

[kaelaria]

All i want to know is, where does all the money spread around by all the idiot collectors out there come from?  This crap is only 'worth' what the next idiot will pay.  It's a big bubble, some shorter than others.  Of course you never hear about those that get stuck holding the bag at the end...

[David Anderson]

Great to hear from you David, how are things?

WG

Good thanks Walter - how are you ?

[Justinr]

All i want to know is, where does all the money spread around by all the idiot collectors out there come from?  This crap is only 'worth' what the next idiot will pay.  It's a big bubble, some shorter than others.  Of course you never hear about those that get stuck holding the bag at the end...

Now that's a whole new can of worms and risks all sorts of political disputes but the 1% wouldn't bat an eyelid at this sort of money. In fact they need this sort of nonsense to spend it on to somehow justify to themselves their accumulation of wealth. It reminds of MS co-founder Paul Allen, who goes buying luxury yachts simply so that he has something to do with it all.

[amolitor]

Nothing is worth more than someone will pay for it. To complain that art follows this rule too is silly.

Yes art is a luxury item, not a necessity. This does not help the denizens of LuLa, who generally own cameras. Also a luxury item.