Muse

Tracey Emin’s "My Bed" (1999 ) presented as a contender of the Turner Prize, Tate, was provocative and self-confessional. Arguably because of the hype, stated shock, disgust and controversy, the concept of the bed appears to have lost its pre-eminence as an expression or experience in art. However there has been controversy about the bed since before 1863. Edouard Manet painted women lying on a ‘Grand Lit’. Manet’s ‘Olympia’ (1863) shocked the viewer. But the shock was not the nude lying on the bed but the realism, her confrontational gaze and pose of a prostitute. "What may have offended the view is the brazen look that defies the male gawker," (Lloyd 2004) This voyeuristic concept is dramatically demonstrated in Lucian Freud’s work, ‘Naked Portrait’ (1972). In this the bed is key. The drapes are significant because they show the context and the artefacts are purposely displayed.

Olympia - Eduoard Manet 1863

Naked Portrait - Lucian Freud 1972