( CNN ) -- The next time your child refuses to make his or her bed , do n't despair . You may have an artist on your hands . A 16-year-old unmade bed , turned into an art installation , sold for $ 4,351,969 dollars at a Christie 's art auction in London on Tuesday , according to Christie 's . Artist Tracey Emin calls it `` My Bed , '' because it was the bed where she spent four days in 1998 `` heartbroken and feeling terrible '' she tells CNN . Once Emin got out of the bed she recalls looking at the mess left behind and decided to make it art . `` Suddenly I had this vision of taking it out of the bedroom space and putting it into a white gallery space , '' she said . `` It suddenly made sense , '' she said . `` Wow this is fantastic artwork . '' A year later , in 1999 , `` My Bed '' was shortlisted for the Turner Prize . It 's not just the messy linens and blankets that bring the art installation to life . The objects surrounding it tell the story of a broken heart . There 's the ashtray overflowing with cigarettes , empty liquor bottles , dirty panties , bits of food , contraceptives and what appears to be a 16-year-old condom . `` It 's like a piece of history , a time capsule , '' Emin said . Art lovers agreed , and her unconventional sculpture sold for more than $ 1.7 million over the expected auction price , which was set between $ 1.3 million to $ 2 million . Christie 's wo n't comment on who bought `` My Bed . '' CNN 's James Frater and Max Foster contributed to this story .
A 16-year - old unmade bed sells for over $ 1 million at auction . The artist , Tracey Emin , spends two days in the studio ` ` heartbroken '' ` ` It 's like a piece of history , a time capsule , '' Emin says . No official word yet on who bought the unmade bed .