Tracey Emin shot to fame and notoriety with My Bed in 1999, taking up a role as the enfant terrible of the Young British Artists. She has since earned fortune and criticism in virtually equal measure, with important curators and critics supporting her work, whilst others have accused her of courting controversy and being self-indulgent in the autobiographical slant of her work. This lecture looks at some aspects of what is a wide-ranging and varied body of work and seeks to examine some of the reasons behind the antagonism Emin has faced.