The bed, not only a place for slumber, intimacy, and relaxation has also served as an artistic muse for centuries. From 19th century paintings of languorous women, to contemporary performance art the bed and the acts that happen within it have been explored by numerous artists. The bed itself provides a plethora of inspiration; aesthetically it is a beautiful place with billowy, soft sheets which cascade to the ground in dramatic folds and pleats. Conceptually it is a place of physical and psychological experiences both traumatic and sublime. The bed indeed is a personal place and is one of the most significant pieces of furniture in one’s home; here is a roundup of the bed throughout art history. Sweet dreams…
Nadja Haefeli, Germanic Funeral 2, 2007, oil on canvas
Cornelia Parker and Tilda Swinton, The Maybe, 1995. Installation at the Serpentine Gallery, London
Janine Antoni, Slumber, 1994, performance: loom, yarn, bed, nightgown, EEG machine and artist’s REM readings.
Andrew Wyeth, Master Bedroom, 1965, watercolor
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, The Bed, 1893, oil on cardboard
Frederic Leighton, Flaming June, 1895, oil on canvas
Edward Burne-Jones, The Rose Bower from Legend of Briar Rose Series, 1885 – 1890, oil on canvas
Julia Leigh, Sleeping Beauty, 2011, film
Henry Fuseli, The Nightmare, oil on canvas, 1781
Gustave Klimt, Danae, oil on canvas, 1907-1908
Yayoi Kusama, Bed-Dots Obsession, 2002
John Ransom Phillips, My Conception from the series Bed as Autobiography, 2001, oil on canvas
Paul Schenggenburger, from the series The Sleep of the Beloved, 2013
Guillermo Kuitca, Untitled, 1992, 20 wooden beds, 20 cotton mattresses, buttons, acrylic paint and marker pen
Urs Fischer, Untitled (Soft Bed) (2011)
Tracey Emin, My Bed, 1998, Mattress, linens, pillows, objects
You always show great stuff.
A subject near to my heart. 
Thank you so much! I conceived the idea for this post on a snow day where being in bed was the best thing ever.