There are few bands in the history of music that hold as much reverence and have provided as much influence to the sound and feeling of popular culture than Nirvana. Their work lives on through their seminal studio album output and their memorable live shows, from Seatltle’s Paramount Theatre to Reading Festival 1992 to MTV Unplugged – the latter of which can be listened in full as one of the defining live albums.
An exhibition in London will now display two items from MTV Unplugged together for the first time, with the late Kurt Cobain’s acoustic guitar (the most expensive in history) being shown, alongside his olive-green mohair cardigan that he wore during the performance. Landing in London this week, Kurt Cobain Unplugged at the Royal College of Music Museum lets you view the treasured guitar up close in a first-time display for Europe, after it was purchased via auction by Peter Freedman in 2020 for around $6 billion.
Kurt Cobain Unplugged in London
Entry to the exhibition will only set you back a fiver, allowing you to glimpse at the headline spectacle of Kurt Cobain’s Martin D-18E, which is modified to fit his left-hand playing style. It’s also quoted by Courtney Love, his former partner and Hole vocalist, to be the final guitar the Nirvana singer played.
Alongside the guitar and Kurt Cobain’s sweater, visitors will also be able to view some collectible Nirvana vinyl, a set of gig posters from the 90s, and the top portion of a Martin guitar soundboard from the same series. All of the pieces shown at Kurt Cobain Unplugged provides an insight into both the legendary MTV Unplugged performance and the career of Nirvana as a whole through the ascent to become the defining Seattle band of the period across the world.
Rock journalist Alan di Perna – who has written for titles including Rolling Stone and interviewed Nirvana’s Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic, as well as touring member Pat Smear – and Royal College of Music Museum Curator Gabrielle Rossi Rognoni are responsible for putting on this museum. Peter Freedman, who is the founder of RØDE Microphones is loaning Kurt’s Martin D-18E for the duration of the exhibiton, which could become a fixture in other locations around the world.
Speaking on the exhibition, Alan di Perna said: “I’m delighted to be a part of the Royal College of Music Museum’s first-ever rock music exhibition. MTV’s Nirvana Unplugged in New York was a landmark event—a stand-out performance by a group that changed the course of rock history in the 1990s.”