'Kurt Cobain Unplugged': A New Exhibition Explores The Story Behind One Of Music's Most Iconic Guitars

A new exhibition celebrating the enduring influence of Kurt Cobain and NIRVANA will open in London, United Kingdom in June.

“Kurt Cobain Unplugged” will give fans an opportunity to step into the world of Cobain and explore the legacy of NIRVANA, a band that defined a generation. Explore their iconic 1993 “MTV Unplugged” performance, one of NIRVANA‘s final televised appearances before Cobain‘s death just five months later. See up close Cobain‘s rare Martin D-18E guitar, uniquely adapted for his left-handed play, shaping the unmistakable sound that defined NIRVANA‘s music. In 2020, it became the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction, bought for over $6 million by Australian entrepreneur Peter Freedman AM.

The exhibition, at the Royal College Of Music Museum, reunites Cobain‘s guitar with another piece of rock history — his famous olive-green mohair cardigan, worn during the “MTV Unplugged” performance, marking the first time these two legendary items have been displayed together.

Immerse yourself in rare memorabilia, uncover insights into Cobain‘s songwriting, and discover the lasting influence of a band that changed the face of rock music.

“Kurt Cobain Unplugged” is co-curated by Alan di Perna, one of America’s foremost rock journalists, and Royal College Of Museum curator Gabriele Rossi Rognoni.

For more information on the exhibition, click here.

Cobain played the 1959 Martin D-18E in what would become NIRVANA‘s most legendary performance. In a live taping for the popular “MTV Unplugged” series on November 18, 1993, approximately five months before his death, Cobain chose this guitar to paint what Rolling Stone called “his last self-portrait.” NIRVANA‘s acoustic performance that night produced one of the greatest live albums of all time, “MTV Unplugged In New York”. Cuts from the album, released seven months after Cobain‘s death, would go on to become the most celebrated and defining versions of NIRVANA‘s songs, “About A Girl”, “All Apologies”, “Come As You Are” and “Dumb”, as well as covers of David Bowie‘s “The Man Who Sold the World”, THE MEAT PUPPETS‘ “Lake Of Fire” and a haunting rendition of Lead Belly‘s “Black Girl” renamed “Where Did You Sleep Last Night”. “MTV Unplugged in New York” debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard chart and is consistently ranked among the top ten live albums of all time. Cobain‘s mastery of this guitar along with NIRVANA‘s flawless acoustic and vocal performance propelled the “MTV Unplugged In New York” album to multi-platinum certification and won the Grammy Award for “Best Alternative Music Album” in 1996. It was the seventh of only 302 D-18Es built by Martin and was customized by Cobain who added a Bartolini pickup to the soundhole.