Kurt Cobain’s iconic $6 million Martin D-18E to be displayed at new Nirvana Unplugged exhibition in London
A new exhibition is putting the Martin D-18E Kurt Cobain played during his legendary MTV Unplugged set on display in the UK for the first time.
The famed acoustic guitar will be on display as part of the exhibition Kurt Cobain Unplugged, which will run from 3 June at the Royal College of Music Museum in London.
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The exhibition will delve into Nirvana and Cobain’s musical legacy and will also focus on the journey of the iconic Martin acoustic. It became the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction in 2020 when it was bought for over $6 million by Australian entrepreneur Peter Freedman AM, who has loaned it for the exhibition. It holds the record as the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction.
“When I purchased this guitar, my intention was to have it begin a worldwide tour of exhibitions, to support performing artists,” he says in a press release. “I am delighted that this intent will be premiered at the Royal College of Music, London, with the first exhibition of its kind and will support talented musicians worldwide.”
The guitar was one of the earliest Martins fitted with electric pickups and was uniquely modified for Cobain’s left-handed playing style. According to Courtney Love, quoted in Billboard, the Martin D-18E was the last guitar Cobain ever played.
Meanwhile, visitors can also see the guitar displayed alongside the famous olive-green mohair cardigan that Cobain wore during the performance. It was a favourite of his during his final year alive, often worn when he was on tour. It has a missing button, two cigarette burns and a stain from an unidentified substance in one of the pockets. It sold at auction for $334,000 in 2019 and according to The Guardian, it was the most expensive sweater ever sold.
This marks the first time the two have been displayed together.
Also on display is a selection of Nirvana memorabilia including selection of Nirvana gig posters, collectible Nirvana vinyl in its original shrink wrap and the top portion of a Soundboard of another guitar from the same series.
The exhibition was curated by rock journalist Alan di Perna and Royal College of Museum Curator Gabriele Rossi Rognoni. “I’m delighted to be a part of the Royal College of Music Museum’s first-ever rock music exhibition,” he says. “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.”
Rognoni adds: “One of the treasures in the collections of the Royal College of Music Museum is the world’s oldest guitar. I am thrilled that this exhibition will build on our extraordinary heritage, connecting it with a monument of today’s music such as Kurt Cobain. I look forward to the dialogues, musical encounters and new ideas that this exhibition will spark among our visitors and the top-class musicians that study at the College.”
Tickets will cost £5 and bookings for visits between 3 June and 17 August will open on Wednesday, 30 April at 10am.
Visitors can join the waitlist to find out more about tickets and other events taking place around the exhibition.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
