Kurt Cobain was the reluctant leader of the grunge movement. He was born and burst out of Seattle in the early 1990s. All the cultural heritage that emerged from his life, music and death lies at the heart of an exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum that opened yesterday (May 13).
When Nirvana released their album Nevermind in 1991, it caused a musical genre that had fermented in Seattle to explode and conquer the world. Kurt Cobain’s band was the springboard for many groups who sought to forge different path from the wave of electro-pop that was sweeping the music scene.
Kurt Cobain’s suicide occurred when he was at the height of Nirvana glory in 1994. The act forever crystallized his passage in the history of rock ‘n’ roll and gave him instant martyr status to a generation that identified with him.
The Kurt exhibit includes pieces from various artists and asks the questions why and how Kurt Cobain has become so important for a generation.
Charles Peterson is a photographer who had privileged access to the private world of people who belonged to the Sub Pop label, which re-signed Nirvana. He offers a series of photographs, an intimate look at the artist in a series of sometimes unpublished shots
The exhibit runs until September 6.