Sometimes, when we’re feeling too deep and nostalgic for our own good, we get to wondering whether Kurt Cobain was the last real rock star. We certainly can’t name another musician who, in the 16 years since his suicide, has emerged as a legitimate heir. So perhaps that’s why the tragic legend’s legacy remains so ubiquitous in the music world, and why we were so curious when we heard the Seattle Art Museum was dedicating an entire exhibit to art featuring and inspired by the Nirvana frontman. The show, titled simply Kurt, opens today and runs through September 6. After the jump, we present a gallery of images from exhibition, ranging from iconic performance photos to Elizabeth Peyton’s dreamy, washed out portrait of Cobain.
Alice Wheeler, Kurt Cobain at MTV’s Live and Loud, Pier 63, Seattle WA, Dec. 3, 1993, printed 2010. Color photograph, 27×40.5 in. Courtesy of Seattle Art Museum.
Scott Fife, Kurt Cobain, 2006. Archival cardboard, glue, and screws, 22x18x20 in. Courtesy of Seattle Art Museum.
Charles Peterson, Nirvana, Rajis, Los Angeles 2/15/90, 1990. Inkjet print, 66×44 in. Courtesy of Seattle Art Museum.
Gretchen Bennet, Like a Setting Sun (South G. Street, Tacoma, WA), 2008. Prismacolor pencils on paper, 26×35.5 in. Courtesy of Seattle Art Museum.
Elizabeth Peyton, Zoe’s Kurt, 1995. Oil on board, 14×11 in. Courtesy of Seattle Art Museum.