Kurt Cobain’s ’Unplugged’ guitar donated to London’s Royal College of Music

The guitar Kurt Cobain famously played during Nirvana‘s 1993 MTV Unplugged performance has been donated to the Royal College of Music in London.

The 1959 Martin D-18E was purchased at auction in 2020 for a record-breaking $6 million by Peter Freedman, founder of the Australian company Rode Microphones. The sale marked the highest price for any guitar sold at auction.

The guitar previously went up for display at the Royal College of Music in an exhibit that concluded in November. Future plans for the guitar include an international touring exhibition set for 2026.

“I am delighted to gift this iconic guitar to the Royal College of Music so that they might realize the guitar’s value and profile for the benefit of young musicians at the RCM and reach people around the world,” Freedman says in a statement. “This gift is dedicated to my father Henry who loved music and London, and it’s an honor for me to support the next generation of musicians.”

“The Royal College of Music is deeply grateful to Peter Freedman for his incredible generosity in gifting the College Kurt Cobain’s Martin D-18E guitar,” adds Royal College of Music director James Williams. “This asset opens future opportunities to share the Kurt Cobain Unplugged exhibition with an international audience; it is also emblematic of Peter’s unstinting support for the performing arts and his steadfast belief in the power of education to transform lives.”