A collection of personal items that belonged to the late Nirvana star Kurt Cobain will be displayed for the first time this summer at the Museum of Style Icons in Newbridge, Co Kildare.
The exhibition, titled Growing Up Kurt Cobain, will make its world debut on July 19 and contains iconic possessions from the late rock star's life including the top he wears in the video for Nirvana's breakthrough hit Smells Like Teen Spirit, hand-written lyrics, sketches he made as a child and a teenager and the only known car he owned, a powder blue 1965 Dodge Dart.
Cobain's mother Wendy O’Connor, sisters Kim Cobain and Olivia O’Connor, and his 25-year-old daughter Frances Bean Cobain will attend the opening of the exhibition in Kildare.
They said they chose to open the exhibition in Ireland to celebrate Cobain's Irish heritage. Cobain believed that his family originated in County Cork but in fact his ancestors emigrated to the US from Carrickmore, County Tyrone, in 1875.
Frances Bean Cobain said: "I am so thrilled to participate and support my family as they honour their brother and son at The Museum of Style Icons in Ireland.
"I have always been the most intimately informed of who my father was by my grandmother and aunts. I am so ecstatic that their view of who Kurt was gets to be celebrated with Nirvana fans the world over."
"With this exhibition we hope to bring the focus back to Kurt’s roots, vision and artistic genius, to inspire everyone not to lose their creativity and childlike wonder," his sister, Kim Cobain, added.
@cobainreed New. Young Kurt 24th december 1986. This photo and other items will be at "growing up Kurt Cobain" exhibit Newbridge, Ireland 07-19-2018 until end of september 2018.More on https://t.co/R4CuIq8tvB pic.twitter.com/YmleQzbrkD
— Akasha (@Akasha80019048) June 14, 2018
William Doyle, owner of the museum, said: "These items have never previously been seen by the public and it's an incredible honour to be a part of this amazing exhibition.
"We have handled exhibitions of Michael Jackson, Cher, Prince and many other music and fashion icons and we expect this exhibition of Kurt's life to be one of our greatest exhibitions curated by our museum."
The exhibition opens on July 19 and runs till September 30 in Newbridge, Ireland.
The Nirvana frontman died in Seattle on April 8, 1994 aged 27. His death was ruled a suicide.
