Kurt Cobain's famous "Smells Like Teen Spirit" guitar will be on display in NYC

Kurt Cobain’s most famous guitar—as in, the one from the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" music video—is headed for auction in New York next spring. But before it goes to the highest bidder, fans can get up close to the teal left-handed 1969 Fender Competition Mustang that helped redefine rock music. Christie’s announced that the guitar that Cobain used on both Nevermind and In Utero will go on public exhibition before hitting the auction block in March 2026, part of the sale of the late business man Jim Irsay’s sprawling and famously eclectic collection.

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Irsay’s holdings, amassed over decades and considered one of the most significant private collections of music history in the world, include guitars and artifacts associated with a staggering list of icons: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Jimi Hendrix, Prince, Jerry Garcia, Bob Dylan, Eddie Van Halen, Eric Clapton, Janis Joplin, David Gilmour and dozens more. Guitar World even described it as “The Greatest Guitar Collection on Earth.” The upcoming auction will also include pieces from Elton John, Ringo Starr, John Coltrane, Miles Davis and Jim Morrison, offering a tour through the last century of music.

Cobain’s guitar is expected to fetch between $2.5 and $5 million. Purchased from Voltage Guitars in Los Angeles around 1990 or 1991, Cobain played the instrument in the studio on both Nirvana’s breakout album and its rawer sophomore work. It also appeared with Cobain at several live performances. Its most indelible moment, though, remains the “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video, where Cobain thrashes through the song in a high school gym. The video became an MTV staple, landed on its list of the “100 Greatest Music Videos Ever Made,” and continues to introduce new fans to the band more than three decades later, with more than a billion views on YouTube.

The guitar will be displayed at Christie’s Rockefeller Center galleries in early 2026, with additional details about the sales to be announced in the coming months. Visitors can view the exhibition free of charge, and those eager for updates on timing and related events can sign up at christies.com/irsay.

This announcement arrives the same week Christie’s is offering a different tribute to Cobain: “Kurt,” a 1995 Elizabeth Peyton portrait created one year after his death. Part of Peyton’s celebrated series depicting the musician, the piece will appear in the auction house’s 21st century evening sale on November 19.

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