Kurt Cobain’s Final Photo Shoot to be Sold as an NFT
Photographer Jesse Frohman shot Kurt Cobain’s last official photo shoot just months before the Nirvana frontman’s death in 1994. Now the entire “The Last Session” photo shoot is going up for sale… as an NFT.
On that particular afternoon, Cobain was also hours late, holed up in his hotel room. Every passing minute was a blow to Jesse’s ambitions for the shoot.
Four hours later, what was to be a sprawling Central Park photoshoot had dwindled in scope to stealing 30 minutes in a drab hotel conference room with his two assistants and a Pentax 6×7 camera. When Kurt finally emerged from his hotel room, it was in a shroud of residual catatonia. He broke the silence by asking for a bucket — just in case. There was no time for small talk. There was no need. The photos speak for themselves. […]
Jesse left the shoot that day thinking he’d gotten one or two good shots. He was struck to find over a hundred, each imbued with a nuance unlike the others. Meanwhile, Nirvana hurtled towards crescendo with the release of the seminal In Utero two months later. Within another six months, Kurt Cobain would take his own life. His music, his life, and his death still loom large to this day.
This month marked the 27th anniversary of Cobain’s death at age 27.
Frohman has launched a new website dedicated to the non-fungible token sale and took to Twitter announcing it.
“Today I’m proud to announce my first NFT drop of iconic images from my photoshoot of Kurt Cobain in 1993,” Frohman writes. “The images, some of which have never before been seen, are from Kurt’s final photoshoot six months prior to his passing.
“‘The Last Session’ NFT drop is an artistic exploration into the ways evolving forms of media and technology can be used to keep a legend like Cobain alive and celebrate his impact on music and on generations.”
Read also: What is an NFT and Why Should Photographers Care?
“The Last Session” Complete Collection features 104 photos, Polaroid pictures, and contact sheets, including some of the most recognizable photos ever captured of Cobain.
“All 104 images are sold under a single, indivisible 1-of-1 NFT,” Frohman says. “If ever resold, the collection will stay together as one NFT; a complete hallmark of Cobain’s legacy and impact.”
In addition to a single NFT of the whole photo shoot, Frohman is also selling smaller limited edition NFTs of individual artworks for 1 to 2.7 ETH each (~$2,700 and $7,400, respectively, at current prices).
(6/9) The auction for “Nevermind” Editions will go live on May 3. Details can be found at https://t.co/KDvN8RyeMY
— Jesse Frohman (@jessefrohman) April 28, 2021
(8/9) The sale for “In Utero” Editions will go live on May 3. Details can be found at https://t.co/yu4fIfykOf
— Jesse Frohman (@jessefrohman) April 28, 2021
According to the photographer, a portion of the proceeds will go to The Jed Foundation, which works to “protect emotional health and prevent suicide for our nation’s teens and young adults” and is a charity that the Cobain family has supported for years.
One thing prospective buyers/bidders should understand, however, is that this sale isn’t for the copyright to these famous photographs. Instead, it’s simply for a unique authenticated collectible associated with this shoot.
“Collectors have the exclusive right to sell, trade, or transfer their NFT’s, but Collectors do not have a copyright interest in the underlying artworks and may not make ‘commercial use’ of the underlying work,” the sale’s terms state. “For example, Collectors may not sell copies of the work, mint additional NFTs based on the work, sell access to the work, sell derivative works embodying the work, or otherwise commercially exploit the Work.”
Frohman’s NFT sale will run from May 3rd through May 7th, and the complete collection will have a starting bid of 27.27 Ether (or roughly $75,000 at today’s cryptocurrency prices).
Image credits: Header illustration based on photo by Julie Kramer and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
