Bruce Pavitt X 1XRUN “Experiencing Nirvana” Photo Print Set #2
The SUB POP founder teams with the producer of fine art prints to time release a set of images from his book Experiencing Nirvana: Grunge In Europe, 1989
In 2013, SUB POP founder, Bruce Pavitt released Experiencing Nirvana: Grunge in Europe, 1989, through Bazillion Points publishing. Set over an 8-day period (November 27 through December 4, 1989) at the tail end of a strenuous 6-week co-headlining European tour for Nirvana (pre Dave Grohl) and fellow Sub Pop recording artists and grunge pioneers, TAD, the book chronicles a moment when these bands and their label were still struggling visionaries on the cusp of world recognition. At this point, Nirvana‘s debut LP, Bleach, wouldn’t even be released for another 6 full months.
It was a difficult period that almost saw a disillusioned Kurt Cobain quit the band, before they ever really got off the ground. The story goes that Pavitt and business partner, Jonathan Poneman, flew out to Rome to meet up with the bands. Once there, they found Cobain burnt out and suffering from nervous exhaustion. In less than a week, the Nirvana/TAD tour would intersect with Mudhoney‘s in London, where all 3 bands would perform as part of Lamefest UK. A spark was ignited in the music press, with Nirvana receiving the lion’s share of publicity. The ball was rolling, and the rest is history.
Shot with a simple Olympus XA pocket camera, Pavitt‘s photos offer an intimate perspective of that time on and off the stage. I regretted not placing a secret bid on some prints at the Seattle book launch held at Fantagraphics upon its release, but now the folks at 1XRUN are offering select shots in a timed edition from now through Monday. A previous set of 3 different prints was released back in June, but it completely slipped past us.
Each 12 x 9 in. print will come signed and numbered, with a signed 1XRUN Certificate of Authenticity by Bruce Pavitt. The edition size per print is determined by the number sold within the allotted sales window.
Bruce Pavitt timed edition prints dropped this morning, Friday July 25 at noon (est). This run closes Monday, July 28 at 12pm (est). Prints are priced at $50 per print. The 4-print set was announced as being $150, but it’s currently on the site for only $125. Whether or not that’s a mistake, we don’t know, but if you’re interested in the full set, you should probably jump on that before they fix it. The “Nirvana, Astoria Theatre, London, December 3, 1989“ 12 x 9 in. print is available exclusively when buying the set.
PURCHASE at 1XRUN.
