Jamie Reid, Artist for the Sex Pistols, Dead at 76

Updated:

August 9, 2023 10:21 am

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The man behind the Sex Pistols’ iconography— most famously their trademark Queen and Union Jack cover art— Jamie Reid has passed away at 76 years old.

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While the Sex Pistols’ unique sound helped them make a name for themselves in the late ’70s, Reid’s artwork further defined the band’s aesthetic. Hordes of punk fans would later adopt the aesthetic, making the band a cultural force as well as a rock group.

“We sadly announce the passing of Jamie MacGregor Reid 16 January 1947 – 8 August 2023,” Reid’s gallerist said in a statement (per BBC News). “Artist, iconoclast, anarchist, punk, hippie, rebel, and romantic. Jamie leaves behind a beloved daughter Rowan a granddaughter Rose, and an enormous legacy.”

There isn’t much known about his passing. The gallerist did not reveal a cause of death.

Reid was born in 1947. He honed his craft at the Wimbledon Art School and the Croydon Art School. While in school, he met the Pistols’ manager Malcolm McLaren, who teed up his work with the band.

Reid’s work played off of classic ransom note lettering, which was in tune with the Pistols’ anarchist motif. He favored bold colors and splashy imagery. The Sex Pistols’ main logo—Queen Elizabeth with writing covering her features in front of a Union Jack—was created by Reid in 1977.

British artist, Jamie Reid’s “God Save the Queen”, a promotional poster, owned by Sid Vicious, is displayed in London on October 12, 2022, as part of the Stolper-Wilson Collection of Sex Pistols memorabilia, auctioned at Sotheby’s in London (Photo by DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty Images)

Author and Sex Pistols historian, Jon Savage, posted a statement to Twitter saying, “RIP Jamie Reid, best known as the designer for the classic Sex Pistols era 1976-79. His ability to render complex ideas in eye-catching visuals was their perfect accompaniment. He and I did a book together in 1987: it’s a good one.”

Reid’s work can be viewed at prestigious galleries around the world including Tate Britain, New York’s Museum of Modern Art, and Houston’s Museum of Fine Art.

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MAIN IMAGE: British artist, Jamie Reid’s “God Save the Queen”, a promotional poster, owned by Sid Vicious, hanging Sotheby’s in London in 2022. (Photo by Daniel LEAL / AFP)