An original Sex Pistols artwork that was first created in Aberdeen has returned to the Scottish city for a major exhibition celebrating the iconic punk band's visual legacy. The artwork, designed by Jamie Reid who passed away in 2023 at age 76, was originally printed at Peacock printmakers in Aberdeen during the 1970s and represents the artist's first creative work for the legendary punk band.
Jamie Reid, born in London in 1947, became the creative mastermind behind the Sex Pistols' most recognizable album covers and promotional materials. He studied at both Wimbledon Art School and later Croydon Art School, developing the distinctive style that would define punk rock aesthetics. Reid maintained strong connections to Scotland throughout his life, with family ties to Montrose and Inverness that brought him regularly to the region from childhood into his adult years.
The artist's collaboration with the Sex Pistols began through his college friendship with Malcolm McLaren, who would later become the band's manager. By 1975, Reid had grown weary of city life and was spending time on the Isle of Lewis when he received a telegram from McLaren asking him to create artwork for a new band called the Sex Pistols. This request led Reid to Aberdeen, where he discovered Peacock, an open-access printmaking facility that would become the birthplace of punk rock's visual identity.
At Peacock, Reid created the very first image for the Sex Pistols – a blue flyer featuring the band's name and a guitarist silhouette. John Marchant from the Jamie Reid Archive explained that the exact number of these original flyers remains unknown, though it was likely very few copies were ever produced. "I have been working with Jamie's archive for years and I've never seen one in the flesh before," Marchant told reporters. "I'd seen photographs of one. I know of one in Prague."
The search for an original flyer became a crucial mission for the exhibition organizers. Marchant launched an extensive campaign through various channels to locate one of these rare pieces, initially without success. However, his persistence paid off when he discovered that a collector had purchased one directly from Reid in 1986 for a substantial sum. "I met with him on Monday. He passed it across to me all framed up, I tucked it under my arm and flew up on Tuesday," Marchant recounted. "I purposefully hadn't unwrapped it and waited until we all gathered to take the covers off it. It was quite a moment, it really was. It was a real goosebump moment."
Reid's artistic legacy extends far beyond his work with the Sex Pistols, though his designs for hits like "God Save the Queen" and "Anarchy in the UK" became defining images of the punk era. The "God Save the Queen" cover, featuring lettering pasted over a photograph of the British monarch and the Union Jack flag, stands as one of the most provocative and recognizable album covers in music history. Reid's motivation was deeply political, as Marchant emphasized: "He was very politically motivated right to the end, in fact he only got involved with the Pistols because he felt that there was a potential for getting political messages out."
The exhibition, titled "The Eternal Ecstasy," showcases not only the famous Sex Pistols flyer but also features other original materials from the same period, including collage and photographic works that demonstrate the breadth of Reid's artistic vision. The venue, now known as Peacock and The Worm, is celebrating this connection as part of its ongoing recognition of its 50th anniversary, which was marked last year.
David McCracken, the arts and business manager at Peacock and The Worm, described the exhibition as "extraordinary" given Reid's strong Aberdeen connection. He noted that it was "slightly overwhelming" for the organization to have the original print resurface for display. "It's a wonderful, wonderful moment," McCracken said. "It is culturally the most important print ever made at Peacock."
Reid's influence on contemporary art extends well beyond the punk music scene, with his works now held in prestigious institutions including Tate Britain, New York's Museum of Modern Art, and Houston's Museum of Fine Arts. This recognition speaks to the lasting impact of his visual innovations and their significance in both music and art history.
The exhibition runs from Saturday through December 6, offering visitors a comprehensive look at Reid's artistic evolution and his crucial role in shaping punk rock's visual identity. Marchant hopes the exhibition will give people "the broader sense of what Jamie was as an artist," showcasing the political motivation and artistic vision that drove his groundbreaking work throughout his career.
