Artist who designed iconic Sex Pistols covers dies at 76

Aug 09, 2023

The punk artist who designed the cover for the Sex Pistols record God Save The Queen has died at the age of 76.

Jamie Reid was best known for his work on the sleeve’s controversial defaced portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.

He also worked with the Sex Pistols on their album Never Mind The B*******.

Brighton art dealers the John Marchant Gallery, which worked with Reid for 25 years, shared news of his death in an Instagram post.

Posting a photograph of the artist, they wrote: “We sadly announce the passing of Jamie MacGregor Reid 16 January 1947 – 8 August 2023, Artist, iconoclast, anarchist, punk, hippie, rebel and romantic.

“Jamie leaves behind a beloved daughter Rowan, a granddaughter Rose, and an enormous legacy. Universal Majesty, Verity, Love, Infinite.”

His art, which was synonymous with the Sex Pistols, adopted a ransom note style where words looked as if they’d been snipped from newspapers and magazines – a style he developed at Suburban Press.

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He also has pieces in London’s Tate Modern and New York’s Museum of Modern Art and Houston’s Museum of Fine Art.

Jon Savage, a broadcaster who once wrote a book with Reid, wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter): “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.”

Reid was born in January 1947 in Croydon, south London, and went on to study at Wimbledon Art School and Croydon Art School.

It was in Croydon where he met the Sex Pistols’ manager Malcolm McLaren and began his work with the band.

Reid’s cause of death has not been revealed.

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