Jamie Reid

Jamie Reid (1947-2023) was an English artist and anarchist.

Born in Croydon, south London, he grew up in a family of political activists. He participated in the student movement while a student at Croydon Art College and occupied the college with Malcolm McLaren. After leaving Croydon Art College in 1970, he co-founded the avant-garde political magazine Suburban Press, where he established his own style of graphics.

Chaos in Cancerland

Jamie established the importance of art in music when he designed the album jackets for the Sex Pistols, a punk rock band for which Malcolm was manager, in 1977. Those jackets featured a collage of words cut from newspaper headlines in the style of a ransom demand. This design would be decisive in recognizing him as a top-notch artist.

Anarchy In The U.K.

Sex Pistols Mural

In recent years, the Eight Fold year series, a collection of works inspired by the eight festivals that divide the Druidic year, has garnered worldwide attention. Jamie saw this series as a reimagining of his work from the late 60s and early 70s. He revived them with a new aesthetic.

When The Earth Had Many Moons

His most notable exhibitions include "Peace is Tough" in New York and Tokyo, "Ragged Kingdom" in Modena and Berlin, and "May Day, May Day" and "Out of the Dross-Liberty" in London. His work is in international collections including the Tate, MOMA, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

He will die on August 8, 2023, after 76 years of life.