Jamie Reid: Sex Pistols Mural
This work of collage and documentation by the artist behind the Sex Pistols’ iconic imagery is a defining statement on the Pistols era.
Born in London in 1947, Jamie Reid is an English artist and anarchist with connections to the Situationists.
His work, featuring letters cut from newspaper headlines in the style of a ransom note, came close to defining the image of punk rock, particularly in the UK.
His best known works include the artwork for the Sex Pistols album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols and the singles ‘Anarchy in the UK’ and ‘God Save The Queen’.
The artwork for the latter single was based on a Peter Grugeon photograph of Queen Elizabeth II, with an added safety pin through her nose and swastikas in her eyes, and was described by Sean O'Hagan of The Observer as ‘the single most iconic image of the punk era.’
The Sex Pistols mural began life as a free-form installation of materials Reid had collected – flyers, posters, contacts sheets, fabric, photographs and a bounced cheque from Malcolm McLaren – pasted directly onto the walls of the Brixton Gallery, south London, for exhibition in January 1984.
Since this first exhibition of the mural, it has been exhibited around the world as Reid’s defining statement on the Pistols era.
A work of collage and documentation, the mural reflects the cultural turmoil of the time, including inflammatory imagery such as swastikas.
The mural is displayed as part of a day of punk-related programming and activity, not as an endorsement of this inflammatory imagery, but as an authentic reflection of a pivotal moment in our culture and history.
Need to know
For ages 16+
Contains language some audiences may find offensive as well as nudity and inflammatory images, including swastikas
Dates & times
Price
- Standard entryFree
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Venue
Queen Elizabeth Hall
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