British artist Jamie Reid, creator of many Sex Pistols album covers, including God Save The Queen in 1977, died Tuesday at the age of 76, his gallery owner announced on Wednesday. This famous cover, emblematic of the punk movement, shows a photo of Queen Elizabeth II inset against a background of the British flag, eyes and mouth covered with the names of the title and the group written with newspaper clippings.
Jamie Reid also designed the yellow and pink cover for the Sex Pistols’ only album, Never Mind the Bollocks (1977), whose name is inscribed in black type. Among his other notable works is the Anarchy in The UK track cover, made of a British flag torn down the center and patched with safety pins, while drawing clips hold the track and band name.
“We are saddened to announce the passing of Jamie MacGregor Reid January 16, 1947 – August 8, 2023,” the John Marchant Gallery said in a statement. “Artist, iconoclast, anarchist, punk, hippie, rebel and romantic. Jamie leaves behind a beloved daughter, Rowan, a granddaughter, Rose, and an immense legacy,” the statement continued. Jamie Reid had “entered the cultural landscape,” said John Marchant. The causes of his death were not specified.
Born in 1947, Jamie Reid joined the Wimbledon art school at the age of 16, before joining that of Croydon, south London, where he met the future manager of the Sex Pistols, Malcolm McLaren.