A groundbreaking piece of punk rock history has returned to Aberdeen, Scotland, where it was originally created nearly five decades ago. The first-ever artwork for the legendary British punk band Sex Pistols, produced in the Scottish city, is now the centerpiece of a major new exhibition that celebrates both the band's cultural impact and Aberdeen's previously unknown role in shaping punk rock's visual identity.
The Sex Pistols revolutionized music and youth culture in the 1970s, with their sound and rebellious aesthetic influencing an entire generation. Much of their iconic visual identity came from the radical artwork of Jamie Reid, the pioneering artist who created the controversial and instantly recognizable album covers for landmark releases including "God Save the Queen" and "Anarchy in the UK." Reid's bold designs became defining images of the punk movement and remain culturally significant to this day.
However, Aberdeen's crucial role in the development of the band's visual identity has remained largely unknown until now. David McCracken, print curator at the Peacock Print Makers in Aberdeen, recently revealed the fascinating backstory behind this connection. According to McCracken, Jamie Reid was living on the Isle of Lewis in the mid-1970s when he received an urgent telegram from Malcolm McLaren, his former art college classmate who managed the Sex Pistols. McLaren asked Reid to return to London immediately to create artwork for his new band.
"Jamie would come from the Isle of Lewis after receiving a telegram from Malcolm McLaren, who he had been at art college with him," McCracken explained. "Malcolm asked him to come back to London and make the artwork for his new band called the Sex Pistols. He came to Aberdeen, popped in here and made a print, rolled it up, then off to London." This blue flyer, featuring the band's name and a guitarist's image, became the foundation for the Sex Pistols' visual brand.
The print Reid created at Aberdeen's Peacock Print Makers is extraordinarily rare, with only one other copy believed to exist anywhere in the world. For years, various attempts were made to track down this elusive piece of punk history, but all efforts proved unsuccessful. When Peacock Print Makers, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, decided to mount a retrospective exhibition of Jamie Reid's work, they were forced to recreate the poster from memory and available references.
In a remarkable turn of events, just days before the exhibition was scheduled to open, the original Aberdeen-made artwork suddenly resurfaced. A gentleman from Dundee contacted the gallery after seeing media coverage about the upcoming show. He revealed that he had purchased the poster directly from Jamie Reid in 1986 and had kept it in his possession ever since. The print was delivered to the gallery just one week before the exhibition opening, creating what McCracken described as "a very emotional moment" for everyone involved.
"A gentleman got in touch from Dundee. He'd seen the media around the story, and he got in touch to say he had a poster," McCracken recounted. "He'd bought it from Jamie in 1986. It was delivered to the gallery only last week and was unveiled in what was a very emotional moment. The print came home. It was a very lovely moment for everyone in the room. It was quite overwhelming that the original print resurfaced for the exhibition."
The discovery has filled Peacock Print Makers with immense pride about their newly revealed connection to punk rock history. The gallery hopes that the exhibition, titled "Eternal Ecstasy," will give visitors a broader understanding of Jamie Reid as an artist beyond his famous Sex Pistols work. The show features various materials from throughout Reid's career, providing comprehensive insight into his artistic evolution and cultural impact.
"Culturally, this is the most important print ever made at Peacocks, ever made in Aberdeen, ever made in Scotland perhaps," McCracken emphasized. He noted that it's extraordinary how Reid's story has such a strong Aberdeen connection, adding that Jamie, who passed away in August 2023 at age 76, would have been thrilled to see this exhibition come to fruition.
The exhibition has proven commercially successful as well as culturally significant. New versions of Reid's historic print are selling rapidly, with proceeds helping to support Peacock Print Makers' open-access workshop model. This financial success ensures the continuation of the same collaborative artistic environment that originally welcomed Jamie Reid back in 1976. "It's continuing to make money for this open access model that still runs today – the way that Jimmy Reid found in 1976 in the Castlegate in Aberdeen," McCracken noted.
The "Eternal Ecstasy" exhibition will run through December 6, offering visitors a unique opportunity to see this pivotal piece of punk rock history alongside other significant works from Reid's artistic career. The show represents not only a celebration of Reid's legacy but also Aberdeen's unexpected but crucial contribution to one of the most influential cultural movements of the 20th century.
