Jamie Reid: Nowhere Buses
Artist: Jamie Reid (British, 1947–2023)
Title: Nowhere Buses Demand the Impossible.
Medium: A 3-colour screen print on 280 GSM Eco Cairn acid-free brown card.
Dimensions: 64 x 45 cm.
Signature: Hand-signed and numbered by the artist, often including his distinct glyph moniker
Historical Significance
Originally created in 1972 for Reid's radical anarchist magazine Suburban Press, this image became globally famous when it was repurposed for the Sex Pistols' 1977 single "Pretty Vacant".
The artwork features two mirrored American GMC buses with their destination signs replaced by the words "Nowhere". It perfectly captured the Situationist-inspired themes of social alienation and the "cultural boredom" of the 1970s. While Reid is credited with the iconic punk version, the original graphic was reportedly re-`appropriated from a 1973 pamphlet by the San Francisco Situationist group Point-Blank!.
This image is considered one of the pillars of the punk aesthetic. Because Reid insisted on including test prints, rejects, and imperfect prints in some editions (like the Demand the Impossible series), many pieces feature unique anomalies that make them one-of-a-kind for collectors.
Jamie Reid: Nowhere Buses
Artist: Jamie Reid (British, 1947–2023)
Title: Nowhere Buses Demand the Impossible.
Medium: A 3-colour screen print on 280 GSM Eco Cairn acid-free brown card.
Dimensions: 64 x 45 cm.
Signature: Hand-signed and numbered by the artist, often including his distinct glyph moniker
Historical Significance
Originally created in 1972 for Reid's radical anarchist magazine Suburban Press, this image became globally famous when it was repurposed for the Sex Pistols' 1977 single "Pretty Vacant".
The artwork features two mirrored American GMC buses with their destination signs replaced by the words "Nowhere". It perfectly captured the Situationist-inspired themes of social alienation and the "cultural boredom" of the 1970s. While Reid is credited with the iconic punk version, the original graphic was reportedly re-`appropriated from a 1973 pamphlet by the San Francisco Situationist group Point-Blank!.
This image is considered one of the pillars of the punk aesthetic. Because Reid insisted on including test prints, rejects, and imperfect prints in some editions (like the Demand the Impossible series), many pieces feature unique anomalies that make them one-of-a-kind for collectors.
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