Artwork
Biography
Pete McKee (born Sheffield, 1967) creates iconic and enduring images that reflect his experiences of growing up on a council estate, surrounded by working-class culture and humour. This down-to-earth and nostalgic thread runs through all of his work and has gained him a worldwide following.
Comics were a large part of Pete’s childhood and he would read “any that he could get his hands on” with particular favourites including; Whizzer and Chips, The Dandy, The Beano, and Hergé’s beloved Tintin.
Pete has collaborated with Noel Gallagher, Liam Gallagher, Oasis, Sir Paul Smith, the Arctic Monkeys, Richard Hawley, Disney, Warp Films, Clarks Shoes, The Human League, Rega and BBC 6 Music. He is a longstanding supporter of the Teenage Cancer Trust Charity, and is well known for the concert posters he has designed for their shows at the Royal Albert Hall.
In 2010, Pete opened the McKee Gallery in Sheffield. He put on his first major exhibition in 2013, The Joy of Sheff, and has since showcased numerous others including; Six Weeks to Eternity in 2016, This Class Works in 2018, and Frank and Joy: A Love Story in 2023. He is currently holding his longest exhibition yet, A Boy With A Leg Named Brian, at Weston Park Museum in Sheffield. It runs from November 2024 until November 2025.
Pete is also a patron of the Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity, Art+. One of his most notable annual projects being the charity Christmas card design. In 2018, Pete received an honorary doctorate from Sheffield Hallam University and was presented as a Doctor of Arts at that year’s graduation.
In 2024, after over 10 years on Sharrow Vale Road, the McKee Gallery relocated to a new home at Leah’s Yard in the Sheffield City Centre.
This Autumn the new exhibition Viva La Nan! comes to Harrogate and Sheffield; the two part exhibition celebrates the beloved nans of McKee’s childhood. The exhibition opens at RedHouse Saturday 27 September – Saturday 4 October 2025 and at Leah’s Yard Saturday 11 – Sunday 12 October 2025.
Contact us to request the catalogue of available artworks by Pete McKee
