Blockbuster Pete McKee exhibition comes to a close at Weston Park Museum

Weston Park Museum’s hugely popular exhibition celebrating one of Sheffield’s best-loved artists, Pete McKee comes to a close after nearly a year of delighting audiences – including a major Hollywood star! The Boy with a Leg Named Brian, which has been seen by over 155,000 people and received rave reviews from visitors, closes on Sunday 2 November after a blockbuster 11-month run. The exhibition has been made possible thanks to the generous sponsorship of law firm CMS.

Taking its title from a patch sewn onto Pete’s jeans as a child, The Boy with a Leg Named Brian chronicles the artist’s formative years in the 1970s through over 90 McKee creations. Playful and poignant in equal measure, the exhibition has been delighting visitors through a vibrant, joyful array of paintings, prints and sculpture by Pete, as well displays celebrating the clothes, games, music and popular culture of the time. As well as transporting older visitors back through the decades, the exhibition has also inspired a host of younger fans through fun-filled activities and celebrations of the experiences we each continue to share growing up.

Among the thousands of visitors the exhibition has welcomed is Sheffield-born Hollywood star, Sean Bean, who joined Pete for a tour of the displays at Sheffield Museums’ recent Fundraising Party marking Weston Park Museum’s 150th anniversary. Reflecting on the familiarity of many of the stories the exhibition shares, Sean was hugely generous in his praise of Pete’s work as he welcomed guests in during the event’s opening speech.

Two men stand arm in arm in front of paintings of Sheffield in an art gallery

Pete McKee and Sean Bean in the exhibition © Andy Brown

I’ve been utterly overwhelmed by the response to my show The Boy with a Leg Named Brian. I wanted to create a show that was universally appealing but especially one that families could enjoy and spark conversations with their children and hopefully help inspire the next generation of artists. From the very point I sold my first painting back in 2004, I had a dream to one day have a show in one of the Sheffield galleries, so this was a dream come true. It's been wonderful to listen to people’s comments after visiting the show and how much enjoyment they got from the work.

Pete McKee

Feedback from visitors has been universally positive, with many visitors commenting on the powerful emotional connection they found with the works and stories on display, with comments including:

'Profoundly beautiful. I laughed and I cried. Pete McKee WOW!'
'Truly fantastic. Funny, emotional, relatable.'
'Absolutely LOVE the McKee exhibition. As a child of the 70s I feel like I have returned!'
'Rollercoaster of emotions!'

Others have praised the opportunity the exhibition provoked for cross-generational conversations about shared experiences and the importance of sharing our memories with each other.

'It gave me great joy for my children to experience things I saw and did in my earlier years.'
'Absolutely brilliant exhibition. Clever and engaging – for all ages. So impressed!'

Sheffield Museums is a charity, and our exhibitions programme is only made possible with the support of our partners across the city’s business community. The Boy with a Leg Named Brian has been generously supported by law firm CMS. CMS is one of the largest law firms in the world, providing a wide range of services to local, national and international clients. It has an extensive presence in the North of England, including a major office in Sheffield with over 500 people. As part of their sponsorship, the team at CMS had the chance to enjoy a special tour of the exhibition with Pete and a creative workshop full of McKee inspiration.

Supporting the arts and culture in Sheffield is important to CMS, and you don’t get much more ‘Sheffield’ than Pete McKee. We have been proud to be associated with such an important and iconic exhibition, and one that has given so much pleasure to so many people over the last year.

Tanya Holt, Head of English Regions, CMS

The exhibition has been complemented by programme of extra special events, including 400 Crisp Butties, a playful performance art event celebrating the humble crisp sandwich which attracted nearly 500 visitors. Pete has also been joined by founding member of The Specials, Horace Panter for an unmissable Listening Party. Horace joined Pete in conversation for a playback of The Specials’ first LP, discussing how the songs were made, the influences for the band, their hybrid sound and their impact on Pete and his work. The event was hugely popular, selling out in four hours and subsequently being repeated the following night due to the phenomenal demand.

A group of people listen as an artist talks about his work in an art gallery

Pete talks about some of the exhibition highlights with the CMS team © Andy Brown

It’s been absolutely fantastic to see such an incredible response to Pete’s exhibition at Weston Park Museum. It’s brilliant to see the exhibition welcome so many people, but what’s really wonderful is the depth of connection visitors have felt. Whether it’s people being transported back to their own childhoods or younger visitors finding inspiration for their own creative talents, the exhibition has really stuck a chord. It’s been fantastic working with Pete, and we’re hugely grateful to the exhibition sponsors, CMS, for helping us make it happen.

Kirstie Hamilton, Director of Programmes, Sheffield Museums

The Boy with a Leg Named Brian: Memoirs by Pete McKee continues at Weston Park Museum until 2 November 2025. Entry to the exhibition is free – please donate £5 when you visit and help us continue to celebrate Sheffield remarkable creative talents and inspire the city’s next generation of artist, makers and innovators. Thanks to our Double the Donation, Double the Difference campaign, you donation will have twice the impact – every pound you give will be matched by our campaign supporters, Graham and Sue Royle.

Generously sponsored by: