Ask anyone about Alien and there are usually three people they mention Ridley Scott, Sigourney Weaver and Swiss artist, H.R. Giger.
H.R. Giger  sadly passed away in hospital on Monday after he had a fall down his stairs at his Zürich home.
My first introduction to Giger was through the Alien movie, back then the movie terrified me when it first came out, but it also fascinated me with the design of the creature and the scenes that had the walls in that strange design, that I later learnt was by Giger.
I later went on to check out the rest of his art and have bought several Giger books since the movies release back in 1979 and the artwork still fascinates me today as I thumb through the pages of strange worlds and layouts that no other artist has ever touched on.
H.R. Giger was born in 1940 and became well-known for his work on the “Xenomorph” alien in Scott’s movie, he also went on to win an Oscar in 1980 for best visual effects.
His father, a chemist, viewed art as a “breadless profession” and strongly encouraged him to enter pharmaceutics, Giger recalls. Yet he moved in 1962 to Zürich, where he studied Architecture and industrial design at the School of Applied Arts until 1970. Giger had a relationship with Swiss actress Li Tobler until she committed suicide in 1975. He married Mia Bonzanigo in 1979; they separated a year and a half later.
Giger’s style and thematic execution were influential. His design for the Alien was inspired by his painting Necronom IV and earned him an Oscar in 1980. His books of paintings, particularly Necronomicon and Necronomicon II (1985) and the frequent appearance of his art in Omni magazine continued his rise to international prominence. Giger is also well-known for artwork on several music recording albums.
In 1998 Giger acquired the Château St. Germain in Gruyères, Switzerland, and it now houses the H. R. Giger Museum, a permanent repository of his work. The artist lived and worked in Zürich with his wife, Carmen Maria Scheifele Giger, who is the Director of the H.R. Giger Museum.
On 12 May 2014, Giger died in a hospital after having suffered injuries when he tripped and fell down some stairs at his home in Zürich. – Source Wikipedia
There is still a fascination for me with his work and he will be sadly missed not just by film fans, but also those that loved his art off-screen.
Share your thoughts. What do you remember about H.R. Giger and his work?
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
