H. R. GIGERSwiss Surrealism1940 -

Giger is the son of a chemist. He spoke of a father who viewed art as a "breadless profession", and strongly encouraged his son to enter into pharmaceutics.

He won an Academy Award for Best Achievement for Visual Effects for his design work on the film Alien.

Giger got his start with small ink drawings before progressing to oil paintings. For most of his career, Giger has worked predominantly in airbrush, creating monochromatic canvasses depicting surreal, nightmarish dreamscapes.

Giger Shaft VII1966

Giger – Cthulhu1966 india ink on paper

Giger studied Architecture and industrial design at the School of Applied Arts until 1970.

Giger Birth Machine1967

His most distinctive stylistic innovation is that of a representation of human bodies and machines in a cold, interconnected relationship, described as "biomechanical".

Landscape XVII

Giger Necronomicon I

Giger, NYC xxiii

Giger, Biomechanics I no.597

His main influences were painters Ernst Fuchs and Salvador Dalí. He was also a personal friend of Timothy Leary.

Giger suffers from night terrors and his paintings are all to some extent inspired by his experiences with that particular sleep disorder. He studied interior and industrial design at the School of Commercial Art in Zurich (from 1962 to 1965) and made his first paintings as a means of art therapy.

Giger - Li II

Giger - NYC vi

Giger’s work has been used in the music scene. From album covers, to backdrops, to stage crafts. He has done cover works for ELP, Danzig III, & even a custom resin microphone stand for J. Davis of Korn.

Giger ELP ii

Ibanez Guitars released second generation of H. R. Giger Signature Models

His work is also big in the tattoo – biomechanics scene

Giger’s work is most famous for his design-work in film

Poltergeist II concept art

Giger, Dune i

Dune ii

Despite his small design work in some films, he is MOST famous for his design of the xenomorph species in ALIEN & the environment.

Giger not only dealt with character design, he designed the sets, environment, & backdrops used in ALL ALIEN films & Species, although not credited in some of the films.

Giger, Pilot I

Commonly known as “Space Jockey”

The Jockey itself is regarded as a marvel of the movie; a sight unparalleled in the series in its mystery. Giger himself was humble when describing it, saying: "I modeled it myself, in clay. It was then cast in polyester…”

Giger, Derelict i

Giger, Wreck iii

His work made a re-appearance in the 2011 film, PROMETHEUS by alien film director Ridley Scott.