|
 Giger, who was born Hans Rudolf in the eastern Swiss town of
Chur in 1940, died on Monday in Zurich from injuries he obtained
after suffering a fall, an employee of the H.R. Giger Museum
said, confirming reports in Swiss media.
Famous for creating the otherworldly creature in Ridley Scott's
1979 horror film "Alien", Giger was awarded an Oscar for Best
Achievement in Visual Effects in 1980.
The son of a chemist, he studied architecture and industrial
design in Zurich, and first experimented with ink drawing and
polyester works before moving onto large freehand airbrush works
showcasing nightmarish dreamscapes.
His work explored the relationship between the human body and
the machine, and he created surrealist images of humans fused
with industrial parts, a style he described as "biomechanical".
One example of this was his 1973 record cover design for "Brain
Salad Surgery" by English rock group Emerson, Lake and Palmer's
which depicted a human skull encased in a machine.
"My paintings seem to make the strongest impression on people
who are, well, who are crazy. A good many people think as I do.
If they like my work they are creative... or they are crazy,"
Giger said in an 1979 interview with Starlog magazine.
[to top of second column] |
In 1975, Giger endured tragedy when his partner Swiss actress and Li
Tobler, who served as a model in several of his works, committed
suicide. He married Mia Bonzanigo in 1982 but the couple later
divorced.
Giger was also known for his sculptures, paintings and furniture and
many of these works are on display at his own museum in a medieval
castle in Gruyeres, central Switzerland, which is run by his second
wife Carmen Maria Scheifele Giger.
The museum, which opened in 1998 also houses Giger's private art
collection, including works by Salvador Dali.
(Reporting by Caroline Copley Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
