H.R. Giger, the Brilliant BioMechanical Artist, Dead at 74

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H.R. Giger

Hans Rudolph Giger, the artist who created the terrifyingly beautiful biomechanical creatures used in the Alien movies, and other weirdly fascinating artwork seen everywhere from the covers of rock albums to video games to tattoos, died yesterday due to complications from a fall suffered at his home; the artist was 74.

H. R. Giger museum

The image of a brooding, mysterious artist was nurtured by Giger working only at night, keeping his curtains permanently drawn and dressing mainly in black — a habit he acquired while working as a draftsman because it made Indian ink stains stand out less on his clothes. – AP

H R Giger Museum Gruyeres, Switzerland.jpg

His mother Melli, to whom he showed a lifelong devotion, encouraged her son’s passion for art, despite his unconventional obsession with death and sex that found little appreciation in 1960s rural Switzerland. The host of one of his early exhibitions was reportedly forced to wipe the spit of disgusted neighbors off the gallery windows every morning.  – AP

H R Giger Museum Gruyeres, Switzerland - Alien statue

As much as I admire his artwork, for some reason it’s the set of microphone stands that he made for the lead singer of Korn, Jonathan Davis, that stand out in my mind the most.

Korn - Jonathan Davis

I’m not much of a Korn fan, but that didn’t stop me from watching the video — mesmerized — when it popped up while I was flipping through channels years ago.

After seeing the pictures in Jason Wilson’s post about visiting the Giger Museum in Switzerland, I can’t help but want to go now, too.

When you think of  H.R. Giger, which of his artworks stands out in your mind?

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About the Author

Judie Lipsett Stanford
Judie is the co-owner and Editor-in-Chief of Gear Diary, which she founded in September 2006. She got her start in 1999 writing software reviews at the now-defunct smaller.com; from mid-2000 through 2006, she wrote hardware reviews for and co-edited at The Gadgeteer. A recipient of the Sigma Kappa Colby Award for Technology, Judie has written for or been profiled by nationally known sites and magazines, and she has served on multiple industry hardware and software award panels. She is best known for her device-agnostic approach, enjoyment of exploring tech, gadgets, and gear, and her deep-diving, jargon-free reviews.