H. R. Giger
A visionary artist who fused flesh, bone, and machine into a haunting new aesthetic that forever changed the face of science fiction horror.
1940–2014 (age 74)·Swiss artist·Birthday: February 5·The Silent Generation
Biography
H.R. Giger's childhood in wartime Switzerland seeded a lifelong fascination with the macabre and the mechanical. He studied architecture and industrial design, but it was his airbrushed paintings, collected in the seminal book 'Necronomicon', that forged his unique biomechanical style—a disturbing, sensual fusion of organic forms and cold machinery. His breakthrough came when director Ridley Scott, seeing the book, enlisted him to design the creature and derelict spacecraft for 'Alien'. Giger's xenomorph, a creature of perfect, nightmarish biomechanical design, won him an Academy Award and instantly became a cinematic icon. His influence radiated far beyond film, shaping heavy metal album art, tattoo culture, and furniture design. He lived much of his life surrounded by his own creations in a Zurich home that was a museum of the grotesquely beautiful.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
H. was born in 1940, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When H. Was Born
The biggest hits of 1940
#1 Movie
Fantasia
Best Picture
Rebecca
H.'s Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1940Born
The Blitz: Germany bombs London
Gas: $0.18/galHome: $2,938Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I'll Never Smile Again" — Tommy DorseyBest Picture: Rebecca
1945Started school
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1953Became a teenager
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1956Could drive
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1958Could vote
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1961Turned 21
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1970Turned 30
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1980Turned 40
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1990Turned 50
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 60
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 70
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2014Died at 74
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
Key Achievements
- Won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for his design work on Ridley Scott's 1979 film 'Alien'.
- Created the biomechanical art style, extensively documented in his influential book 'Necronomicon'.
- Designed the iconic xenomorph creature and the derelict Engineer spaceship for the 'Alien' franchise.
- Has a permanent museum dedicated to his work in the Château St. Germain in Gruyères, Switzerland.
Did You Know?
He designed the 'biomechanical' landscape for the unused opening sequence of the 1995 film 'Species'.
Giger owned and occasionally performed with a rare instrument called a 'Microphonic' saxophone.
He suffered from night terrors, which he cited as a direct inspiration for many of his artworks.
The H.R. Giger Bar in Switzerland features interior designs and chairs entirely of his creation.
“I like it when people say my work is disturbing. I think that's a compliment.”
