Hans Rudolf "Ruedi" Giger (5 February 1940 – 12 May 2014) was a Swiss surrealist painter, sculptor and set designer. He was part of the special effects team that won an Academy Award for Best Achievement in Visual Effects for their design work on the film Alien. He was named to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 2013.
Giger was born in 1940 in Chur, capital city of Graubünden, the largest and easternmost Swiss canton. 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 in Zürich after having suffered injuries in a fall.
RIP H. R. Giger, 5th Febuary 1940-12th May 2014.
I figured to post a tribute to a great artist and designer.
I don't think its been done (I did post it earlier with a critical spelling error "magnificant" - dickhead).
I have always been a massive fan of his work/art and his contributions. I for one, would and have always wanted to visit the HR Giger bar in Chur, Switzerland and the Museum.
Anyways, His work will be forever immortalised within the fanworks, tributes and even the ever popular franchise 'Alien'.
