A story released by the Huffington Post has confirmed that the Swiss artist H. R. Giger has died at 74 years of age from “injuries suffered in a fall.”
Everyone remembers the first time they saw “Alien.” When Kane (John Hurt) enters that ominous, horseshoe shaped spacecraft, we can feel the boundaries of reality crumbling around us. The consequent scenes in which a parasitic face-hugger attaches itself to Kane’s face only to impregnate him with a sleek, phallic Xenomorph that rips its way out of his chest are not easy to forget. Though these images are visceral and terrifying, they represent the work of a true artist—one who embraced the darkness of his own nightmares, forged his own artistic path, and influenced future generations of science fiction, music, and general culture.
In addition to his work with Ridley Scott on “Alien,” Giger’s aesthetic has influenced several films, and musicians from Debbie Harry to Danzig have used his work for their album covers. According to this article from Kotaku, Giger even dabbled in the field of video games—the 1992 Amiga game “Dark Seed” and its sequel featured Giger’s trademark psycho-sexual artwork.
Our condolences go out to his wife Carmen Maria Scheifele Giger, who runs the H. R. Giger museum in Gruyères, Switzerland.