The Alien franchise is one of the most widely known in the world. It is a multi-billion dollar multimedia empire containing over 20 films, books, comics and games. Almost all of them are based on the original concept visualised by H.R Giger. The story they tell however is not as widely known.
This book is an insight into the original concept that inspired Ridley Scott to create one of the most iconic movie series in history. This unique collection gives us a glimpse of Giger’s private sketchbooks and shows previously unknown details of the making of this legendary film.
The images in Giger’s private sketchbooks offer a unique insight into the world of the man responsible for one of the most iconic movie monsters of all time.
They reveal not only previously unseen drawings and paintings, but also Giger’s working notes, his personal thoughts on other artists’ work and his feelings about his own art.
Here we present a selection from this remarkable archive, including material from his earliest days as an artist up to his final sketches.
Taken together, these images provide a fascinating glimpse into the mind of a man who was not only one of the most innovative artists of our time, but also one of the greatest science-fiction artists and creators of monsters.*”’
HR Giger is a very private person, and he doesn’t like giving interviews. For his fans, this hasn’t been much of a problem — there’s plenty of existing content in the public record. But it means that for those who don’t live within easy reach of Zurich and can’t get an audience with the artist, the only way to get insight into the artist’s private life is by collecting his artwork.
This isn’t all that hard. Giger has published several books of his own artwork, including the excellent “Necronomicon”, and he can be bought online at sites such as http://www.bilderbuch-shop.de . But what if you’re a scholar rather than just a fan? How do you trace Giger’s development as an artist? What are some of his lesser-known works?
In short: how do you find out more about his paintings that are not in print?
One answer is to look at Giger’s private sketchbooks, which are still unpublished. These sketchbooks can be found in the HR Giger museum in Switzerland, and in many cases they show details of paintings or ideas that have never been made public before. I was recently allowed to examine some of these books, and they
The Alien franchise is one of the most popular and well-known, with four feature films, a dozen video games, and countless action figures. The franchise has grossed over $1 billion worldwide, making it one of the most successful film series in history.
The iconic Xenomorph creature was designed by Swiss surrealist artist H. R. Giger, who also worked on all four feature films as conceptual designer and created the practical effects for the original Alien . Giger’s designs have been praised for their nightmarish quality, and in 1981 he won a Saturn Award for Best SFX.
Titan Books has just published an artbook about the Giger’s work on the franchise titled H.R. GIGER’S ALIEN: THE REAL ART OF THE FUTURE , featuring commentary from director Ridley Scott and over 50 previously unseen sketches, paintings and sculptures that are being released for the first time. The book also includes behind-the-scenes photographs by some of Hollywood’s biggest names, including Ron Cobb (Alien ), Dan O’Bannon (Alien ), David Fincher (Alien 3 ), Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Alien: Resurrection ) and many others.
HR Giger’s Alien captures never before seen paintings and
The first Alien movie was a hit, but the sequels were all misses. You could blame the studio for that, or you could try to learn from it. I had a conversation with someone who worked on the last couple of Alien movies, and he said that they were trying to bring back the original director, Ridley Scott, because they thought he might have some good ideas.
Toward the end of his career, Giger became interested in art collected by H. R. Giger Museum in Gruyeres, Switzerland. He gave each of his artworks a number from 1 to 999 and then started using the series “H_R 990” to sign his later works. His “H_R 990” series includes a Giger Bar and a Giger Cafe in Chur where his work is displayed.*
What is the meaning of art? How is one to measure it and quantify? Many attempts have been made to determine the value of an art piece, which has been painted, sculpted or built. It is said that art is the most fragile thing because it exists within a given time and space and cannot be taken away by us. It is said that it is the only thing that remains after us and our existence on this planet ends. That being said, what keeps art really alive? While some may argue that art can die with its creator, others say that this isn’t true at all because as long as we are alive, we keep experiencing different things and at the same time, these creations live on because they are meant to be experienced.
The purpose of this essay is to find out whether these claims hold any truth. I will try to provide an answer for this question by analyzing the art of H.R. Giger who was famous for his work in the movie “Alien”. I will try to answer my question by first considering what makes art valuable before delving into H.R Giger’s artwork in order to reveal how his particular style was used in creating pieces with a lot of meaning behind them.
In the mid-1970s, American publisher Byron Preiss contacted Swiss artist H.R. Giger and asked if he would create a new cover for the paperback edition of his novel Necronomicon by H.P. Lovecraft. Giger accepted and created a new illustration: the first appearance of his biomechanical style in an American publication. The paperback sold well enough to convince Preiss to ask Giger for more art.
Taschen has published volumes of Giger’s artwork with their titles almost as long as the books themselves (see image on right). In addition to his paintings and sculptures, there is what must be the world’s largest collection of photographs, films, and laserdiscs devoted to one person’s work—enough to make anyone’s head spin.
If you want to know more about Giger’s life or work, there are many books available in English and many more in other languages (including German), including the following:
H. R. GIGER: A RETROSPECTION by Hildegard Schütter-Giger (1996)
H.R.: L’ETRANGE VIE ET LES INCROYABLES OEUVRES D’UN ARTISTE D’EX
