H.R. Giger

Oscar winning set designer, sculptor, and highly-respected painter - these are just a few terms that describe the mind-blowing body of work from legendary Swedish artist H.R. Giger. Giger began painting in his early 20s while attending school in Zurich, and quickly drew attention for his surrealist oil paintings, the majority of which were collected in his most famous book, Necronomicon. The book made a huge splash on the art world when it was released in 1977, with director Ridley Scott becoming one of Giger's most ardent fans. Scott soon commissioned Giger to design the title creature for his horror classic "Alien" (1979), which would ultimately earn the newbie set designer an Oscar. The rest, as they say, is history, with "Aliens" (1986), "Poltergeist II: The Other Side" (1986), "Species" 1995 and "Prometheus" (2012) being just a few of the films Giger would work on throughout his long career in Hollywood. In 2013 Giger was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, thus forever cementing his status as one of the fantasy genre's most innovative and creative forces only a year before his death on May 13, 2014.

Born and raised in the ancient town of Chur, located on the coast of the Rhine, Giger grew up in an environment that was somewhat stifling to his creativity. His father, a chemist by trade, wanted his son to pursue a stable career as a pharmacist. Giger, however, had other plans for what he wanted to do with his life, and at the age of 22 moved to the Swiss capital of Zurich to study art.

A lifelong sufferer of night terrors, Giger kept a notebook at his bedside where he made sure to draw what he remembered after a particularly vivid nightmare. Those nightmares would become the basis for most of Giger's surrealist paintings, which were collected in his famous art book, 1977's Necronomicon. One of the earliest admirers of the book was director Ridley Scott, who was given Necronomicon during the pre-production of "Alien." Scott loved what he saw and hired Giger to produce conceptual designs for the film, thinking Giger's drawings set the exact tone the director was hoping to achieve in the film. When "Alien" was released in 1979, both audiences and critics were left awestruck by the richness in detail of the title character's design. Academy members were too, and awarded Giger and his crew that year's Oscar for Best Special Effects.

Giger continued to work on films throughout the 1980s and '90s, including the design work on two "Alien" sequels, "Aliens" and "Alien 3" (1992), as well as other sci-fi films like "Species" (1995) and "Prometheus." In addition to his wide body of film work, Giger was also an accomplished designer of album covers. In addition to designing artwork for bands like Danzig and Dead Kennedys, he also designed the controversial Brain Salad Surgery album sleeve for progressive rock group Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

In 2013 Giger was recognized for his immense contributions to the film and art worlds by being inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. His fellow inductees that year included David Bowie and Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien. H.R. Giger died in Zurich on May 13, 2014.