H. R. G I G E R
Hans Rudi Giger is a painter most known for his aliens in the Alien Trilogy, Sil from Species, and the special effects from Poltergeist 2. H. R. also has designed furniture and made lots of sculptures.
Biography
1940
H.R. is born February 5th, in Chur, a town in Switzerland.
1958-59
Alpina College, Davos - preliminary certification in Drawing
1959-62
Practical training with architect Venatius ?
1964
In 1964 Giger begins in an art school (School of Applied Arts) in Zürich. He publishes inc drawings (Atom Kinder) in the school paper. Giger also works with polyester and distemper.
1965
Giger publishes some inc drawings in underground papers. His final work Bahnhofspassage is an important project. He prints a number of pictures privately and he names them 'Ein Fessen für den Psychiater'
1966
Giger meets the beautiful actress Li Tauber. They become lovers. He is now a full time designer for Andreas Christen. Giger also has his first solo exhibition.
1968
Giger now works full time with art. He makes his first extraterrestrial. It is a polyester shell for a dog.
1969
H.H. Kunz prints Gigers first posters and sells them over the whole world. Giger designs costumes for Peter Stein's production of Edward Bond's Early Morning in Zürich Schaupspielhaus.
1971
Murer and Giger decides to make a documentary called Passagen Gigers first catalouge of pictures is published. The catalouge is named A RH+.
1973
Friedrich Kuhn dies and Giger paints Hommage à Friedrich. Giger gets assigned to make the cover to an album of the rock group Emerson, Lake and Palmer.
1974
Bünder Kunstmuseum displays Tagtraum, the collected art of Giger, Claude Sandoz and Walter Wegmüller, and publishes a catalouge of Giger with the name Passagen. Giger is inited as an guest of honor to Madrid and Brüssels festivals for fantasy movies.
1975
Li Tauber commits suicide.
1976
Giger experiences great loss after Li's suicide. Giger designs the world of "Harkonnen"
1977
First trip to America. Commissioned by Dan O'Bannon to make the Alien life form to the movie 'Alien'. Giger meets Mia Binzanigo.
1979
Giger and Mia gets married.
1983
The series of Victory paintings leads to the Totems, naked, technical posts, each crowned by a screaming head, rising up from a devastated landscape
1984
Giger is retrospectred in Pfäffikon Kulturzentrum.
1985
Giger is assigned by MGM to make some special effects for the movie Poltergeist 2 under director Brian Gibson. He is also assigned by Volvo to make a illustration to Isaac Asimov's short story The Route to Hyperspace.
1986
He is assigned by the Swiss Television company DRS to make a TV award called Prix Tell. In Japan Sony releases the first laser disc with covermotiv of Giger. Alexander Bohr makes a 45 minute long interview on Giger. It is called The Fantastic Universe of H.R. Giger, and it's made for the german channel ZDF. Poltergeist 2 is released, but Giger is displeased with the visual transformation of his ideas.
1987
Giger has a major exhibition in the galleries in Seibu Museum of Art in Tokyo. In addition to the theme of Giger's Alien and Poltergeist 2, the exhibition has the original Alien, a Harkonen chair and other original pictures. A Japanese Giger fan club is founded. Giger is assigned to make the monster Goho Dohji for a movie of the japanese director Akio Jitsusoji.
1988
The magazine Cinefantastique publishes a 16 page article about Giger. Books by A. Crowley, Lovecraft and Timothy Leary is published with motives made of Giger. A Giger bar is build in Tokyo and inaugurated of Ueli Steinle. He has an exhibition in Jes Petersens gallery in Berlin. He also takes part in the Alchemy Symposium in St. Gallen. He publishes the book Biomechanics in Zürich, Paris and New York. The Drawings Expanded exhibition at Rolf Müllers Art Magazin gallery.
1989
Makes illustrations for Pier Geering's book Robofok. Giger makes a poster for the tenth Hell's Angels meeting in Agasul, Switzerland. Negotiations on Alien 3 and talks with Ridley Scott about a new movie. He gets involved in the movie Engel, Teufel und Dämonen, a five hour long movie about fantasy art of Heinz Dieckmann. An exhibition in Châ Yverdon as a part of the PR for the first european Sci-Fi museum Les amis d'ailleurs. Works on a cultural magazine with Bettina and Hans Kink in Zürich.
>1990
Different exhibitions in honor of Gigers fiftieth birthday in Kunsthaus in Chur. Preparations for the exhibition Alien dans ses Meubles in Château Gruyères. Designs a bag for the Migros Group. Designs furniture for a cafe in Chur and a bar in New York City. Design work for ART 1991 in Gallery hilt in Basle, and also for the movie Alien 3.
1997
The movie company behind the forth alien movie has not included H.R. in the credits. He is furiated and sends letters to the company demanding his name to be in the movie. The book "www HRGiger com" is released.
1998
Two new books are produced - "Mystery of San Gottardo" and "HR Giger Retrospective 1964 - 1984". The first is published by Taschen and the other is published by Morpheus International - Los Angeles. And also this year - the private art collection of Giger is displayed at the Castle St. Germain - Gruyeres.
2000
Giger´s 60th birthday. More than 1 million hits at the official homepage www.HRGiger.com
Nothing more worth mentioning
manifest of atom children 'alien' pictures
index