Photo: Matthias Belz / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
H. R. Giger was a painter, sculptor and architect. Born on February 5, 1940, H. R. Giger was from Chur, Canton of the Grisons, Switzerland. Death is recorded on May 12, 2014, at the age of 74. Education on record includes Zurich University of the Arts. Recorded honors include Academy Award for Best Visual Effects (1980), Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame (2013) and Inkpot Award (1979).
My Take
Giger is one of those rare artists whose vision is so singular it short-circuits how you look at the world afterward. What grips me isn't the shock of his biomechanical nightmares but the strange reverence underneath them, eroticism, dread, and machinery fused into something almost holy. Designing the Alien xenomorph and winning an Oscar would be a career peak for most, yet I think his paintings cut deeper than any film. Coming out of quiet Chur, Switzerland, he built a private mythology that still unsettles decades later. He died in 2014, but few artists have so permanently rewired our nightmares.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- H. R. Giger
- Name (Japanese)
- H・R・ギーガー
- Reading
- H・R・ぎーがー
- Born
- February 5, 1940 – May 12, 2014
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aquarius / Dragon
- Origin
- Chur, Canton of the Grisons, Switzerland
- Occupation
- painter / sculptor / architect / illustrator / graphic designer
2. Background
- University
- Zurich University of the Arts
Awards & achievements
- 1980 Academy Award for Best Visual Effects
- 2013 Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame
- 1979 Inkpot Award
3. Links
- Official sitehttps://www.hrgiger.com
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.%20R.%20Giger
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%E3%83%BBR%E3%83%BB%E3%82%AE%E3%83%BC%E3%82%AC%E3%83%BC
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q312640
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-17
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was H. R. Giger born?
Born February 5, 1940.
When did H. R. Giger die?
Died May 12, 2014, aged 74.
Where was H. R. Giger from?
H. R. Giger was from Chur, Canton of the Grisons, Switzerland.
What did H. R. Giger do?
H. R. Giger worked as painter, sculptor, architect, illustrator, graphic designer.
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