FT271


Hans Rudolf Giger looks like a stereotypical mad scientist. He has silver-grey hair, piercing, almost hypnotic eyes, thick lips and jowls; more often than not he’s photographed scowling. He is reclus­ive, eccentric, and often works at night – or continuously for days on end – at his art studio in Chur, Switzerland.

Influenced by Surrealist artists such as Salvador Dalí and Ernst Fuchs, Giger is best known for his macabre paintings and sculptures filled with imagery that is often sexual and grotesque, organic yet mechanical, and somehow alien. Giger’s work has graced famous album covers (including those of Debbie Harry; Emerson, Lake & Palmer; and the Dead Kennedys), museums, and even two bars.