Giger
£11.40£14.30 (-20%)
Swiss artist HR Giger (1940–2014) is most famous for his creation of the space monster in Ridley Scott’s 1979 horror sci-fi film Alien, which earned him an Oscar. In retrospect, this was just one of the most popular expressions of Giger’s biomechanical arsenal of creatures, which consistently merged hybrids of human and machine into images of haunting power and dark psychedelia.
The visions drew on demons of the past, harking back as far as Giger’s earliest childhood fears as well as evoking mythologies for the future. Above all, they gave expression to the collective fears and fantasies of his age: fear of the atom, of pollution and wasted resources, and of a future in which our bodies depend on machines for survival.
From surrealist dream landscapes created with a spray gun and stencils to album cover designs, from guillotine-like sculptures to self-designed bars, Giger personally guides us through his multi-faceted universe in this definitive introduction to a master of horror. Detailed reproductions and designs and a foreword by Timothy Leary complement Giger’s intimate autobiographical texts.
About the series
Born back in 1985, the Basic Art Series has evolved into the best-selling art book collection ever published. Each book in TASCHEN’s Basic Art series features:
a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance
a concise biography
approximately 100 illustrations with explanatory captions
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Additional information
| Publisher | TASCHEN, Illustrated edition (13 Dec. 2022) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 96 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 3836534207 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-3836534208 |
| Dimensions | 21.59 x 1.91 x 26.04 cm |
by S. sayers
Been interested in Geiger for a while because of alien, I’m not a big reader normally so this book was perfect. It has some good short stories and insights into the artist and lots of great art to look at. I read this in a few hours and it scratched the itch of me wanting to know a bit more about the guy who designed the alien and showed me more of the bio mechanical art which I’m into.
by Amazon Customer
If you love this artist, you basicly must buy this beautiful album. It was ordered as a gift for my friend, he absolutelly loved it. Full of very high quality prints of Giger works, contains also interesting facts of the artist’s life. Definatelly worth the money
by d armstrong
I do have several Giger books and this one is a handy size , covers most subjects , interesting text and the art work is well reproduced
by Patrycja Z.
If someone is a fan of Giger but don’t need elaborate A3 format album for 100 quid this is just the thing for him. I must say I expected a lot less for 7 pound. Great purchase.
by Illogical loser
Although most of the images in this compilation have been printed in other collections its still a worthy book to purchase and add to the incredible taschen Giger back catalogue. Well priced and presented.
by Amazon Customer
As an amateur artist, my taste is eclectic. I remember one of Mr. Tiger’s paintings from an album sleeve by a rock band called Nice. This was long before the making of the film Alien. I find his work strangely seductive, but in a terrifying way. The singer/songwriter, Frank Zappa once posed the question in a song: “What’s the ugliest part of your body?” The answer was, ” It’s your mind! ” Beauty nd horror coexist in our minds. Mr. To get has found a way to merge both in such a way that attracts and repels. I find his work visionary. How far have we come since the innocent days of The Bionic Man!
by NumberSix
Another great introductory book in Taschen’s “Basic Art” series. But, note that this book is basically a reprint of the book titled “ARh+” that was published in the early 90s, basically only updated to include a few items in the chronology after the publication of the first book up to the date of Giger’s unfortunate demise in 2014.
As an overview of the great man’s work, it is more or less perfect. The text is mainly by Giger himself, and is autobiographical with some insights into his influences and so on. The illustrations are fantastic, of course, and cover Giger’s whole career including album covers (for e.g. Debbie Harry and Emerson Lake and Palmer, as well as the famously controversial Dead Kennedys cover), painting (such as the influential “biomechanical” series), sculpture and film work including the legendary designs for the Alien films.
Of course, Giger’s work is, well, not for the faint hearted, so anyone who’s a bit squeamish or easily offended should probably cross this off their wishlist, but you’d be missing out on the work of one of the true visionary artists of the 20th century.
by Vincenzo
It’s a great and accessible introduction to the Giger’s production, in perfect Taschen style. Gotta say that most of the book is pretty much the re-editing of the slightly older paperback “HR Giger Arh+”, but with new material that justify the purchase.