Reuters brings the unfortunate word today that Swiss surrealist artist H.R. Giger has passed away at the age of 74.
Best known for designing the titular monsters in Ridley Scott’s 1979 film Alien, which earned him an Oscar for Best Achievement in Visual Effects, Giger also worked on a number of other films including Poltergeist II, Species, as well as director Alejandro Jodorowsky’s attempt at bringing the novel “Dune” to the big screen. Giger even worked on a design for the Batmobile for the third Batman film, Batman Forever, though his design went unused in the film.
Also known for his sculptures, paintings and furniture, Giger previously put many of his own works on display at his museum in a medieval castle in Gruyeres, central Switzerland.
“My paintings seem to make the strongest impression on people who are, well, who are crazy,” Giger once said in an 1979 interview with Starlog magazine. “A good many people think as I do. If they like my work they are creative… or they are crazy.”
