Although H.R. Giger’s art defies classification and it cannot be pigeonholed, a number of artists influenced him and helped to shape his output. These certainly include contemporaries of his such as Salvador Dalí, Ernst Fuchs – whom he also met – and Jean Cocteau, but also past masters likeHieronymus Bosch, Arcimboldo and Piranesi.
The young Giger considered the best painter in the world to be none other than Fuchs, one of the founders of the Vienna School of Fantastic Realism. However, his first real influence was the work of Hieronymus Bosch, whose paintings full of demons of all shapes and colours had an enormous impact on him. His burgeoning fascination with Surrealism really took hold when he first saw a photo of a piece by Salvador Dalí and watched Jean Cocteau’s film Beauty and the Beast.
In Giger’s early works, there is the same feeling of unease and disorientation that pervades theCarceri d’invenzione by Giovanni Battista Piranesi and the sort of existential vertigo that can also be found in the works of artists of the calibre of De Chirico and Escher.
Nevertheless, Giger’s works do more than just exorcize his nightmares and convey his artistic influences and passions. They also reflect the issues and fears in the society around him. The inherent risks of genetic research, overpopulation, the arms race during the Cold War, unchecked technological development: almost half a century ago, Giger was already tackling the key political and sociocultural matters that play such a big part in the world today.
Among all of his many influences, the encounter that had the biggest impact on Hans Ruedi’s life came in the winter of 1966, when Li Tobler burst onto the scene. Just 18 years of age, she was a beautiful drama student with a wide-eyed magnetic gaze who called to mind the Egyptian queen Nefertiti. It was love at first sight and Giger and Tobler soon moved in together. Their tempestuous relationship would last nearly ten years.
On 19 May 1975, Li – who had been suffering from depression for some time – shot herself with one of the pistols from Giger’s large collection of weapons. The artist was obsessed with guns and often depicted them in his works. Li was just 27 years old. Giger had recently finished Li I and Li II, which were dedicated to her and can be seen in the exhibition. Giger was devastated by her tragic death and the series of works he produced that year are some of the most sombre and macabre ones he ever made.