H.R. Giger ARh+ review

Any fan of the Alien franchise knows the name HR Giger. Designed and hand built by Giger, the original Alien costume raised the bar for movie monsters, and really hasn’t been beaten since in terms of its striking originality.

There have been several collections of Giger’s work, and it can be difficult to know where to start to get a good primer. This is where HR Giger Arh+ (TASCHEN) comes in, serving as a great introduction to a wide range of works covering several decades.

As well as his more recognisable airbrushed pieces, the book also reproduces pencil and ink drawings, photography, and sculptural pieces. Naturally the book includes his more well known film work, including, of course, Aien, and Alejandro Jodorowsky’s abandoned Dune, but we also get to see a great range of lesser known art, proving that Giger had a career both before and after Alien.

Accompanying all of this is text from Giger himself, which helps give context to the pieces, some of which may be quite challenging to those unfamiliar with his more explicit work.

All in all, ARh+ is a great place to start for those who maybe only know of Giger in relation to Alien, and want to see more of his work before buying one of his dedicated books.