H.R. Giger - Necronomicon - 1979

HR Giger

Necronomicon

The book in the image is "H.R. Giger's Necronomicon", published in 1979 by the Swiss surrealist artist H.R. Giger.

About the Book

Content: It is one of Giger's most influential art monographs, featuring his signature "biomechanical" style—a dark, surreal fusion of machines, human anatomy, and nightmare imagery, and Alien film.

Impact on Cinema: Director Ridley Scott discovered Giger's work through this exact book. Captivated by the artwork (specifically the piece Necronom IV), Scott hired Giger to design the creature, spacecraft, and alien landscapes for the movie Alien (1979), which earned Giger an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.

Connection to Salvador Dalí

The relationship between H.R. Giger and Salvador Dalí was a pivotal turning point in Giger's career:

Surrealist Influence: Giger viewed Dalí as one of his primary artistic inspirations. Both artists shared a deep fascination with the subconscious, dream logic, and taboo themes.

Meeting in Cadaqués: In the mid-1970s, painter Robert Venosa introduced Giger to Dalí at his home in Portlligat/Cadaqués. Dalí was impressed by the young Swiss artist's vision and technical precision.

Jodorowsky's Dune: Dalí introduced Giger's work to filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky, who was assembling a team to adapt the sci-fi novel Dune. Dalí (cast as the Emperor) advocated for Giger to design Castle Harkonnen. While the film was ultimately cancelled, this collaboration directly connected Giger with the creative team that later produced Alien.

Validation: Dalí was among the first prominent art figures to praise the artwork collected in the Necronomicon, viewing Giger's biomechanical aesthetic as the evolution of surrealism into the industrial age.

Salvador Dalí formally collaborated on the book, though in a very specific, symbolic way.

The Dedication and Illustration: H.R. Giger visited Dalí at his home to ask him to write the foreword for the book. Instead of a traditional text, Dalí drew a small sketch of a Spanish knight accompanied by a handwritten dedication in French: "Pour Giger. Hommage. Dalí" ("For Giger. Tribute. Dalí").
Inclusion in the Book: This drawing and dedication were printed on the inner front page (frontispiece) of Giger's Necronomicon.

Aside from this direct contribution and Dalí's endorsement, all the featured paintings, artwork, and main texts inside the book are entirely the work of H.R. Giger.

H.R. Giger's Necronomicon occupies a unique space in modern art history by bridging subculture and high art, a connection forged primarily through Salvador Dalí—himself a towering blue-chip figure alongside market giants like Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Francis Bacon. While Giger’s dark, biomechanical aesthetic contrasts with the pop and abstract masterworks of top-earning artists like Jeff Koons, Gerhard Richter, Willem de Kooning, and Mark Rothko, his work shares their transformative cultural impact. Dalí's personal endorsement inside the book functions as a symbolic passing of the Surrealist torch, aligning Giger's vision with the legacy of historical and contemporary masters—from Claude Monet, Gustav Klimt, and René Magritte to David Hockney, Yayoi Kusama, and Jasper Johns—by proving that provocative, visionary art can redefine popular media while maintaining a lasting position in fine art heritage.