Necronom (Alien III)

H.R. Giger, 2005

To be acquiried by the Particle Community
on 14/06/2023

Details

H.R. Giger
b.1940
Necronom (Alien III)
Designed in 2005 / Executed in 2011
Polyester resin & steel
43.3 x 30.7 x 86.6in. (110 x 78 x 220cm.)
Edition #1 of 6

The sculpture comes complete with a certificate from the H.R. Giger Museum in Gruyères, Switzerland, registered under the number 2011-T-001 Necronom 2005 (Alien III Model 2, Second State)

This work will be particalized into 500 Particle NFTs, at $1,000 per Particle.

Cataloge Note

The Necronom Alien (Xenomorph): A New Kind of Monster

H.R. Giger's stunning "Necronom (Alien III), 2005" has become an icon of visual culture. Widely recognized as his most celebrated work, this life-sized sculpture embodies the artist's signature style, featuring a humanoid/alien-like creature with elongated arms, an extended head, and sinewy muscles. It stands as an indicator of both Giger’s artistic prowess and cultural impact depicting the iconic Xenomorph he had designed for Ridley Scott’s Alien, one of the most instantly recognisable characters in science-fiction cinema. Prior to 1979, horror movies frequently relied on stereotypical monsters like serial killers, werewolves, ghosts or sharks as main antagonists. Giger's Alien introduced something unlike anything seen before - an incomprehensible yet relatable creature with biological plausibility to explain its existence despite its alien appearance. Unique features like acid blood and parasitic life cycle only deepened its intrigue further and cemented it as an iconic image within pop culture. It was an unforgettable moment in sci-fi horror history; its creation revolutionized how film monsters were depicted; tapping into fears such as death, sexuality, bodily violation and the uncanny terrified viewers worldwide.

“I like elegance. I like art nouveau; a stretched line or curve. These things are very much in the foreground of my work.” — H.R. Giger

HR Giger working on the Alien III model, in the basement of his home. Courtesy of HR Giger Museum, Gruyères

Craftsmanship and Otherworldly Aesthetics

Series of Giger Sketchs of the beast for Alien 3. Courtesy of HR Giger Museum, Gruyères

Giger's Necronom sculpture was originally intended for use in the 1990 film "Alien III," but it remained incomplete until he returned to it and completed it in 2005, ultimately becoming its prototype. This second model, which is regarded as the first edition, is particularly notable for its distinctive design, featuring various components, such as a tail that is supported by a structural element, that distinguish it from the other editions. With only six existing in the world, this rare edition was produced in 2011 and served as the basis for future editions created under Giger's supervision, serving as a reminder of traditional craftsmanship's value in an increasingly digitized society.

(1990 – 2004) Unfinished model of the Alien III in HR Gigers garden. Courtesy of HR Giger Museum, Gruyères

This 2.20-meter-wide sculpture, made of polyester, metal, and colored paint, is a powerful and striking depiction of a Xenomorph in a crouched position. His new alien design for the 3rd sequel was more erotic, and looked almost like a lethal black panther. The creature's sleek skin and exoskeleton form adorned with a sharp spine gives it a distinctly otherworldly appearance. Its long, narrow skull dominates the composition, boasting a massive jaw with luscious human-like lips instead of razor-sharp teeth - adding a sensual quality to its features. The sculpture's curves and contours further suggest sensuality, emphasized by its smooth surface, with the long muscular and phallic tail coiling around its body like a piece of armor, or a serpent poised for attack.

The creature's skull-like features tilt forward, while intricate biomechanical details, such as ridges and tubes reminiscent of machinery, add to the impression of menacing power. The sculpture appears frozen mid-motion, as if about to attack its prey, while the use of black polyester lends it a seductive and charismatic quality, like that of a seductive warrior. Giger’s envision for this version of the alien was for it to communicate elegantly, so he designed a second layer of skin similar to those seen on a saxophone for it to emit musical notes when moved by wind currents, giving the creature an outlet through sound to express itself emotionally.

Macabre Imagery and Symbolism

Giger was deeply fascinated with ancient Egyptian mummification practices and their concept of preserving bodies for afterlife. As a child, he visited the Rätisches Museum in Chur, Switzerland, where he encountered a mummy that both terrified and fascinated him. He would later credit this experience with inspiring him to explore themes of death and decay in his artwork. He was equally fascinated with mummies in his personal life, collecting antique objects like Egyptian and other ancient cultural artifacts containing them as collections from Egypt or elsewhere - these became sources of inspiration for his artwork as well as a way to connect with past lives while exploring mortality and afterlife themes.

Salvador Dali and H.R Giger

When I was a young boy, I was obsessed with skulls and mummies and things like that. - H.R Giger

The Macabre and occult themes have long been present in art history, from the Middle Ages to today. Middle Age artists depicted death and the afterlife in their artwork; Renaissance painters such as Hieronymus Bosch created macabre scenes exploring morality, sin, and afterlife; during Romanticism's golden age in the 19th century Romantic artists like Francisco Goya and Edvard Munch explored death, madness, supernatural phenomena; while in 20th century Surrealist art explored irrationality and fantasticality by tapping subconscious minds for inspiration.

In 1899, Sigmund Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams introduced artists to the possibilities for exploring macabre themes within their unconscious minds. Artists such as Odilon Redon and Edvard Munch came to understand reality as deceptive while drawing strength from fears and fantasies within themselves. Giger was an avid reader of Freud's works, so it is no surprise that his biomechanical art incorporated many elements from twentieth-century cultural atmosphere into an indistinguishable whole. His human/alien-like creature resembles Francisco Goya's Saturn from his painting "Saturn Devouring His Son", yet it is brought to life as an extraterrestrial being from far distant corners of space. Just like Goya's painting of Saturn, the Necronom Alien is depicted with an odd and disfigured body. It has long jaws with sharp teeth reminiscent of predators while long, spindly arms and legs give an otherworldly aesthetic to its figure. Giger's sculpture draws upon the dark side of human psychology to explore death, decay, and monstrosity - echoing Goya's iconic painting as an ode to longstanding tradition of macabre art while pushing visual representation boundaries beyond what may be acceptable or even comprehendible.

Francisco Goya, Saturn Devouring his Son, 1819–1823, Oil paint, Courtesy of the Museo Nacional del Prado

Artistic Prowess and Cultural Impact

Giger's artistry transcends conventional notions of monstrosity. His Necronom Alien stands apart as being something truly distinct; not simply human-turned-monster but instead an entity in its own right with distinct form and identity. Drawing inspiration from H.P. Lovecraft's cosmic horror creatures, Giger creates a surreal universe that simultaneously inspires fascination and horror -presenting us with an unsettling yet surreal universe that forces us to examine ourselves.

Installation on the outside of the HR Giger Museum of prototype sculpture. Courtesy of HR Giger Museum, Gruyères

Giger's dark explorations of existentialism seem prescient today given the rise in technology and artificial intelligence in our daily lives. With society grappling with the implications of advanced technologies such as robotics and AI, Giger's Alien, with its haunting and unsettling imagery, captures the essence of our complex relationship with the technology we create as well as how these advancements affect us personally - as a collective whole. Through fantastic realism, he invites us into the depths of our imagination while confronting mortality head on. Giger's work inspires us to ponder our place in the universe and the tenuous relationship between organic life and machines. Though Giger passed away in 2014, his legacy continues to influence a new generation of artists as they explore art's intersection with technology and humanity.

Exhibition and Provenance

Prototype, created in the basement of HR Giger’s home, by HR Giger himself, assisted by several assistants. Courtesy of HR Giger Museum, Gruyères

Necronom (Alien III) has an interesting ownership history, having been a part of HR Giger's personal collection, then owned by a private collector and later exhibited by Mai 36 Galerie in Zurich, Switzerland in 2023. The work has become the main attraction of numerous HR Giger exhibitions that have traveled the globe.

This sculpture has been exhibited at multiple locations, including the Hundertwassermuseum in Vienna (2005), Gallery Hilt in Basel (2007), Film Museum in Frankfurt (2009), Kunstmuseum in Tampere and San Sebastian (2010), and the Alte Brennerei and Fabrik der Künste (2012). It has also been displayed at Halle ST PIERRE in Paris and Ars Electronica in Linz (2013), WGT in Leipzig and Fantasy Basel (2015), and the CrystalArtGallery in Luzern, Basel Art Center, and WOW Spazio Fumetto in Milano (2018), among others. It has also been exhibited in Mexico City, Tokyo, Osaka, and Barcelona, with upcoming exhibitions in Prague and Beijing.

The sculpture comes complete with a certificate signed by H.R. Giger, registered under the number 2011-T-001 Necronom 2005 (Alien III Model 2, Second State).