13 Things That Prove Gothic Art Is Enchanting And Beautiful

"Listen to them, the children of the night. What music they make!" – Dracula, Bram Stoker

1. The Giger Bar in Chur, Switzerland

"The Art of Gothic" by Natasha Scharf / Photograph by Annie Bertram, hrgigermuseum.com

Built next to his museum in Gruyéres, Switzerland, H. R. Giger’s custom-built bar opened in 2003 and carries so much of his trademark imagery that it gives the impression of stepping into an alien hive.

Originally part of a medieval château, the transformation took four years to complete. The rock-grey interior is made from a mixture of fibreglass and cement.

2. "Li II" by H.R. Giger

"The Art of Gothic" by Natasha Scharf / http://H.R. Giger

This 1973–4 work is the second of several pieces inspired by Swiss actress Li Tobler, Giger’s partner and muse. Painted in acrylic and Indian ink on paper on wood, it was finished a year before her death. The artist’s unique, nightmarish visions of the future continue to inspire cyberpunk and cybergoth styles.

3. Woman in skeleton make-up, at the Wave Gotik Treffen festival in Germany, 2013

"The Art of Gothic" by Natasha Scharf / Stephen Milward

4. "Whitby Abbey" by Anne Sudworth

"The Art of Gothic" by Natasha Scharf / (c) Anne Sudworth

Sudworth’s 2005 "Whitby Abbey" pastel is one of several pieces she created of the gothic North Yorkshire monument. She said: "I love the quiet beauty of ruined abbeys and castles, still magnificent in their dishevelled state."

5. The cover of Bauhaus's 1979 debut 12-inch single, "Bela Lugosi's Dead"

"The Art of Gothic" by Natasha Scharf / Courtesy of Bauhaus

The image isn’t from a Dracula film, but from the 1930s expressionist film The Sorrows of Satan. It was designed by the band's bassist, David J, who re-recorded the classic song in 2013.

6. "Alice Got Her Neck Slashed in Wonderland" by Taya Uddin

"The Art of Gothic" by Natasha Scharf / Taya Uddin

in this 2009 photograph, British gothic model and clothing designer DeadlyD0ll plays Alice; her fairytale outfit is from her own label, Mort Couture, which is inspired by Lolita and Victoriana styles.

7. "Rosie Poe and Crowley the Cat" by Aly Fell

'The Art of Gothic' by Natasha Scharf / Aly Fell

This 2012 illustration was inspired by Siouxsie Sioux, Tank Girl, the character of Death in Neil Gaiman’s comic book series The Sandman, and March Violets singer Rosie Lugosi. Rosie Poe originated as a doodle of a goth girl and went on to star in her own online comic strip.

8. "Beauty Is Only Skin Deep" by Eric Pigors

"The Art of Gothic" by Natasha Scharf / Eric Pigors

This was created in 2009 by Eric Pigors for an art show at LA’s Hyaena Gallery.

"I am pretty much known for drawing Frankenstein’s monster and sexy vamps!" said Pigors. "I just draw the women I like: Lily Munster, Vampira, Betty Page, goths and psychobillies, and my beautiful wife, Denise!"

9. The Legendary Batcave Tapes by Alien Sex Fiend

"The Art of Gothic" by Natasha Scharf / Alien Sex Fiend

The cover art and music for The Legendary Batcave Tapes (Anagram/Cherry Red Records, 1993) were originally created by the band in 1982 in their north London home, the Haunted Palace. The font was created by Mrs Fiend on an Amstrad 8256 and was also used in the accompanying Fiendzine.

10. A mind-controlled Mechapolypse dress, created by Italian clothing designer Nange Magro

"The Art of Gothic" by Natasha Scharf / Nange Magro / nange.co.uk

Based on a futuristic love story between a robot and a human and inspired by the paintings of H.R. Giger, the Mechapolyspe dress uses a microchip to record brain activity and convert it into movement. The corset and skirt of the dress respond to the wearer's thoughts, Nange Magro says.

11. "Monster Brides" by Dan Brereton

"The Art of Gothic" by Natasha Scharf / Daniel Brereton

This 2010 painting is a commissioned piece that affectionately brings Lily Munster, the bride of Frankenstein, and Morticia Addams together for a gothic family portrait. Brereton also added in some humorous extras, like the hanging artwork and some recognisable characters lurking in the background.

12. "Dark Nouveau" by Malleus

"The Art of Gothic" by Natasha Scharf / MALLEUS Rock Art Lab/malleusdelic.com

13. "Unveiled Obscurity" by Kris Kuksi

"The Art of Gothic" by Natasha Scharf / Kris Kuksi

This dramatic 2013 piece is a mixed-media assemblage that is almost three feet tall and took a year-and-a-half to create. It was first exhibited in New York in late 2013. Kuksi asked that viewers interpret the piece as they see fit.

All images and text from The Art of Gothic by Natasha Scharf, published by Omnibus Press in the UK and Backbeat Books in North America.

The book is being launched on Friday 31 October at the British Library as part of its gothic exhibition.

Natasha Scharf is also taking part in the British Library's Day of Gothic Music and Culture, on Sunday 9 November, and the Louder than Words Festival, in Manchester on 16 November.