1981

Chillida was awarded the Gold Medal for Merit in the Fine Arts by the Spanish Ministry of Culture in Madrid.

He created the Homenaje a Jorge Guillén I [Homage to Jorge Guillén I] in concrete.

Lugar de encuentros IV [Meeting Place IV] was installed at the Fine Arts Museum in Bilbao and an anthological exhibition was organised in the same museum.

Solo exhibition at the Kestner Gesellschaft in Hanover, and in Atlanta, Frankfurt, and Zurich.

1 / 1 Chillida being awarded the The Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts by the King Juan Carlos I.

1 / 1 Homenaje a Jorge Guillén I [Homage to Jorge Guillén I]

1 / 1 Lugar de encuentros VI [Meeting Place VI] at the Fine Arts Museum, Bilbao

1 / 1 Installation view of the exhibition Skulpturen at the Kestner-Gesellschaft, Hannover

1 / 1 Chillida in the exhibition Skulpturen at the Kestner-Gesellschaft, Hannover

1982

Homenaje a Jorge Guillén II [Homage to Jorge Guillén II] was installed in Valladolid.

Solo exhibition at the Galerie Beyeler in Basel.

The family moved to Intzenea, a house in the Igueldo mountain of San Sebastian.

Fernando Mikelarena joined as his helper at the foundry in Villa Ingeborg.

1 / 1 Homenaje a Jorge Guillén II [Homage to Jorge Guillén II] in Valladolid

1 / 1 Chillida in his home of Intzenea in Mount Igueldo, San Sebastian

1 / 1 With his helpers Marcial Vidal and Fernando Mikelarena in his workshop of Villa Ingeborg, San Sebastian

1983

He was awarded the Prix Européen des Beaux-Arts in Strasbourg, and the Pendo Verlag prize in Zurich for the woodcuts created for Leyendas vascas [Basque Legends], translated into German by Günter Brettschneider.

Honorary Academician at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.

He gifted the town of Tolosa the steel sculpture Lizardiren leihoa [Lizardi’s Window].

The book Ce maudit moi [That Damn Me], by Emil Cioran and illustrated by Chillida, was presented at the Erker-Presse in Saint Gallen.

Peine del viento [Comb of the Wind] became the cover image of Sculpture in Public Places, published for the Contemporary Sculpture Symposium, Tokyo, with an introduction by Henry Moore.

Solo exhibition at the Casa de Goya in Bordeaux, and in Zurich, La Jolla, Rotterdam, Chicago, and Frankfurt.

1 / 1 Lizardiren leihoa [Lizardi's Window]

1 / 1 Embossed cover by Chillida in Ce maudit moi [That Damn Me], by Emil Cioran. Saint Gallen: Erker-Verlag, 1983

1 / 1 Chillida, Pilar, and Emil Cioran in the book presentation at the Erker-Presse, San Galo

1 / 1 Chillida and Emil Cioran in the book presentation at the Erker-Presse, San Galo

1 / 1 Cover of Sculpture in Public Places, with an introduction by Henry Moore. Tokyo: Contemporary Sculpture Symposium, 1983

1 / 1 Solo exhibition in Frankfurt

1 / 1 The lithograph Chicago, which would become Expo 85-Chicago Sculpture International's official image

1 / 1 Chillida with his grandson Jon

1984

He was awarded the Prix National des Beaux-Arts pour la sculpture by the French Minister of Culture Jack Lang.

Solo graphic work exhibition at Mary-Anne Martin Fine Art in New York and at the Tasende Gallery in La Jolla.

Other solo shows were held in Helsinki, Paris, and Hanover.

J. J. Baquedano and Laurence Boulting began the production of two films about the artist.

Chillida bought the Zabalaga farmhouse in Hernani, which would eventully become the grounds for Chillida-Leku.

1 / 1 Zabalaga, the Basque country house at the centre of Chillida-Leku

1 / 1 Installation view of the solo exhibition at the Galerie Forsblom, Helsinki

1 / 1 Chillida in his workshop of Villa Ingeborg, San Sebastian

1 / 1 With Homenaje a Goethe V [Homage to Goethe V] (1979)

1 / 1 Mendi huts I [Hollow Mountain I]

1 / 1 With his self-portrait at Hans Spinner's workshop in Grasse

1985

He designed the poster for Expo 85-Chicago Sculpture International.

The sculptor was awarded the Wolf Foundation Prize by the Parliament of Israel, the Kaiserring (Goslar Award for Modern Art) by the German city of Goslar, and the Gold Medal by the University of the Basque Country.

He partook in the exhibition Transformations in Sculpture, set up by Diane Waldman in New York. He represented Spain at Europalia ‘85, in Brussels, alongside Antoni Tàpies and Antonio López.

Solo exhibition at the Galerie Lelong in Zurich and in Nuremberg, Munich, Luxembourg, Arlés, and Goslar.

1 / 1 During the award ceremony for the city of Goslar's Kaiserring (Goslar Award for Modern Art)

1 / 1 Opening of the exhibition Chillida: Sculptures 1984-1985 at the Abbaye de Montmajour, Arles

1 / 1 Chillida, Antonio López, and Antoni Tàpies representing Spain at Europalia 85, Brussels

1 / 1 """Gravitaciones"" [gravitations] in his studio of Villa Ingeborg, San Sebastian"

1 / 1 Chillida's studio in Villa Ingeborg, San Sebastian

1 / 1 Homenaje a Miró [Homage to Miró] at the Coca-Cola headquarters in Atlanta

1 / 1 At Hans Spinner's ceramic workshop in Grasse

1 / 1 Chillida, Joan Miró, and Pilar at the Fondation Maeght, Saint-Paul-de-Vence

1 / 1 Chilida and Pilar with Monumento a la tolerancia [Monument to Tolerance] in front of Zabalaga

1 / 1 Chillida and Pilar at Hans Spinner's workshop in Grasse

1986

A symposium about Chillida’s work was held at the La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art, with Peter Selz as moderator, and as speakers: Leon A. Arkus (Director of the Carnegie Museum of Art), James Johnson Sweeney (Director emeritus of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum), and Olga Hirshhorn (Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden).

The sculpture La casa de Goethe [Goethe’s House] was installed in Frankfurt.

A retrospective was held at the Fundació Miró in Barcelona and the Fine Arts Museum of Bilbao hosted a complete graphic work exhibition.

Topos V was installed at the Plaza del Rey in Barcelona.

The Centro de Arte Reina Sofía opened with an exhibition of works by Chillida, Baselitz, Twombly, Saura, Serra and Tàpies. He created the logo for the new center.

He designed the logo for Encuentros Internacionales de Cultura Tradicional de Portugalete.

Solo exhibitions were held in Frankfurt, Paris, Linz, La Jolla, Murcia, Valencia, Azpeitia, and Santurtzi.

1 / 1 Elogio de la arquitectura VI [In Praise of Architecture VI] at the Tasende Gallery, La Jolla

1 / 1 Chillida and Peter Selz signing books at the symposium about his work at the La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art

1 / 1 Chillida and Pilar at the Tasende Gallery with Liberman and Ribelin

1 / 1 With Monumento a la tolerancia II [Monument to Tolerance II] in the exhibition Chillida: Questions and Space at the Tasende Gallery, La Jolla

1 / 1 Installation view of the exhibition Chillida: Questions and Space at the Tasende Gallery, La Jolla

1 / 1 Montaje de La casa de Goethe en Fráncfort, Alemania

1 / 1 Installation of La casa de Goethe [Goethe's House] in Frankfurt

1 / 1 La casa de Goethe [Goethe's House] in Frankfurt

1 / 1 Retrospective exhibition at the Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona

1 / 1 View of the retrospective exhibition at the Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona

1 / 1 Chillida with Jordi Pujol in the exhibition at the Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona

1 / 1 Chillida and Homenaje a Miró [Homage to Miró] at the Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona

1 / 1 Topos V at the Plaza del Rey in Barcelona

1 / 1 Presentation of the project Monumento a Gernika [Monument to Guernica] with the sculpture Gure aitaren etxea V [Our Father's House V]

1 / 1 One of Chillida's etchings in Le Miracle du Feu, by Yves Bonnefoy. Paris: F. Benichou, 1986

1987

He was awarded the Premio Príncipe de Asturias de las Artes, the Verdienstkreuz in Bonn, and the Premio Lorenzo Il Magnifico in Florence.

The monumental concrete piece Elogio del agua [In praise of Water] was installed, hanging above water, at the Parc de la Creueta del Coll in Barcelona.

He created Homenaje a Don Gregorio Marañón [Homage to Don Gregorio Marañón] for the Cigarral de Menores in Toledo.

His work was featured in Skulptur Projekte in Münster 1987, set up by Klaus Buβmann and Kaspar König.

Solo exhibitions in Barcelona, Vienna, La Jolla, Pforzheim, Lugano, Munich, and San Sebastian.

1 / 1 Homenaje a Don Gregorio Marañon [Homage to Don Gregorio Marañon] being transfered by helicopter

1 / 1 Homenaje a Don Gregorio Marañon [Homage to Don Gregorio Marañon] at the Cigarral de Menores in Toledo

1 / 1 Consejo al Espacio IV [Advice to Space IV] in the grounds of Zabalaga, today Chillida-Leku

1 / 1 Chillida being awarded the Premio Príncipe de Asturias by the King, Felipe VI

1 / 1 In the award ceremony of the Premio Lorenzo il Magnifico in Florence

1 / 1 Formwork of Elogio del Agua [In Praise of Water] in the Creueta del Coll park in Barcelona

1 / 1 Chillida and the engineer José Antonio Fernández Ordóñez at the site of Elogio del Agua [In Praise of Water]

1 / 1 Elogio del agua [In Praise of Water]

1 / 1 Preparación para el traslado de la obra Homenaje a Don Gregorio Marañon

1988

He was awarded the Ordre Pour le Mérite für Wissenschaften und Künste.

Gure aitaren etxea [Our Father’s House], was inaugurated in Guernica to commemorate the half-centennial of the bombing.

The exhibition Chillida at Gernika. Birth of a Monument was on view in Chicago, St. Louis, and La Jolla.

Lugar de encuentros V [Meeting Place V] was installed at the Puerta de la Bisagra in Toledo, Spain.

First exhibition of his “gravitaciones” [gravitations] at the Galería Theo in Madrid.

Solo exhibitions in Segovia, Valencia, Sevilla, Zurich, and Freiburg.

1 / 1 Chillida being awarded the Ordre Pour le Mérite für Wissenschaften und Künste granted by the German parliament

1 / 1 Chillida during the construction of Gure aitaren etxea [Our Father's House] in. Guernica

1 / 1 Construction of Gure aitaren etxea [Our Father's House] in Guernica

1 / 1 Instant of the final placement of Gure aitaren etxea [Our Father's House] in Guernica

1 / 1 Gure aitaren etxea [Our Father's House] in Guernica

1 / 1 chillida_biografia_287

1 / 1 Installation view of Chillida at Gernika. Birth of a Monument at the Tasende Gallery in La Jolla

1 / 1 Lugar de encuentros V [Meeting Place V] next to the Puerta de Bisagra in Toledo

1989

He was made Honorary Architect by the Consejo Superior de los Colegios de Arquitectos de España.

Zuhaitz V [Tree V] was installed at the Albert Michallon Park in Grenoble.

Dallas XV is inaugurated. The steel piece still sits in front of the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, the new building signed by Ieoh Ming Pei.

Eduardo Chillida: Zeichnung als Skulptur 1948-1989 restrospective at the Städtisches Kunstmuseum Bonn and the Westfälisches Landesmuseum Münster.

Solo exhibitions in Uttersberg, Hanover, Paris, Munich, Dallas, New York, and Madrid.

1 / 1 Chillida with Pilar and their daughter Susana in his studio of Villa Ingeborg, San Sebastian

1 / 1 Pilar, Chillida, and the architect Ieoh Ming Pei in Dallas

1 / 1 Eduardo and Ieoh Ming Pei in Dallas

1 / 1 De música, Dallas XV [Of Music, Dallas XV] in front of the Morton Meyer Symphony Center, Dallas

1 / 1 Zuhaitz [Tree] in Grenoble, France

1 / 1 Detail of the text engraved in Zuhaitz [Tree]

1 / 1 La Mesa de Giacometti II [Giacometti's Table]

1 / 1 Working at Hans Spinner's workshop in Grasse

1 / 1 Locmariquer IX

1 / 1 Chillida and Frank Ribelin by De música, Dallas XV [Of Music, Dallas XV] in Dallas

1990

He was awarded, along with the writer Juan Benet, the Ildefons Cerdà medal, granted by the Col·legi d’Enginyers de Camins, Canals i Ports de Catalunya.

The Universidad de Verano del País Vasco set up a symposium about the artist, led by Kosme de Barañano. The speakers were José Miguel Ullán, Claude Esteban, Víctor Gómez Pin, Tomás Llorens, Johannes Gachnang, Klaus Bußmann, Jacques Dupin, Manfred Fath, and Thomas Messer.

The concrete piece Elogio del horizonte IV [In Praise of the Horizon IV] was inaugurated at the hill of Santa Catalina in Gijon.

The Biennale di Venezia paid homage to the sculptor with a solo exhibition at the Ca' Pesaro palace.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York exhibited the work Música callada II. Homenaje a J. S. Bach [Silent Music. Homage to J.S. Bach]

Solo exhibitions at the Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona, the Staatliche Graphische Sammlung in Munich, and in Tokyo, London, Lund, and Gijon.

Frank Ribellin, Chillida, and Pilar by Música Callada II, Homenaje a J. S. Bach [Silent Music II, Homage to J.S. Bach] at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York

1 / 1 Frank Ribellin, Chillida, and Pilar by Música Callada II, Homenaje a J. S. Bach [Silent Music II, Homage to J.S. Bach] at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York