1977-1980

1977
Publishes the autobiographical Memòria personal. In the course of the year he produces posters for various cultural and civic activities. A retrospective exhibition of his work travels to different North American museums (Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; Marion Koogler McNay Art Institute, San Antonio; Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, and Musée d’art contemporain, Montreal). Retrospective exhibition of work on paper in Bremen (Kunsthalle), Baden-Baden (Staatliche Kunsthalle) and Winterthur (Kunstmuseum). Collaborates with Rafael Alberti on the collector’s book Retornos de lo vivo lejano. Roland Penrose publishes the monograph Tàpies. Solo exhibitions in Barcelona, Lleida and Madrid.

1978
Retrospective exhibition of work on paper in Les Sables-d’Olonne (Abbaye Sainte-Croix). Travels to New York for his exhibition at the Martha Jackson Gallery, celebrating twenty-five years with the gallery; visits Robert Motherwell in his house in Greenwich, Connecticut. Julio Cortázar writes the text “Grafitti” for the catalogue of his new exhibition at the Galeria Maeght in Barcelona. Collaborates with Alexander Mitscherlich on the book Sinnieren über Schmutz, and produces eight engravings for Petrificada petrificante, a collector’s book with poems by Octavio Paz. Solo exhibitions in Basle, Madrid, Paris, Düsseldorf, Isernhagen, Sankt Gall, Hamburg and Barcelona.

1979
His book Memòria personal receives the Ciutat de Barcelona and Pablo Antonio Olavide prizes. Elected honorary member of the Akademie der Künste, Berlin. Travelling retrospective exhibition in Karlsruhe (Badischer Kunstverein) and Linz (Neue Galerie der Stadt Linz), on the occasion of which Andreas Franzke and Michael Schwarz publish the monograph Antoni Tàpies. Werk und Zeit. Takes part in the exhibitions European Dialogue, in the framework of the III Biennale of Sydney, and Soft-art. Weich und Plastisch, at the Kunsthaus in Zurich. Solo exhibitions in Mexico City, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Cologne, Miami, Girona, Valencia, Stuttgart and Paris.

1980
In the course of the year, several European museums stage retrospective exhibitions of his work: Museo Español de Arte Contemporáneo (Madrid), Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam) and Kunsthalle (Kiel). In the Study Sessions on Human Rights organised by the Red Cross in the monastery of Montserrat near Barcelona he delivers the paper “L’art i els drets humans”. Collaborates with Jorge Guillén on the collector’s edition of the book Repertorio de junio. Solo exhibitions in Zurich, Rome, Lugano, Salzburg, Valladolid and Vienna. Takes part in various collective exhibitions, of note among these being Zeichen des Glaubens(Schloss Charlottenburg, West Berlin) and Umanesimo, disumanesimo nell’arte europea 1890/1980 (Palagio di Parte Guelfa, Florence).