The period between 1971 and 1982 marked the final chapter of Alicia Penalba's (1913–1982) artistic career. By the beginning of the 1970s, the Argentine-born sculptor had established herself as an internationally recognised figure in modern abstract sculpture. Her monumental bronze works, organic forms and architectural compositions had attracted attention from museums, galleries and collectors throughout Europe and the Americas.

During these final years, Penalba continued to develop her monumental sculptures while exploring other artistic disciplines, including lithography, collage, tapestry, porcelain design and jewellery. She also became increasingly interested in the relationship between sculpture and public spaces, creating works for architectural environments and sculpture parks.

Her artistic activities took her to Switzerland, Italy, Venezuela, Germany, Argentina and the United States. Important milestones included receiving the Gulbenkian Prize in 1974, completing the monumental sculpture Grand Double for Milwaukee, presenting a major retrospective at the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris in 1977 and holding her first major solo exhibition in Latin America in Caracas in 1978.

Despite her growing international success, her career came to an abrupt end on November 4, 1982, when she died in a traffic accident in France. Her final works nevertheless demonstrate the creativity and artistic ambition that characterised her entire career.

1971: Lithography, Tapestry and New Artistic Experiments

The year 1971 marked an important expansion of Penalba's artistic activities. Although sculpture remained her principal medium, she began experimenting more intensively with lithography and tapestry.

She produced her first series of six lithographs, based on her earlier experiments with collage. These works allowed her to translate the visual language of her sculptures into graphic compositions on paper. The flowing lines, organic structures and abstract forms that characterised her three-dimensional works were also present in her prints.

She also created her first tapestry, opening another avenue for artistic experimentation.

In the same year, Penalba held exhibitions at the Galerie Alice Pauli in Lausanne and the Galerie d'Art Moderne in Basel, Switzerland. These exhibitions presented sculptures, jewellery designs and lithographs, demonstrating the diversity of her artistic production.

Another important development was her growing connection with Pietrasanta in Italy. Known for its marble quarries, sculptural workshops and traditional stone-carving expertise, the town offered an ideal environment for her continued exploration of monumental sculpture. She began planning a house and studio there, with the ambition of eventually establishing a museum and sculpture park dedicated to modern art.

1972–1973: Monumental Sculpture and the Move to Pietrasanta, Italy

In 1972, Alicia Penalba moved to Pietrasanta with her partner, Michel Chilo. The Italian town became an increasingly important base for her artistic activities, particularly her work with marble and bronze.

She had been visiting the region since 1964 and appreciated the expertise of its traditional sculptors and foundries. The availability of skilled craftsmen and specialist workshops allowed her to develop ambitious projects on a monumental scale.

One of the most significant works associated with this period was Grand Double, a monumental abstract sculpture produced in Pietrasanta. A version was intended for installation in Milwaukee, United States.

Penalba also participated in several international exhibitions, including La Table de Diane. Rayonnement surréaliste in Paris and an exhibition of abstract sculpture in Madrid. Her work was increasingly recognised for its ability to combine abstract forms with architectural and spatial elements.

In 1973, she continued developing her lithographs and collages. She produced a new series of collages that would provide the basis for further graphic experiments. She also created additional tapestries, exploring how her sculptural vocabulary could be translated into textile compositions.

That same year, she celebrated 25 years of living in Paris with a gathering at her home, attended by several friends and artists, including Fernando Botero.

1974: Receiving the Gulbenkian Prize and Completing Grand Double

The year 1974 was one of the most successful periods of Alicia Penalba's later career. She received the Gulbenkian Prize, awarded by the Academia del Mundo Latino in recognition of her artistic contribution.

The award confirmed her standing within the international art community and acknowledged the originality of her sculptural work.

Her reputation was also strengthened through her inclusion in the French reference publication XXe Siècle, part of the Larousse encyclopaedic collection.

One of the most important artistic achievements of this year was the installation of Grand Double in Milwaukee, United States. The monumental sculpture measured approximately nine metres in height and weighed twelve tonnes. Its impressive scale demonstrated Penalba's ability to translate abstract artistic ideas into large public installations.

She also installed a bronze relief titled Escape within the same architectural project. The relief explored the relationship between sculptural forms, transparency and surrounding space.

In addition to these achievements, she participated in the travelling exhibition Escultura francesa contemporánea, presented in Mexico City and Caracas.

1975–1976: Exhibitions in Geneva and Caracas

During 1975, Penalba continued to exhibit her work internationally. She presented a solo exhibition at the Artel Galerie in Geneva, Switzerland, between May and June. The exhibition catalogue included texts by Pablo Neruda, Ángel Bonomini and Pierre Descargues, reflecting the interest her work generated among writers and art critics.

Her lithographic production also continued to develop. She created a series of sixteen lithographs in 1974, which led to her first individual lithography exhibition in 1975 at Studio Incisiones Oggi in Viareggio, Italy.

In 1976, she travelled to Caracas, Venezuela, for a solo exhibition at the Arte/Contacto gallery. The exhibition combined sculptures and lithographic prints, offering visitors an overview of her artistic development across different media

During this year, she also created her first wood collages on paper, introducing new textures and materials into her graphic work.

She continued exhibiting in Europe, including presentations in Madrid and Paris. Her interest in the relationship between sculpture and architectural space remained central to her artistic approach.

1965: Experimenting with New Materials and Artistic Techniques

By 1965, Penalba was continuing to expand the boundaries of her artistic practice. Although bronze remained an important material, she increasingly explored different materials and techniques to achieve new sculptural effects.

Her interest in jewellery design also became more prominent from this period. This allowed her to investigate abstract forms on a much smaller scale while maintaining the same attention to shape, texture and composition found in her monumental sculptures.

She also continued exploring drawing and printmaking, artistic disciplines that had formed part of her original education.

These different activities demonstrated that Penalba was not limited to a single artistic medium. Whether working on a monumental sculpture or a smaller decorative object, she maintained a consistent interest in organic structures and abstract expression.

1977: Major Retrospective at the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris

One of the most significant events in Alicia Penalba's career took place in 1977, when the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris organised a major retrospective dedicated to her work.

The exhibition opened on March 30 and presented sculptures created between 1955 and 1976. It included small- and medium-sized sculptures, eight monumental works, sculptural reliefs and two tapestries.

The retrospective offered an opportunity to review more than two decades of artistic development. Visitors could observe the evolution from the early Totems to the more expansive and dynamic abstract compositions of her later years.

A monographic book written by Jörn Merkert and published by Carmen Martinez was also presented in connection with the exhibition.

The retrospective confirmed Penalba's position as an important international sculptor. Critics highlighted the mysterious and imaginative character of her works, often identifying references to nature, ancient civilisations and Gothic architecture.

1978–1979: Alicia Penalba's Growing Recognition in Latin America

In April 1978, the Museo de Bellas Artes in Caracas organised Alicia Penalba / Esculturas, her first major solo exhibition in Latin America.

The exhibition presented 27 sculptures and represented an important opportunity for Penalba to introduce her work to a broader audience on the continent where she had been born.

She personally travelled to Caracas to supervise the installation and participated in educational activities with children at the museum. She believed that sculpture should be experienced physically and that people, particularly children, should be encouraged to interact with three-dimensional forms.

During this period, she also experimented with coloured crepe paper collages, continuing her exploration of materials beyond bronze and marble.

In 1979, she participated in the Artistes argentins exhibition at the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris. She was also invited to participate in the XV São Paulo Biennial, an important event considering her previous success at the 1961 edition.

These exhibitions demonstrated her continuing connection with Argentina and the wider Latin American artistic community, despite having spent most of her professional career in Europe.

1980–1981: Further Exhibitions and Her Final Lithographic Series

During 1980, Penalba continued working on sculptures, collages and lithographs. She presented a solo exhibition at the M. Ferrari Gallery in Brescia, Italy, bringing together several aspects of her artistic production.

Her works on paper became increasingly important during these years. They provided another way to explore abstract forms, movement and composition without the technical and material demands of monumental sculpture.

In 1981, she presented a solo exhibition of lithographs at the Galerie Carmen Cassé in Paris. The exhibition included works produced between 1971 and 1980 and offered an overview of a decade of graphic experimentation

She also held exhibitions at the Jardins du Général-Dupas in Paris and the Centre Culturel Municipal Jacques Prévert in Villeparisis.

The Banco de la Nación Argentina acquired works by Argentine artists living in Paris for an exhibition at Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, and Penalba was among the selected artists.

Her final lithographic compositions continued to demonstrate the relationship between her graphic work and her abstract sculptures.

1982: Final Exhibition and the Death of Alicia Penalba

The year 1982 marked the final chapter of Alicia Penalba's life and artistic career.

From August to October, the Musée des Beaux-Arts in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, presented her last solo exhibition. Simply titled Alicia Penalba, it included 31 sculptures and 17 collages, bringing together different aspects of her artistic production.

She also participated in the Europa-América Latina exhibition at the Museo d'Arte Moderna di Ca' Pesaro in Venice and the exhibition Hommage à Krasno. Petits formats artistes latino-américains in Paris.

Her final works included a number of lithographs and sculptural studies created during 1981 and 1982, demonstrating that she remained artistically active until the end of her life.

On November 4, 1982, Alicia Penalba and her partner, Michel Chilo, died in a traffic accident at a railway crossing in Saint-Geours-de-Maremne, in the Landes region of southwestern France. They were travelling to attend the funeral of Michel Chilo's father.

Penalba was 69 years old. Her death brought an abrupt end to a remarkable artistic career and interrupted her plans for establishing a foundation dedicated to preserving her work and promoting contemporary sculpture.

The Legacy of Alicia Penalba (1971–1982)

The final decade of Alicia Penalba's life demonstrated the remarkable diversity of her artistic abilities. Although she remained internationally recognised for her monumental abstract sculptures, she continued to experiment with different materials and artistic disciplines.

Her work during this period included bronze and marble sculptures, lithographs, collages, tapestries, porcelain designs and jewellery.

Her retrospective at the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris in 1977 and her major exhibition in Caracas in 1978 confirmed her international importance. The monumental Grand Double in Milwaukee further demonstrated her ability to create sculptures that transformed public and architectural spaces.

Alicia Penalba left behind a distinctive body of work that continues to be recognised for its organic forms, expressive structures and exploration of the relationship between sculpture and space.

Her artistic legacy remains an important part of twentieth-century abstract sculpture, and her work continues to attract the attention of museums, collectors, researchers and art enthusiasts around the world.

The Importance of the Penalba Research Center: Preserving the Legacy of Alicia Penalba