Metamorphosis III

1965

The Hilversum cultural prize

In 1965 Escher received the Hilversum art prize; the same year Caroline MacGillavry published her book “Symmetry Aspects of M. C. Escher’s Periodic Drawings”.

1966–1967

“Scientific American” discovers Escher

Escher’s fame among scientists and the general public grew after Martin Gardner featured him in his April 1966 “Mathematical Games” column in “Scientific American”; the magazine’s October 1967 issue carried a separate article on his work.

1968

A retrospective for his 70th birthday and the Escher Foundation

In 1968 a retrospective for Escher’s 70th birthday was organised in The Hague — before that he had long been neglected by the art world even in the Netherlands. Four years before his death he founded The M. C. Escher Foundation to preserve his legacy.

late 1968

Jetta goes back to Switzerland

At the end of 1968 Jetta, who had never been content with life in Holland, returned to Switzerland. The couple never formally divorced, but they never lived together again.

1970

The artists’ home Rosa Spier Huis

In 1970, after another operation and hospital stay, Escher moved to Laren, near Hilversum, to the Rosa Spier Huis, a retirement home for artists, where he had a studio of his own. A film about his work was shown at the World Expo in Osaka the same year.