In 1952 Basterretxea was commissioned along with other Basque artists the reconstruction of the Franciscan
Sanctuary of Arantzazu. He was assigned the works to design the paintings covering the crypt. After a year-long period and halfway to completion, the paintings were held to be controversial by Church officials and works were suspended
sine die. Despite their completion in 1984, the paintings were publicly unveiled and put on show only in September 2009, after an agreement was finally reached with the veteran artist. The Arantzazu reconstruction project paved the way to the establishment of the influential artistic group
Gaur ('today') in the 1960s. In 1973, he presented in Bilbao's Museo de Bellas Artes (
Bilbao Fine Arts Museum) his work
Serie Cosmogonica Vasca (Basque Cosmogonic Series), which included some 19 works made in wood depicting Basque Mythology motifs. In 2008, Nestor donated this series to the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum. In the 1980s Basterretxea became Culture Councillor for the Basque Government for two years. In 1982, he created the seven branched tree that heads the
Basque Parliament. Basterretxea died at his home in
Hondarribia in the morning of 12 July 2014, at the age of 90. ==Gallery==