In 1981 the renovation of the old Riihimäki Glassworks  to house the Finnish Glass Museum was completed The redesigning of the building was the work of Tapio Wirkkala, who also designed the museum's permanent exhibition. The opening exhibition  was  a large retrospective of work by Wirkkala, which went on an international tour to Moscow, Mexico City, Paris, Milan and New York.

In the 1980s Wirkkala designer filigree glass for Venini and for Iittala, a collection of glasses called Maaru and the Festival tableware service for Rosenthal. Viva, designed in  for Iittala, was Wirkkala's last collection of glassware. 

Tapio Wirkkala actively campaigned for the establishment of a centre of Sámi culture in Inari. This later became the Siida Sámi Museum and North Lapland Nature Centre, which were competed in 1999, several years after the death of Tapio Wirkkala.

Tapio Wirkkala died on the 19th of May 1985.