Ieoh Ming Pei, known worldwide as I.M. Pei, was a visionary architect whose work blended modernist design with timeless elegance. Born in Guangzhou, China, in 1917 and raised in Hong Kong and Shanghai, Pei moved to the United States to study architecture, earning degrees from MIT and Harvard.
The iconic buildings Pei designed during his six-decade career are celebrated for their geometric clarity, harmonious integration with surroundings, and bold use of materials: the glass-and-steel pyramid at the Louvre Museum in Paris; the East Building of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.; and the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong.
As a Chinese-American architect, Pei broke cultural barriers in a field historically dominated by Western voices. He often drew upon his heritage for inspiration, subtly incorporating Eastern philosophies into modern designs. His ability to merge tradition with innovation helped reshape the global architectural landscape.
Pei received numerous honors, including the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1983, often referred to as architecture’s Nobel Prize. He passed away in 2019 at the age of 102.
