5 of I.M. Pei’s most iconic buildings: meet the Chinese-American architect celebrated at Hong Kong’s M+

Jun 26 , 2024

Chinese-born American architect I.M. Pei was one of the most important architects of recent decades, with key works around the globe including the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, seen here in 1979. Photo: Getty Images

The first major retrospective of Chinese-born American architect Ieoh Ming Pei (1917-2019) is soon to open at M+, Hong Kong’s museum of contemporary visual culture. Featuring more than 300 objects – some of them never shown before – “I.M. Pei: Life Is Architecture” sheds light on his life and work, and key projects such as the modernisation of the Louvre in Paris, and designing the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong and Doha’s Museum of Islamic Art.

The exhibition, which comes with a 400-page monograph published by Thames & Hudson in collaboration with M+, includes newly commissioned photographs of Pei’s buildings by seven international photographers, along with five models of his projects by architecture schools at the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

To celebrate the blockbuster show’s opening this weekend, Style looks back at five of Pei’s most celebrated works …

1. Bank of China Tower, Hong Kong

Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong. Commissioned by M+. Photo: South Ho

2. Museum of Islamic Art, Doha

The faceted central structure of the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar. Commissioned by M+ (2022). Photo: Mohamed Somji

3. Louvre Museum, Paris

A bride’s photo shoot captured from Passage Richelieu, part of the redeveloped Grand Louvre, Paris. Commissioned by M+ (2021). Photo: Giovanna Silva

4. Luce Memorial Chapel, Taichung

Luce Memorial Chapel at Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan. Commissioned by M+ (2021). Photo: Lee Kuo-min

5. Centre for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, Washington DC

View of the knife-edge prow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts at the National Gallery of Art East Building, Washington, DC. Commissioned by M+ (2022). Photo: Naho Kubota

“I.M. Pei: Life Is Architecture” is on view at Hong Kong’s M+ museum from June 29 until January 5.

Architecture and design

M+ museum’s retrospective ‘I.M. Pei: Life Is Architecture’ spotlights influential projects including modernising the Louvre in Paris and Doha’s Museum of Islamic Art