M+, Asia’s first global museum of contemporary visual culture in the West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong, will present "I. M. Pei: Life Is Architecture", the first full-scale retrospective of Chinese American architect Ieoh Ming Pei (1917–2019), widely known as I. M. Pei, one of the most influential architects of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The exhibition will open to the public until Sunday, 5 January 2025 in the museum’s West Gallery.

Pei’s high-profile projects were realised over seven decades with an exceptionally wide geographic reach, including the National Gallery of Art East Building in Washington, D.C., the modernisation of the Grand Louvre in Paris, the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong, and the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha. His life and work weave together a tapestry of power dynamics, geopolitical complexities, and cultural traditions worldwide.

Organised with the support of the Estate of I. M. Pei and Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, which succeeded the architectural firm Pei founded, the exhibition features more than 400 objects, many of them never been exhibited before. These include original drawings, architectural models, photographs, films, and other archival documentation from institutional and private holdings.

The retrospective takes an expanded and detailed look at the architect through six areas: his upbringing; approach to cities; engagement with art; relationship with clients; masterful use of geometry, materials, and structure; as well as deep reflection on the past. 

Section 1. Pei’s Cross-Cultural Foundations

Pei’s Cross-Cultural Foundations shows how Pei’s upbringing and architectural education formed the foundation of his ability to reconcile multiple sources of influence across cultures and between tradition and modernity.

I. M. Pei. Un club de banqueros en Hong Kong, proyecto de cuarto año de estudiante en el Instituto Tecnológico de Massachusetts. 1938-1939. Fotografía por Museo del MIT. Cortesía por Museo del MIT.
I. M. Pei. A Bankers’ Club in Hong Kong, fourth-year student project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1938–1939. Photograph by MIT Museum. Courtesy of MIT Museum.

Section 2. Real Estate and Urban Redevelopment

Real Estate and Urban Redevelopment unveils a lesser-known phase of Pei’s career as part of real estate developer Webb & Knapp in New York City. It explores his contributions to mixed-use planning, housing, and urban revitalisation projects in the United States in the 1960s, and subsequently beyond American borders.

I. M. Pei explica su propuesta para el nuevo centro de la ciudad de Oklahoma a un funcionario municipal con una maqueta de presentación. Hacia 1964. Fotografía por The Oklahoman – USA TODAY NETWORK.
I. M. Pei explaining his proposal for Oklahoma City’s new downtown to a city official with a presentation model. ca.1964. Photograph by The Oklahoman – USA TODAY NETWORK.

Section 3. Art and Civic Form

Art and Civic Form introduces Pei’s museum designs and his frequent collaborations with artists from Henry Moore to Zao Wou-Ki. The section demonstrates his belief in museums as civic spaces, the importance of dialogue between art and architecture, and his deep affinity with the contemporary art of his time.

J. Henderson Barr (ilustrador). I. M. Pei & Associates. Representación del Museo de Arte Herbert F. Johnson (1968-1973) visto desde el Arts Quad, Universidad de Cornell, Ithaca, Nueva York. ca.1968, lápiz sobre papel vitela. Fotografía por Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. Imagen cortesía por M+, Hong Kong, fotografiada con autorización.
J. Henderson Barr (illustrator). I. M. Pei & Associates. Rendering of the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art (1968–1973) viewed from the Arts Quad, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. ca.1968, pencil on vellum. Photograph by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. Image courtesy of M+, Hong Kong, photographed with permission.

Section 4. Power, Politics, and Patronage

Power, Politics, and Patronage reveal how Pei—with his technical mastery, ingenious problem-solving, and sensitivity to client needs—became a trusted collaborator in high-profile commissions that drew both immense support and public controversy throughout his career.

Calvin Tsao. Funcionarios observando una maqueta del Hotel Fragrant Hill (1979-1982), Pekín. 1979. Fotografía por Calvin Tsao.
Calvin Tsao. Officials viewing a model of Fragrant Hill Hotel (1979–1982), Beijing. 1979. Photograph by Calvin Tsao.

Section 5. Material and Structural Innovation

Material and Structural Innovation illustrates Pei and his team’s consistent inventiveness in the use of materials and construction methods, especially with concrete, stone, glass, and steel.

Webb & Knapp. Elevación de la entrada y los pisos inferiores, Helix (1948-1949; no construida), Nueva York. ca.1948, acuarela sobre papel. Fotografía por Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. Imagen cortesía por M+, Hong Kong, digitalizada con autorización.
Webb & Knapp. Elevation of entrance and lower floors, Helix (1948–1949; unbuilt), New York. ca.1948, watercolour on paper. Photograph by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. Image courtesy of M+, Hong Kong, digitised with permission.

Section 6. Reinterpreting History through Design

Reinterpreting History through Design examines Pei’s long-standing interest in making modern architecture relevant to different histories, traditions, and ways of life, particularly those related to his birthplace. Pei distilled the essence of cultural and historical archetypes to provide formal or spatial strategies for contemporary needs.

Chen Chi-kwan (ilustrador). I. M. Pei Architect. Perspectiva del interior del patio del dormitorio de mujeres, Universidad de Tunghai (1954-1963), Taichung. ca.1955, impresión reprográfica. Fotografía por Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. Imagen cortesía por M+, Hong Kong, digitalizada con autorización.
Chen Chi-kwan (illustrator). I. M. Pei Architect. Perspective inside courtyard of Women’s Dormitory, Tunghai University (1954–1963), Taichung. ca.1955, reprographic print. Photograph by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. Image courtesy of M+, Hong Kong, digitised with permission.

More information

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Exhibition
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«I. M. Pei: Life is Architecture».
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Curators
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Shirley Surya, Curator, Design and Architecture, M+ and Aric Chen, General and Artistic Director, Nieuwe Instituut (New Institute), Rotterdam, supported by Naomi Altman and Iris Ng, Curatorial Assistants, Design and Architecture, M+.

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Promotor
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Saturday, 29 June 2024 to Sunday, 5 January 2025.

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Tuesday to Thursday and weekends.- 10:00–18:00.
Friday.- 10:00–22:00.
Monday.- Closed.

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West Gallery, M+. Cultural district of West Kowloon, 38 Museum Drive, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
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I.M. Pei was born in China on April 26, 1917, in Canton, Guangzhou, China and died on May 16, 2019 (at the age of 102), in Manhattan, New York, United States. When he was 17 years old, he travelled to the United States, initially attending the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia before transferring to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he earned a bachelor's degree in architecture in 1940.

Pei soon continued his studies at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design, where he had the opportunity to study with German architect and founder of the Bauhaus design movement Walter Gropius. During World War II, Pei took a break from his education to work for the National Defense Research Committee. In 1944, he returned to Harvard and earned his master's degree in architecture two years later. Around this time, Pei also worked as an assistant professor at the university.

In 1948, Pei joined the New York-based architectural firm Webb & Knapp, Inc., as its director of architecture. In 1955 he left to start his firm, I. M. Pei & Associates (now known as Pei Cobb Freed & Partners). One of his first major projects was the Mile High Center in Denver, Colorado. Pei also devised several urban renewal plans for areas of Washington, D.C., Boston, and Philadelphia around this time.

In the years following the death of President John F. Kennedy, Pei met with his widow, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, on the designs for his presidential library. The project, built in Dorchester, Massachusetts, met several challenges over the years, including a location change. Completed in 1979, the library is a nine-story modern structure that features glass and concrete. Pei also designed a later addition to the site.

Following the dedication of the Kennedy Library, Pei continued to create wondrous buildings around the world, including the west wing of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston (1980) and the Fragrant Hill Hotel in China (1983). In 1983, he was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize for his contributions to his field. In their official announcement, the committee recognized his ability to "draw together disparate people and disciplines to create a harmonious environment." Pei used his prize money to create a scholarship for Chinese students to study architecture in the United States.

During this time, Pei also began work on revitalizing Paris's Louvre museum. The new, and controversial, entrance he created for the world-famous structure has since become one of the most iconic representations of his work. Pei had visitors descend into the museum through a large glass pyramid, which took them to a new level below the existing courtyard.

Pei continued to design impressive buildings during the 1990s, including the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.
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Published on: October 6, 2024
Cite: "I. M. Pei: Life is architecture, the first retrospective of Ieoh Ming Pei on M+" METALOCUS. Accessed
<http://www.metalocus.es/en/news/i-m-pei-life-architecture-first-retrospective-ieoh-ming-pei-m-0> ISSN 1139-6415
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