When you mention famous buildings in Hong Kong, you might think of the Bank of China Tower. But do you know who designed the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong?
That is the ingenious work of the world-renowned Chinese-American architect, Mr. Ieoh Ming Pei, inspired by the “rising step by step” of bamboo, symbolizing its continuous flourishing in the future. The architectural master Ieoh Ming Pei (1917–2019) has spanned seven decades in the architectural world, and this June, his first major museum retrospective exhibition, “Ieoh Ming Pei: Life as Architecture,” will be held at the M+ Museum, meticulously presenting his works and reviewing his legendary life.
About I.M. Pei
Chinese-American architect Ieoh Ming Pei (1917-2019) was a highly influential architect of the 20th and 21st centuries. Born in Guangzhou, he moved to Hong Kong in 1918, and later grew up in Shanghai and Suzhou until 1935 when he began studying architecture in the United States. He completed his undergraduate studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before earning a master’s degree from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. In 1983, he became the fifth recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize and was acclaimed as the “last master of high modernist architecture.”
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Ieoh Ming Pei’s architectural projects have been highly regarded. Since 1948, he has been involved in projects such as Kips Bay Plaza, Luce Memorial Chapel, and Society Hill, and in 1960 he established his own office. He was responsible for major public commission projects such as the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the Everson Museum of Art, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, the East Building of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the Overseas Chinese Banking Corporation Building, the Fragrant Hill Hotel, the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong, and the modernization project of the Louvre in Paris. His design projects span many regions, continuously expanding his international influence, and establishing Ieoh Ming Pei’s prominent position in architectural history and popular culture.
After retiring from the office, he continued to take on projects in his personal capacity, such as the MIHO Art Museum, the Suzhou Museum, the Islamic Art Museum, and finally the MIHO Academy Middle School Chapel. His life and career are intertwined with power dynamics, complex geopolitics, cultural traditions, and diverse urban styles from around the world, creating a rich and colorful experience.
About “Ieoh Ming Pei: Life as Architecture”
This exhibition is co-curated by M+ design and architecture curator Wang Lei and Chen Bokang, director and artistic director of The New Institute in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. It features over three hundred exhibits, including a series of drawing manuscripts, architectural models, photographs, videos, and other archival records from institutional or private collections, many of which are being shown for the first time.
The exhibition is divided into six main themes: “I.M. Pei’s Cross-Cultural Heritage,” “Real Estate and Urban Reconstruction,” “Art and Public Architecture,” “Power, Politics, and Appreciation,” “Material Improvement and Structural Innovation,” and “Design Strategies with New Historical Interpretations.” By exploring I.M. Pei’s life and work up close, not only can his unique architectural techniques be fully showcased, but also his works can be juxtaposed with society, culture, and his life trajectory, demonstrating the inseparable connection between architecture and life.
In order to help the new generation of architecture students better understand the works of Ieoh Ming Pei, M+ has collaborated with the architecture schools of the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong to invite students from both schools to focus on the design of high-rise buildings and cultural spaces respectively; in conjunction with the exhibition, the publisher Thames & Hudson will also collaborate with M+ to release the joint publication “Ieoh Ming Pei: Life as Architecture” in June 2024, showcasing familiar or lesser-known anecdotes from Ieoh Ming Pei’s life and career in a total of 400 pages with 471 color images. M+ Museum Director Suhanya Raffel stated:
This special exhibition will open to the public on June 29, 2024 (Saturday) at the M+ West Hall. Details of the exhibition and ticket arrangements will be announced at the end of April 2024.
