Pei, I. M.
Among his notable later buildings are the John Hancock Tower, Boston (1973); the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. (1978); the Jacob Javits Exposition and Convention Center, New York City (1986); the 72-story Bank of China, Hong Kong (1989); the Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame, with tower and glass pyramid, Cleveland (1995); the Miho Museum, Kyoto, Japan (1998); a new wing of the German Historical Museum, Berlin (2003); and the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, Qatar (2008). His master plan for the Louvre's expansion and renovation (1987?89) initially outraged critics, in large part because of the 70-ft (21-m) steel-framed glass-walled pyramid (1993) that formed the entrance to the museum's new underground section. The pyramid has since become a Parisian landmark. Pei won the Pritzker Prize in 1983. In 1990 he retired from active management of his firm.
See P. Jodidio et al., I. M. Pei: Complete Works (2008); G. Von Boehm, Conversations with I. M. Pei: Light is the Key (2000); biography by M. Cannell (1995); biographical study by C. Wiseman (1990); studies by C. Wiseman (2001) and J. Rubalcaba (2011).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Architecture: Biographies