This spring, Shanghai welcomes I. M. Pei: Life Is Architecture, the first major retrospective of the Chinese American architect in the mainland.
I. M. Pei (1917-2019), a Pritzker Prize laureate, left a global legacy of architecture over seven decades. His iconic buildings — like the Louvre Pyramid in Paris, the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong, and the Suzhou Museum — helped redefine modern architecture while honoring history and place.
Born in Guangzhou and raised in Shanghai and Suzhou, I.M. Pei’s early exposure to Jiangnan gardens and urban landscapes shaped his cross-cultural design sensibilities. This Shanghai exhibition marks a homecoming, with more than 400 drawings, models, photographs, and films.
In the city where I.M. Pei’s journey began, Life Is Architecture invites visitors to rediscover the man whose designs helped shape the world.
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