luminary
PEI
DAY BY CHRISTIE MCCOLLUM
IT’S A FAMILIAR IMAGE: A TOWERING, ELEGANT GLASS-AND-STEEL PYRAMID ENCIRCLED BY THREE SMALLER VERSIONS, TRANSPARENT BY DAY, ILLUMINATED BY NIGHT, RISING FROM THE COURTYARD OF A 16TH-CENTURY FORMER PARISIAN ROYAL PALACE. ARCHITECT I.M. PEI’S MOST FAMOUS WORK, THE PYRAMIDS AT THE LOUVRE.
Subtle and approachable, Pei speaks with the casual warmth of a man who has absolutely nothing to prove. He has a ready smile, lips curling at the edges with enthusiasm, and his signature round spectacles magnify the eyes that dreamed up the world’s most beautiful structures. Pei’s modest presence truly belies the majesty of his work.
unique—Pei has spoken at length about the art and challenge of harmonizing a structure with its physical and cultural environment— but his work does have emergent themes. Geometric patterns and primary volumes, glass pyramids, dramatic angles, monumental facades, the subtle harmony between mixed materials, sweeping open spaces: These are Pei’s tools of choice. His portfolio runs the gamut from high-profile destination buildings like the Louvre Pyramid and the J.F.K. Presidential Library to less-known residential structures, like L.A.’s very own Century Towers, a pair of 28-story mid-century condo buildings across from the Fox lot. Pei has a knack for marrying form and function, wherever his work may be.
The Chinese-American virtuoso celebrated his 100th birthday this year, and though he’s (officially) retired, Pei continues to consult on new projects that shape the landscapes of cities all over the world. Pei’s career spans the better part of the last seven decades. He has designed buildings in dozens of cities on three continents. Each is
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