M+, Asia’s global museum of contemporary visual culture in the West Kowloon Cultural District (WestK) in Hong Kong, is pleased to announce that its critically acclaimed and award winning Special Exhibition I. M. Pei: Life Is Architecture, supported by the Lead Sponsor Bank of China (Hong Kong), has concluded on 5 January 2025 with more than 225,000 visitations. The exhibition—seven years in the making—is 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. Organised with the support of the Estate of I. M. Pei and Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, which succeeded the architectural firm Pei founded, the retrospective featured more than 400 objects, including original drawings, architectural models, photographs, films, and archival documentation from institutional and private holdings, many of them never exhibited before.

I. M. Pei: Life Is Architecture will tour to the Power Station of Art in Shanghai and Qatar Museums Gallery, Al Riwaq in Doha in 2025

Curated by Shirley Surya, Curator, Design and Architecture, M+, and Aric Chen, General and Artistic Director, Nieuwe Instituut (New Institute), Rotterdam, I. M. Pei: Life Is Architecture received more than 225,000 visitations during the six-month exhibition period. The exhibition was named one of the ten best architecture and design exhibitions of 2024 by Dezeen, an influential international architecture and design magazine, and was shortlisted for Best Exhibition Experience by the Wallpaper* China Design Awards in 2024. The exhibition will travel to the Power Station of Art in Shanghai from April to July 2025 and Qatar Museums Gallery, Al Riwaq in Doha from November 2025 to February 2026.

Exhibition monograph named Best Architecture Book of the Year at the Architecture Book of the Year Awards 2024

The 400-page monograph I. M. Pei: Life Is Architecture, edited by Shirley Surya and Aric Chen and published by Thames & Hudson in collaboration with M+, won two awards at the Architecture Book of the Year Awards 2024: Best Architecture Book of the Year in the Practice category, and Best Architecture Book of the Year, the top honour. The monograph presents both celebrated and lesser-known aspects of I. M. Pei’s life and career by featuring largely unpublished archival materials, newly commissioned photographs and essays, and personal anecdotes from scholars and those who knew and worked with Pei. The Architecture Book of the Year Awards are organised by the World Architecture Festival, the Worshipful Company of Chartered Architects, and the Temple Bar Trust.

Suhanya Raffel, Museum Director, M+, says, ‘I. M. Pei: Life Is Architecture is M+’s second Special Exhibition to tour internationally following the success of Yayoi Kusama: 1945 to Now, which travelled to Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain in 2023 and Serralves Museum in Portugal in 2024. We take pride in the curatorial expertise of our in-house team, which encompasses different disciplines of visual culture, and our exhibitions that are built on research and scholarship and appeal to a wide audience. We will continue to build new partnerships between M+ and renowned international institutions through our expanding touring programme, engaging and inspiring audiences all around the world.’

I. M. Pei: Life Is Architecture is generously supported by the Lead Sponsor Bank of China (Hong Kong), Bei Shan Tang Foundation, the Family of S. P. Tao, Travel Partner Cathay, and Hotel Partner The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong.

About I. M. Pei

Ieoh Ming Pei (1917–2019) was born in Guangzhou before moving to Hong Kong in 1918. Pei spent his teenage years in Shanghai and Suzhou before beginning his architectural education in the United States in 1935. He completed his undergraduate studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1940 and his graduate degree at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design in 1946. In 1948, Pei headed the architectural division of Webb & Knapp, founded by real estate developer William Zeckendorf, in New York City. There, Pei’s projects included Kips Bay Plaza (1957–1962), Mile High Center (1952–1956), and Society Hill (1957–1964). I. M. Pei & Associates, informally established in 1955, became independent from Webb & Knapp in 1960. Important commissions included the National Center for Atmospheric Research (1961–1967), Everson Museum of Art (1961–1968), and John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum (1964–1979). The firm was renamed I. M. Pei & Partners in 1966. The late 1960s was marked by major public commissions like the National Gallery of Art East Building (1968–1978) and Pei’s increasing international presence with projects such as the OCBC Centre (1970–1976), Fragrant Hill Hotel (1979–1982), Bank of China Tower (1982–1989), and the modernisation of the Grand Louvre (1983–1993). Pei became the fifth Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate in 1983. In 1990, Pei retired from full-time practice as I. M. Pei & Partners was restructured as Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, but he nevertheless took on projects independently, like the Miho Museum (1991–1997), Suzhou Museum (2000–2006), Museum of Islamic Art (2000–2008), and, lastly, the Miho Institute of Aesthetics Chapel (2008–2012).

About M+

M+ is Asia’s global museum of contemporary visual culture. Located in Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District (WestK), it is dedicated to collecting, exhibiting, and interpreting visual art, design and architecture, moving image, and Hong Kong visual culture of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The landmark M+ building on Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbourfront was designed by the world-renowned architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron in partnership with TFP Farrells and Arup. It spans a total floor area of 65,000 square metres, featuring thirty-three galleries alongside a Learning Hub, Moving Image Centre, Research Centre, and Roof Garden, among other event and programming spaces. The M+ Facade is one of the largest LED screens in the world, showcasing commissioned artworks on the Hong Kong skyline every evening. The museum stewards a multidisciplinary permanent collection that includes objects from regions across Asia and beyond. A highlight is the M+ Sigg Collection, one of the world’s most extensive collections of Chinese contemporary art. Today, M+ is a nexus for researching and presenting contemporary visual culture, inspiring thought and curiosity.

About the West Kowloon Cultural District (WestK)

WestK is one of the largest and most ambitious cultural hubs in the world and Hong Kong’s new cultural tourism landmark, spanning forty hectares alongside Victoria Harbour. WestK comprises a mix of landmark arts and cultural facilities, including world-class museums M+ and the Hong Kong Palace Museum, intricately designed performing arts venues the Xiqu Centre and Freespace, the eleven-hectare Art Park with a waterfront promenade, and the forthcoming WestK Performing Arts Centre.

Hosting approximately 1,000 exhibitions, performances, programmes, and events each year, WestK provides a vital platform for both emerging and established artists. WestK welcomes more than ten million visitors each year, enriching the cultural influence of Hong Kong and strengthening the city’s strategic role as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.