Winner of The Best Architecture Book of the Year Award 2024: the story of internationally renowned architect I. M. Pei’s life and work, including such instantly recognisable buildings as the glass pyramid at the Louvre, Paris, and the National Gallery of Art's extension in Washington, D.C.

I. M. Pei (1917–2019) was one of the world’s most influential architects. Born and raised in China, Pei trained and worked in the United States, establishing a practice that spanned seven decades and multiple continents. His legacy includes the realisation of some of the most high-profile projects of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, from the modernisation of the Louvre in Paris to the design of the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha. Pei’s life and work are explored here through six topics that were central to his unique approach to architecture: transcultural identity, urban redevelopment, art and civic form, material and structural innovation, politics and patronage, and regenerating cultural and historical archetypes. Bringing together previously unpublished archival materials, specially commissioned essays, new photography, and personal contributions from those who knew and worked with Pei, this book presents both celebrated and lesser-known aspects of the architect’s life and career while solidifying his position in architectural history and popular culture.

'A must for any architectural library. We didn’t have a moment’s doubt that this exemplary volume was our unanimous category winner' - Architecture Book of the Year Award 2024
'Published alongside the first major retrospective, at the M+ museum in Hong Kong, of the Chinese American architect's work across six decades and three continents, this book showcases his Pritzker Prize-winning oeuvre ... alongside his sketches, letters, personal photographs and more' - The New York Times Book Review

Shirley Surya is Curator for Design and Architecture at M+, Hong Kong. In 2017 she co-organised ‘Rethinking Pei: A Centenary Symposium’ with the Harvard Graduate School of Design and Hong Kong University Department of Architecture. Aric Chen is the General and Artistic Director of Het Nieuwe Instituut, the Dutch national museum and institute of architecture. From 2012 to 2019 Chen was Lead Curator for Design and Architecture at M+, Hong Kong.