I. M. Pei

Hello! My name is Ieoh Ming Pei, but many people call me I. M. I was born on April 26th, 1917, in a country called China. When I was a boy, I loved visiting the beautiful gardens in a city called Suzhou. I would watch how the sunlight made shadows and how rocks and buildings made interesting shapes. In 1935, when I was a teenager, I moved to America to learn how to design my own amazing buildings.

I went to special schools called MIT and Harvard to become an architect. An architect is someone who draws the plans for buildings, almost like a puzzle! I learned how to use materials like glass, steel, and concrete. I especially loved using simple, strong shapes in my designs, like triangles, circles, and squares. In 1955, I started my own company so I could create buildings all over the world.

Have you ever seen a picture of a giant glass pyramid in Paris, France? I designed that! It’s the entrance to a famous art museum called the Louvre. At first, some people weren’t sure about putting a modern glass pyramid in front of an old palace, but I knew it would be beautiful. When it opened in 1989, everyone loved how the sunlight sparkled through the glass. I also designed other fun places, like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Ohio and a beautiful museum in Washington, D.C.

For my work, I received a very special award in 1983 called the Pritzker Prize, which is like the biggest honor an architect can get. I lived a very long and happy life, for 102 years. Today, my buildings stand in cities all around the globe. I hope when you see them, you think about how fun it can be to play with shapes and light to create something new and wonderful for everyone to share.