Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei bursts out laughing while posing in front of the Louvre glass pyramid he designed, in the museum's Napoleon Courtyard, prior to its inauguration by French President Francois Mitterrand on March 29, 1989, in Paris.

Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei bursts out laughing while posing in front of the Louvre glass pyramid he designed, in the museum's Napoleon Courtyard, prior to its inauguration by French President Francois Mitterrand on March 29, 1989, in Paris. (Pierre Gleizes / AP)

Remembering the life and career of I. M. Pei

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I.M. Pei, best known for designing the glass pyramid at the Louvre in Paris, died on May 15, 2019, according to his son, Chien Chung Pei. He was 102. The Chinese-American architect is renowned throughout the world for his work in designing icons like the East Building of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. in 1978 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio in 1995. He received numerous awards, including the highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in 1992.

I. M. Pei, 1981

I.M. Pei poses in his office on Oct. 28, 1981, in New York. The American architect of Chinese descent has designed such structures as the Boston John Hancock Tower and the John F. Kennedy Library in Dorchester, Mass. The quiet, unassuming architect has been compared to Metternich, the Austrian diplomat whose talents made him the architect of political power in post-Napoleonic Europe. "The human condition is very important to me and architecture reflects the human condition," Pei states.

I.M. Pei poses in his office on Oct. 28, 1981, in New York. The American architect of Chinese descent has designed such structures as the Boston John Hancock Tower and the John F. Kennedy Library in Dorchester, Mass. The quiet, unassuming architect has been compared to Metternich, the Austrian diplomat whose talents made him the architect of political power in post-Napoleonic Europe. "The human condition is very important to me and architecture reflects the human condition," Pei states. (M. Reichenthal / AP)

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John Hancock Tower, Boston, 1977

New England's tallest skyscraper, the John Hancock Tower, rises across the street from the 19th-century Trinity Church, left, and the Copley Plaza hotel, right, in Copley Square on Sept. 13, 1977, in Boston, Mass. The 60-story slender blue-glass building, designed by architect I. M. Pei and Henry Cobb, has an observation deck on the 60th floor.

New England's tallest skyscraper, the John Hancock Tower, rises across the street from the 19th-century Trinity Church, left, and the Copley Plaza hotel, right, in Copley Square on Sept. 13, 1977, in Boston, Mass. The 60-story slender blue-glass building, designed by architect I. M. Pei and Henry Cobb, has an observation deck on the 60th floor. (AP)

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I. M. Pei, 1979

Architect I. M. Pei, second from right, points out some of the highlights of New York City's proposed expositions and convention center to New York State and city officials on Dec. 11, 1979, in Manhattan. From left are Richard A. Kahan, Gov. Hugh Carey, New York City Mayor Ed Koch, others are unidentified.

Architect I. M. Pei, second from right, points out some of the highlights of New York City's proposed expositions and convention center to New York State and city officials on Dec. 11, 1979, in Manhattan. From left are Richard A. Kahan, Gov. Hugh Carey, New York City Mayor Ed Koch, others are unidentified. (Marty Lederhandler / AP)

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Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, John F. Kennedy Jr. and I. M. Pei, 1996

John F. Kennedy Jr. and his sister Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg pose with I.M. Pei, right, after they awarded the world-renowned architect the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Medal on Feb. 27, 1996, in New York. The award is presented by the Municipal Arts Society.

John F. Kennedy Jr. and his sister Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg pose with I.M. Pei, right, after they awarded the world-renowned architect the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Medal on Feb. 27, 1996, in New York. The award is presented by the Municipal Arts Society. (Ron Frehm / AP)

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Fragrant Hill Hotel, Beijing, 1982

Chinese workers put on the finishing touches of a rockery inside the lobby of Fragrant Hill Hotel on Oct. 9, 1982, in Beijing, China, designed by the noted American architect I.M. Pei, who will preview the hotel next week with visitor Jacqueline Onassis.

Chinese workers put on the finishing touches of a rockery inside the lobby of Fragrant Hill Hotel on Oct. 9, 1982, in Beijing, China, designed by the noted American architect I.M. Pei, who will preview the hotel next week with visitor Jacqueline Onassis. (Heung Shing Liu / AP)

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I. M. Pei, 1989

Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei bursts out laughing while posing in front of the Louvre glass pyramid he designed, in the museum's Napoleon Courtyard, prior to its inauguration by French President Francois Mitterrand on March 29, 1989, in Paris.

Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei bursts out laughing while posing in front of the Louvre glass pyramid he designed, in the museum's Napoleon Courtyard, prior to its inauguration by French President Francois Mitterrand on March 29, 1989, in Paris. (Pierre Gleizes / AP)

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I. M. Pei, 1978

I.M. Pei, noted architect and newly elected Chancellor of the American Academy-Institute of Arts and Letters, appeared with other members of the Institute at the IRT 157th St. station on Jan. 12, 1978, in New York, to open a campaign to improve the look of subway stations in upper Manhattan.

I.M. Pei, noted architect and newly elected Chancellor of the American Academy-Institute of Arts and Letters, appeared with other members of the Institute at the IRT 157th St. station on Jan. 12, 1978, in New York, to open a campaign to improve the look of subway stations in upper Manhattan. (Daniel Goodrich / AP)

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Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, 1995

Streamers fill the sky over the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum on Sept. 1, 1995, in Cleveland, Ohio, after the opening ceremony. Between 20,000 and 30,000 people attended the ceremonies and parade that accompanied the opening of the museum designed by I.M. Pei.

Streamers fill the sky over the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum on Sept. 1, 1995, in Cleveland, Ohio, after the opening ceremony. Between 20,000 and 30,000 people attended the ceremonies and parade that accompanied the opening of the museum designed by I.M. Pei. (KIMBERLY BARTH / AFP/Getty Images)

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I. M. Pei, 1994

Architect I. M. Pei poses with the directors of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame topping off ceremonies on July 29, 1994, in Cleveland, Ohio. Pei is the lead designer of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.

Architect I. M. Pei poses with the directors of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame topping off ceremonies on July 29, 1994, in Cleveland, Ohio. Pei is the lead designer of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. (Mark Duncan / AP)

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I. M. Pei, 1979

The American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters honored 63 artists, architects, writers and composers at its annual awards and induction ceremony on May 23, 1979, in New York. From left are I.M. Pei, gold medal winner for architecture; Isaac Bashevis Singer, author and new member of the Academy; Barbara W. Tuchman, president of the Academy, and Archibald MacLeish, gold medal winner for poetry.

The American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters honored 63 artists, architects, writers and composers at its annual awards and induction ceremony on May 23, 1979, in New York. From left are I.M. Pei, gold medal winner for architecture; Isaac Bashevis Singer, author and new member of the Academy; Barbara W. Tuchman, president of the Academy, and Archibald MacLeish, gold medal winner for poetry. (Marty Lederhandler / AP)

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I. M. Pei, 1998

I.M. Pei, 81, holds the Edward MacDowell Medal as he poses on Aug. 16, 1998, in Peterborough, N.H. The MacDowell Medal is presented annually to honor a creative artist who has made an outstanding contribution to the arts. Pei, an architect and naturalized U.S. citizen, born in Canton, China, has designed buildings including, the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston and the Grand Louvre in Paris.

I.M. Pei, 81, holds the Edward MacDowell Medal as he poses on Aug. 16, 1998, in Peterborough, N.H. The MacDowell Medal is presented annually to honor a creative artist who has made an outstanding contribution to the arts. Pei, an architect and naturalized U.S. citizen, born in Canton, China, has designed buildings including, the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston and the Grand Louvre in Paris. (Jack Ainsworth / AP)

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Louvre Pyramid, circa 1999

Visitors experience the inside of I. M. Pei's glass pyramid at the Louvre in Paris, circa 1999.

Visitors experience the inside of I. M. Pei's glass pyramid at the Louvre in Paris, circa 1999. (Steve Eason/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

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I. M. Pei, 2004

Master of ceremonies and NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw, left, joins recipients and families of recipients of the 2004 Ellis Island Family Heritage Awards on April 21, 2004, at Ellis Island in New York. From left are Brokaw, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, President and CEO of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Dr. Harold Varmus, Anne Rockne Volpe and John V. Rockne, who received the award for their late father Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne, architect I.M. Pei, Martin Scorsese's daughters Catherine and Domenica, and Lee Iacocca, founding chairman of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation. Five of the honorees trace their immigrant roots through Ellis Island.

Master of ceremonies and NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw, left, joins recipients and families of recipients of the 2004 Ellis Island Family Heritage Awards on April 21, 2004, at Ellis Island in New York. From left are Brokaw, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, President and CEO of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Dr. Harold Varmus, Anne Rockne Volpe and John V. Rockne, who received the award for their late father Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne, architect I.M. Pei, Martin Scorsese's daughters Catherine and Domenica, and Lee Iacocca, founding chairman of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation. Five of the honorees trace their immigrant roots through Ellis Island. (Kathy Willens / AP)

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I. M. Pei,

Ieoh Ming Pei, left, director of the Architectural Division of Webb and Knapp, is greeted at Idlewild Airport on March 18, 1950, in New York, on his return from Korea by Jack Price Bell, vice president of that concern. Mr. Pei was loaned as a consultant to the American-Korean Foundation for a mass housing project in Korea at the request of President Syngman Rhee. (AP Photo)

Ieoh Ming Pei, left, director of the Architectural Division of Webb and Knapp, is greeted at Idlewild Airport on March 18, 1950, in New York, on his return from Korea by Jack Price Bell, vice president of that concern. Mr. Pei was loaned as a consultant to the American-Korean Foundation for a mass housing project in Korea at the request of President Syngman Rhee. (AP Photo) (AP)

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I. M. Pei and Philip Johnson, 1983

Architects Philip Johnson, right, and I.M. Pei chat during a gala dinner for Johnson on Dec. 4, 1983, in New York. The Municipal Art Society honored the architect with the opening of a two-gallery exhibition on his work followed by the gala dinner at The Four Seasons Restaurant.

Architects Philip Johnson, right, and I.M. Pei chat during a gala dinner for Johnson on Dec. 4, 1983, in New York. The Municipal Art Society honored the architect with the opening of a two-gallery exhibition on his work followed by the gala dinner at The Four Seasons Restaurant. (Jim Colburn / AP)

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I. M. Pei, 1986

Architect I.M. Pei is seen in 1986.

Architect I.M. Pei is seen in 1986. (AP)

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