THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE.

I.M.PEI-IEOH MING PEI. (LOUVRE MUSEUM)

INTRODUCTION; BORN:
April 26,1917.In CHINA.

DEGREE:
B.ARCH in1940 ,M.ARCH in 1946 in U.S.

FAME PRO:
National Gallery of Art. (1968-78) Museum of Fine Arts. (77-86) Fragrant Hill Hotel. (79-86) Bank of china in Hong kong. (82-90) Pyramide & extension le grand louvre paris. (83-93) Rock n Roll hall of Fame & Museum. (87-950) Regent Hotel N.W. (88-92) Miho Museum. (91-97) German historical museum. (96-2003)

AWARD:
PRITZKER ARCHITECTURE PRIZE in 1983.

IMAGES;

GRAND PYRAMIDE

LOUVRE MUSEUM

CONCEPT: Le Grand Louvre

Pei was acutely aware, as he said, that "the history of Paris was embedded in the stones of the louvre Pei proposed a central entrance, not unlike the lobby of the National Gallery East Building, which would link the three major buildings. Below would be a complex of additional floors for research, storage, and maintenance purposes. At the center of the courtyard he designed a glass and steel pyramid, first proposed with the Kennedy Library, to serve as entrance and anteroom skylight. It was mirrored by another inverted pyramid underneath, to reflect sunlight into the room. Pei estimated that 90 percent of Parisians opposed his design. "I received many angry glances in the streets of Paris," he said nationalistic One opponent wrote: "I am surprised that one would go looking for a Chinese architect in America to deal with the historic heart of the capital of France.

Pei decided that a pyramid was "most compatible" with the other structures at the Louvre, complementing their roofs' faceted planes. During the four days of its exhibition, an estimated 60,000 people visited the site. Some critics eased their opposition after witnessing the proposed scale of the pyramid. As they worked, construction teams came upon an abandoned set of rooms containing 25,000 historical items The new Louvre courtyard was opened to the public on October 14, 1988, and the Pyramid entrance was opened the following March. By this time, public opinion had softened on the new installation; a poll found a fifty-six percent approval rating for the pyramid, with twenty-three percent still opposed. After the Louvre," he said later, "I thought no project would be too difficult. The Louvre Pyramid has become Pei's most famous structure.

National Art Museum of China - National Gallery of China