I. M. Pei

Object Details

Artist

Yousuf Karsh, 23 Dec 1908 - 13 Jul 2002

Sitter

I. M. Pei, 26 Apr 1917 - 26 May 2019

Exhibition Label

Born Guangzhou, China

I.M. Pei, who emerged as one of the most influential architects in the decades following World War II, will be remembered for his striking, high-modernist designs. Drawn to the United States to study architecture in 1935, Pei earned his undergraduate degree from MIT and later completed graduate work at Harvard. After first directing the architectural division of a large real-estate concern, Pei founded his own architecture firm in 1955, one year after becoming a U.S. citizen.

As his reputation grew, important projects—such as the commission for the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum—came his way. Pei went on to create such iconic structures as the critically acclaimed East Wing of the National Gallery of Art (1978) and the distinctive glass pyramid that forms the entrance to the Louvre (1989). He received many major awards, including the coveted Pritzker Prize (1983).

Nacido en Guangzhou, China

I.M. Pei, quien se distinguió como uno de los arquitectos más influyentes en las décadas posteriores a la II Guerra Mundial, será recordado por sus impactantes diseños en el estilo del “alto modernismo”. Llegó a Estados Unidos en 1935 para estudiar arquitectura y obtuvo su título en MIT, completando su posgrado en Harvard. Luego de dirigir la división de arquitectura de una importante compañía de bienes raíces, Pei fundó su propia firma en 1955, al año de obtener la ciudadanía estadounidense.

A medida que crecía su reputación, recibió encargos importantes, tales como la Biblioteca y Museo Presidencial John F. Kennedy. Creó estructuras tan icónicas como el edificio este de la Galería Nacional de Arte en Washington, D.C., (1978) y la distintiva pirámide de vidrio que da entrada al Louvre (1989). Recibió numerosos premios de prestigio, entre ellos el codiciado Pritzker (1983).

Credit Line

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Estrellita Karsh in memory of Yousuf Karsh

1979

Object number

NPG.2012.77.80

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Copyright

© Estate of Yousuf Karsh

Type

Photograph

Medium

Gelatin silver print

Dimensions

Image: 28 × 21.5 cm (11 × 8 7/16")

Sheet: 35.3 × 27.5 cm (13 7/8 × 10 13/16")

Mount: 40.7 × 33 cm (16 × 13")

Mat (Karsh exhibit): 55.9 × 40.6 cm (22 × 16")

See more items in

National Portrait Gallery Collection

National Portrait Gallery

Topic

Costume\Dress Accessory\Eyeglasses

Architecture\Door

Costume\Dress Accessory\Tie\Necktie

I. M. Pei: Male

I. M. Pei: Visual Arts\Architect

I. M. Pei: Presidential Medal of Freedom

Portrait

Record ID

npg_NPG.2012.77.80

Metadata Usage (text)

Usage conditions apply

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4c1a2ffbf-dd22-4fa9-b2f9-c6fbf09d42dc