I knew he had designed iconic buildings such as the Louvre Pyramid and the Bank of China Tower, but I had never understood the depth of his vision, the intelligence behind his work, or the humanity embedded in his architecture.
By the time I left I. M. Pei: Life Is Architecture at ALRIWAQ and I. M. Pei and the Making of the Museum of Islamic Art: From Square to Octagon and Octagon to Circle at the Museum of Islamic Art, I was in awe.
The ALRIWAQ retrospective, organised by Qatar Museums in collaboration with M+, is the first full-scale exhibition dedicated to the life and work of the Chinese-American architect, offering an in-depth exploration of his seven-decade career. The exhibition brings together original drawings, sketches, architectural models, archival material rarely seen before, and newly commissioned photographs of 11 of Pei’s completed projects, captured during the quiet of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a comprehensive journey through a life in which architecture and life were inseparable.
Walking through the exhibition, I was struck by the scale of Pei’s intellect and curiosity. Organised around six key themes’ his upbringing, approach to cities, engagement with art, relationships with clients, mastery of geometry, materials, and structure, and reflection on history, the exhibition reveals the foundation of Pei’s singular vision. It is not just an examination of buildings, but of a life devoted to thought, observation, and dialogue with the world. He emerges not just as an architect, but as a thinker, a humanist, and a collaborator.
One of the most remarkable aspects of Pei’s work is his ability to balance respect for regional histories with the demands of global modernism. Born in Guangzhou in 1917 and educated in the United States and Paris, Pei’s career spanned continents, cultures, and eras. He demonstrated that architecture need not choose between innovation and tradition, between precision and poetry, or between monumentality and humanity. His work in Washington D.C., Hong Kong, Paris, and Doha shares a commitment to context, culture, and the experience of the people who inhabit his spaces.
In Doha, Pei’s philosophy takes its most poetic form. The Museum of Islamic Art is more than a building; it is a conversation across centuries. The exhibition dedicated to the making of MIA reveals Pei’s meticulous process: early sketches, models, photographs, and archival material trace the museum’s creation from the 1997 International Architecture Competition to its opening in 2008. Pei studied Islamic architectural heritage not to replicate it, but to reinterpret it, transforming a square into an octagon and an octagon into a circle. The result is a museum that is at once ancient and modern, local and universal. Light, space, and geometry converge to create a structure that feels alive, intimate, and transcendent.
Experiencing these exhibitions with Pei’s son, Li Chung (Sandi) Pei, former colleagues, and cultural leaders from around the world was profoundly moving. Some of the architects who worked alongside Pei had not returned to Doha since the museum’s opening, and their presence underlined the collaborative nature of his work. Pei’s buildings are not monuments to ego; they are the result of dialogue, craftsmanship, and care. Architecture, in Pei’s hands, becomes an act of human connection.
What struck me most was how Pei’s work evokes reflection, wonder, and humility. Walking through the Museum of Islamic Art, one is dwarfed by its scale yet aware of the delicate ways in which it guides movement, frames light, and shapes the visitor’s experience. Pei transformed concrete, stone, and glass into poetry, using geometry not as abstraction, but as a tool for storytelling. Every line and angle embodies intention, showing that architecture is inseparable from life, culture, and human experience.
The exhibitions in Doha emphasise that Pei’s legacy is not frozen in the past. Through newly commissioned photographs and models of both built and unbuilt projects, Life Is Architecture invites us to reconsider his work in the contemporary world. Public programmes, including talks, workshops, and educational sessions, continue this dialogue, demonstrating that architecture is a universal language capable of bridging time, place, and culture. Pei’s work reminds us that buildings are not inert objects; they are participants in human experience, shaping the way we live, think, and relate to one another.
In a world often dominated by trends, spectacle, and immediacy, Pei’s work endures because it embodies thoughtfulness, empathy, and imagination. His Museum of Islamic Art is a landmark, but it is also a bridge between cultures, a space that invites reflection and engagement. Pei’s buildings are alive with the stories they contain and the histories they honour, illustrating a belief in collaboration and transcultural dialogue.
I came to these exhibitions expecting to learn about an architect. I left having glimpsed a life in which architecture is inseparable from life itself. Pei’s legacy is not only in the buildings he created, but in the awe, curiosity, and reflection he continues to inspire. For someone like me, who arrived in Doha without a deep understanding of his significance, that is a rare and unforgettable gift.
Pei once wrote that architecture is “the masterly, correct, and magnificent play of masses brought together in light.” Visiting Doha, experiencing these exhibitions, and walking through the Museum of Islamic Art brought this statement to life. It is a reminder that architecture, at its finest, is not only about design or function, but about vision, empathy, and the power to connect people, cultures, and time.
I.M. Pei remains, for me, a stranger turned visionary. His life and work reveal how architecture can transcend mere structure to become a vessel for ideas, dialogue, and human connection. In Doha, his buildings speak, quietly, profoundly, and beautifully, inviting us all to listen and to learn.
