Ieoh Ming Pei

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IM Pei, 2006

Ieoh Ming Pei ( Chinese  貝聿銘  /  贝聿铭 , Pinyin Bèi Yùmíng , W.-G. Pei Yü-Ming , Jyutping Bui 3 Jyut 6 ming 4 ; * April 26, 1917 in Guangzhou , China ; † May 16, 2019 in New York City ) was a Sino-American architect whose architectural style is committed to classical modernism . He was considered one of the most important contemporary architects. Initially alone, later together with several partners, he has been managing an office with 300 employees at times since 1955, which has overseen more than 200 large projects. His buildings - especially museums - can be found on three continents .

Life

Childhood and Adolescence in China

IM Pei was born as a descendant of a well-known and wealthy Suzhou family in Guangzhou (Canton). His father was an executive at the Bank of China , and in 1927 he was transferred to the bank's headquarters in Shanghai . The mother, an artistically educated woman and practicing Buddhist , who was closer to him than the father, died of cancer when he was 13 years old. Pei went to school in Shanghai at a boarding school run by American missionaries . There were North American standards conveys the students wore Western school clothes favorite sports were basketball and tennis. Pei experienced a contrast to this environment during his summer vacation in Suzhou, northwest of Shanghai, with his grandfather, who familiarized him with traditional Chinese values, family spirit and the teachings of Confucius . Pei later repeatedly referred to the early experiences with both worlds as gain. The first skyscrapers were built in the East Asian business center of Shanghai, and Pei was very impressed. He decided to study modern architecture, which was only possible overseas. In August 1935, Pei traveled to the United States and, after a short stay in Philadelphia , enrolled at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Training in the USA

At that time, MIT was taught very conservatively; one drew ancient buildings and saw in them the highest ideal. Pei found a way out in self-study of magazines about modern European architecture and especially in the books of Le Corbusier (“my Bible”). Two days on which Le Corbusier gave lectures at MIT, Pei later described as "the two most important days of my professional life". In 1940 he passed the bachelor's examination . His father strongly advised against returning to China; the country was at war with Japan at the time .

Sponsor Walter Gropius (1955)

After a short work as a draftsman in a Boston engineering office, Pei began his master's degree on a scholarship at Harvard in December 1942 . Six months later - the US was now part of the Second World War - he volunteered for the National Defense Research Committee in Princeton , where he was engaged in military tasks. In autumn 1945 he was able to continue his studies at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard. Walter Gropius , who had been the head of this school since 1938, offered him a position as assistant professor. As the founder of the Bauhaus, Gropius was one of the leading representatives of modern architecture and had far-reaching ideas about its tasks in society. His curriculum included architecture, urban planning, and landscape architecture ; historical studies played a lesser role. His students should consider technical, economic and social conditions and be able to justify every decision in detail. Teamwork was very important. Pei saw in Gropius an excellent teacher, to whom he owed a great deal, whose rules he developed further in his work and never completely disregarded. Because of this attitude, Pei is occasionally judged critically by the advocates of postmodernism , but celebrated by the followers of classical modernism as its perfector. Another important teacher was Marcel Breuer , who came to Harvard with Gropius and also worked there as a professor.

After Pei graduated with a master's degree in 1946 with a museum design that was highly praised by Gropius , he initially continued his teaching activities at Harvard - in China at the time there was civil war between the supporters of Mao Zedong and those of Chiang Kai-shek . Even before the war was decided in 1949, Pei decided to stay in the United States.

Chief architect at Webb & Knapp

William Zeckendorf , a New York real estate entrepreneur, made Pei an offer in 1948 to become director of the design department at his company Webb & Knapp . He had asked an employee of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) to put him in touch with "the greatest unknown architect in the country". Pei, who had not completed a single building by then, was introduced to him, and "it was understanding and affection at first sight," as Zeckendorf wrote in his memoir . In the fall, Pei moved to New York and started his new job. His academic colleagues were highly disconcerted because of the alleged professional decline.

A friendly relationship developed between Zeckendorf and the young architect, Pei was given extensive freedom, took part in all business decision-making processes and thus learned crucial things about the background of the construction business. The industry boomed when a 1949 Federal Housing Act made substantial resources available for the regeneration of problematic neighborhoods. Now entire neighborhoods across the United States have been demolished and private investors commissioned with new buildings. These were ideal conditions for Zeckendorf and his chief architect, and Pei had to expand his department considerably. This often inconsiderate form of redevelopment was later also viewed critically by Pei, but he considered the overall social balance to be positive.

The building on Ponce de Leon Avenue in Atlanta ( Georgia ), which is now partially integrated into a new building, is considered Pei's first work

Many of his buildings received good reviews. In his designs, he was mainly based on the architecture of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe ; Pei's own weekend home in Katonah, New York (1952) is directly related to his famous Farnsworth House in Plano (1951). This structural steel and glass architecture increasingly took a back seat for him in the 1960s, but was pursued further in some high-rise buildings (e.g. Bank of China , Hong Kong) and in the form of glazed spatial frameworks as a building closure (e.g. pyramid / Louvre ). An influence from Buckminster Fuller or Max Mengeringhausen is also conceivable here.

In order not to constantly disappear anonymously behind the company name, he founded "IM Pei & Associates" in 1955. In the same year he received US citizenship . With around 70 employees, Pei continued to work exclusively for Webb & Knapp until they separated in 1960 on good terms. Pei now also took on other orders, but stayed in the usual rooms as a tenant until Zeckendorf's company went bankrupt in 1965.

Professional independence

Even the start of complete independence was successful. At the suggestion of a group of architecture professors, Pei was commissioned to build the new National Center for Atmospheric Research near Boulder (Colorado) in 1961 . The construction site was at the foot of the Rocky Mountains . Pei was based on the traditional style of the Pueblo Indians . He designed an ensemble of five-story towers and flat parts of the building. The concrete was colored based on the example of the reddish stone in the area, the surface roughened. The seemingly archaic layout is somewhat reminiscent of the work of Paul Rudolph , Louis I. Kahn or Le Corbusier .

In 1964 Pei received the contract, which also made him known internationally. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis , widow of the assassinated president in 1963, charged him with the construction of the John F. Kennedy - presidential library right next to Harvard University. Despite resistance from the neighborhood, the plan could not be implemented, and it was not until 1979 that the memorial was inaugurated elsewhere, in the Boston harbor district. The building is not one of Pei's best achievements, but thanks to his friendship with Jackie Kennedy Onassis it gave him excellent contacts with later clients.

The company founded by Pei went through several changes. Since 1966 it has been called "IM Pei & Partners", since 1989 "Pei Cobb Freed & Partners". At times, three of his partners each led their own teams. Pei remained the head of the company. As an excellent salesman who was important - and mostly succeeded - in convincing people, he traveled tirelessly around the world. He procured orders, organized and assessed designs and still found time as a “Principal Design Partner” to oversee a large number of buildings and projects himself.

However, he could not prevent a disaster that almost led to the ruin of the company in the mid-1970s. For the all-round mirrored, 240 m high John Hancock Tower in Boston - today a symbol of the city - one of the partners chose a glass that had never been used in this form before. With every storm, numerous huge panes detached themselves from the facade. Finally, the tower had to be completely re-glazed, and the parties sued each other for damages . The proceedings ended with an out-of-court settlement - five years after the inauguration of the house, which was already considerably late. The image damage for Pei's company was considerable, prominent orders were withdrawn, and Pei was only able to keep the losses within tolerable limits with great effort. At the same time, however, and in the following years, some of his most important buildings were built. In 1990 he left the company, but kept his office and continued to carry out his mostly smaller personal projects in close collaboration with the company.

Personal

In 1942 Pei married the Chinese Eileen Loo (1920–2014, 盧淑華  /  卢淑华 , Lú Shūhuá ), whom he had met four years earlier in Boston. They had three sons and a daughter. Pei never talked about personal matters, nor did he talk about politics. He is portrayed as an amiable, witty conversation partner who never lost his temper even in critical situations. His secretary believes he cursed only once in thirty years with her around. It was not uncommon for his designs to initially cause severe opposition, but then usually contributed all the more to his fame. His special energy was emphasized again and again, which enabled him to achieve great achievements even in old age. One of his partners put it: “He is equipped with a different set of batteries than everyone else.” Pei himself said of his motives: “I have a great desire to leave something behind. It has nothing to do with ego. I think you owe it to your own existence to leave something behind that lasts. ”Pei died early in the morning on May 16, 2019 in his Manhattan apartment .

plant

Four exemplary buildings

Washington. Between 1968 and 1978 Pei worked on the extension of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC , a neoclassical structure from 1941 near the Capitol . When this east wing, the so-called "East Building", was opened in the spring of 1978, the general public and specialist critics were unanimously enthusiastic. Pei had also planned museum buildings beforehand. Here now - as he did several times later - he demonstrated his extraordinary talent for this task, especially for the well-thought-out combination of older buildings with his modern architecture. His new building made of concrete and glass consists of two offset triangles of different sizes, the triangle as a continuous form element can be found right down to the details. The old and new buildings are connected underground. The facade of the new building was clad with marble slabs from the same quarry that had supplied the material for the old building. The patron Paul Mellon , who financed the project, accepted delays and cost overruns without complaint - and Pei confirmed his reputation as a perfectionist architect for clients who don't have to worry too much about money.

Bank of China Tower , Hong Kong

Hong Kong. The new construction of the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong , begun in 1982 and completed in 1990, was Pei's second project in China after the construction of a hotel near Beijing . His father founded the branch in 1918. Before the city was surrendered by the United Kingdom in 1997, the new building was regarded as an indication that Hong Kong's special situation as a liberal economic metropolis would also be taken into account in the future. The 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing shattered that confidence and prompted Pei to make his only political statement, an opinion article in the New York Times . At 315 m, the building was the tallest structure outside the United States and was widely recognized. Here, too, Pei used the triangle as the dominant shape. He composed the building on a square floor plan, so to speak, from four triangular columns of different heights, which end at the top with a slope over several floors. The facades, which are completely clad with mirror glass, are supported by cross-shaped steel bands over 13 floors each.

Grand Louvre , Paris

Paris. The draft for the extension and renovation of the Grand Louvre in Paris was the subject of the most heated public disputes in Pei's working life. The museum was the most important project among the numerous building projects ("Grands Projets") of the French President François Mitterrand , who personally entrusted Pei with the order in 1982. The aim was to adjust the insufficient spatial and technical conditions to modern standards and to integrate the north wing, which was previously occupied by the Ministry of Finance. Pei moved the more secluded main entrance to the middle of the ensemble, to the main courtyard, which was last used as a parking lot, and designed an underground entrance situation with relatively short distances to the three wings of the museum. The entrance was not allowed to remind of the omnipresent metro entrances and not diminish the impression of the baroque facades . Pei opted for the glass pyramid in the courtyard of the Louvre , a timeless geometric shape. The drafts sparked a wave of indignation. Politicians, critics and 90 percent of the Parisian population rejected the plan; it was seen as an attack on a national symbol - and by an American at that. Pei tirelessly defended his point of view, Mitterrand supported him, so construction could start in 1985. The mood already changed during the construction work. After the pyramid was completed in 1989, there was general enthusiasm.

Exhibition building of the German Historical Museum , Berlin

Berlin. For the exhibition building of the German Historical Museum (DHM) in Berlin , the task was to unobtrusively add contemporary architecture to a magnificent old building - the baroque armory , located in the historic city center. Construction work began in August 1998, and the first exhibition was opened in the new building in May 2003. On a difficult remaining plot of land, Pei built an exhibition wing with almost windowless walls in which the museum's changing special exhibitions take place. A house-high, fully glazed foyer adjoins the old building, which is interlaced on several levels with the actual exhibition building. It is connected to the armory by a tunnel, but can also be entered directly from the street. The filigree glass and steel construction allows changing views of the north facade of the armory and the surrounding area. Inside, it creates impressive light and shadow effects. Lighting design through large glass constructions is a programmatic element of numerous buildings designed by Pei. In his own words: "It is not an exaggeration to say that light is the key to architecture" (It is not an exaggeration to say that light is the key to architecture).

Selection of further work

Awards

literature

  • Arnt Cobbers: Ieoh Ming Pei (= architects and builders in Berlin. No. 6). Jaron, Berlin 2004, ISBN 3-89773-408-7 .
  • Gero von Boehm : Light is the key. Conversation with IM Pei. Prestel, Munich 2000, ISBN 3-7913-2176-5 .
  • Gero von Boehm: IM Pei. September 11, 2002. Interview. In: Encounters. Images of man from three decades. Collection Rolf Heyne, Munich 2012, ISBN 978-3-89910-443-1 , pp. 359-372.
  • Lenci Ruggero : IM Pei - Teoremi spaziali. Universale di Architettura, Testo & Immagine, Turin 2004, ISBN 88-8382-143-2 .

Documentaries

  • First person singular: IM Pei. Documentary, USA 1997, 90 min., Director: Peter Rosen, production: Peter Rosen Productions, PBS
  • Modern Mandarin. Documentary, Germany, 1998, 60 min., Director: Gero von Boehm , production: Interscience, arte , first broadcast: March 4, 1998
  • Building on the past - IM Pei and the royal arsenal. Documentary about Pei's work in Berlin, director: Jeremy JP Fekete , production: RBB / arte, 2005

Web links

Commons : IM Pei  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Eileen L. Pei. Obituary. In: The New York Times , June 25, 2014.
  2. ^ A. Cobbers: Ieoh Ming Pei. P. 17.
  3. ^ A. Cobbers: Ieoh Ming Pei. P. 17 ff.
  4. IM Pei, World-Renowned Architect, Is Dead at 102. In: New York Times, May 16, 2019, accessed May 16, 2019.
  5. Well-known architect Ieoh Ming Pei died at the age of 102 - 名 建筑师 贝聿铭 逝世 享年 102 岁: (Chinese) [1] In: www.zaobao.com.sg, accessed on May 19, 2019 - online
  6. ^ Arnt Cobbers: Ieoh Ming Pei. Series: Architects and Builders in Berlin, No. 6, p. 7. See IM Pei: China Won't Ever Be the Same. In: The New York Times . Op-Ed . June 22, 1989 (English).
  7. ^ A. Cobbers: Ieoh Ming Pei. P. 12. See also the website of the exhibition hall.
  8. ↑ A miracle: IM Pei is building a museum for modern art in Luxembourg. In: Tagesspiegel , July 2, 2006.
  9. ^ IM Pei in China, Revisiting Roots. In: The New York Times , October 9, 2006.
  10. ^ Qatar unveils Islamic arts museum. In: Al Jazeera , November 22, 2008 (English, with video).
  11. Academy Members. American Academy of Arts and Letters, accessed January 19, 2019 .
  12. National Academicians: Pei, Ieoh Ming, NA 1965. ( Memento of September 28, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) In: Nationalacademy.org , accessed on May 10, 2015.
  13. ^ American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Book of Members ( PDF ). Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  14. Member History: IM Pei. American Philosophical Society, accessed February 5, 2019 (with biographical notes).
  15. First Person Singular: IM Pei in the Internet Movie Database (English),
    film excerpt from “First Person Singular: IM Pei”: Pei in the Louvre , YouTube , 3:34 min.
  16. ^ "Modern Mandarin" , DHM, 2008
  17. Trailer on YouTube