Revered architect I.M. Pei has passed away at the age of 102 at his home in Manhattan, New York. Pei was born in Guangzhou, China and raised in Hong Kong and Shanghai before moving to the United States in 1935 to study architecture at the University of Pennsylvania, MIT, and eventually the Harvard Graduate School of Design. The Chinese-American architect designed many of the world’s most iconic structures, including Hong Kong’s Bank of China Tower and the Louvre’s inverted glass pyramid.

His style is described as modernist with Cubist influences, at once bold and elegant, defined by razor-sharp lines, clean geometries, and ample uses of natural light. He was a pioneer of the “International Style” and was recognised with a variety of awards and prizes, including the Pritzker Architecture Prize, the AIA Gold Medal, and the Royal Gold Medal of the Royal Institute of British Architects, among many others. Above, we take a look at some of I.M. Pei’s most iconic designs.

I.M. Pei in Vogue 1969
Photo: Stuart Smith/Condé Nast

I.M. Pei in Vogue 1969

Photo: Stuart Smith/Condé Nast