Američki arhitekt kineskog podrijetla I.M. Pei preminuo je u 103. godini života, a iza sebe je ostavio desetke upečatljivih zgrada, a jedno od njegovih najpoznatijih zdanja je staklene piramide pariškog muzeja Louvre.
Arhitekt I.M. Pei, autor kultne piramide u Parizu, preminuo je u 103. godini života, a vijesti je potvrdio njegov sin. Iza sebe ostavlja dizajne koji su bili naveliko hvaljeni, iako ne svaki put na prvi pogled. Kad je njegova staklena piramida ispred pariškog muzeja Louvre otvorena 1988. godine, komentari nisu bili pozitivni.
![General view of the Louvre Museum in Paris, August 6, 2007 with the glass Pyramid entrance designed by Chinese-born U.S. Architect I.M. Pei. The Paris Tourism Office announced in July that the Louvre Museum hosted more than 8 million visitors in 2006. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau (FRANCE) - PM1DVWKJTLAA](https://static.jutarnji.hr/images/live-multimedia/binary/2019/5/17/11/RTR1SSO3.jpg)
- Prvih godinu i pol su stvarno bili pakao. Nisam mogao hodati ulicama Pariza bez da me ljudi prozivaju i pitaju što sam to napravio od njihovog veličanstvenog Louvrea - otkrio je Pei u dokumentarcu prije nekoliko godina.
![NEW YORK - APRIL 21: Architect I.M. Pei Speaks after being honored with an Ellis Island Family Heritage Awards at the Ellis Island Museum, April 21, 2004 in New York City. (Photo by Paul Hawthorne/Getty Images)](https://static.jutarnji.hr/images/live-multimedia/binary/2019/5/17/11/GettyImages-3454594.jpg)
Ipak, mišljenja su se s vremenom promijenila i ljudi su njegovu piramidu počeli nazivati remek djelom, dok se danas u Louvre odlazi kako bi se uz Mona Lisu i Venus de Milo, vidjelo i tu, nekad omraženu, piramidu. Pei je upravo zahvaljujući takvim projektima postao jedan od najpoznatijih i najplodonosnijih arhitekata 20. stoljeća.
![PARIS - AUGUST 24: The Pyramide of the Louvre museum designed by I.M. Pei is seen on August 24, 2005 in Paris, France. Dan Brown is the author of numerous bestsellers, including Digital Fortress, Angels and Demons, and Deception Point. His acclaimed novel](https://static.jutarnji.hr/images/live-multimedia/binary/2019/5/17/11/GettyImages-53463049.jpg)
Njegov dizajn prepoznatljiv je po preciznoj geometriji i apstraktnoj kvaliteti, te je većinom koristio kamen, beton, čelik i staklo za svoje građevine.
Uz piramidu muzeja Louvre, među najznačajnijim njegovim radovima su i projektiranje knjižnice John F. Kennedy u Dorchesteru u Bostonu, Nacionalnog centra za atmosferska istraživanja u Boulderu u američkoj saveznoj državi Colorado, istočnog krila Nacionalne umjetničke galerije u Washingtonu te gradske vijećnice u Dallasu, piše Reuters.
![BOSTON, MA - NOVEMBER 14: The John F. Kennedy Library and Museum, designed by architect I.M. Pei, is seen on November 14, 2003 in Boston, Massachusetts. The library is featuring a new exhibit,](https://static.jutarnji.hr/images/live-multimedia/binary/2019/5/17/11/GettyImages-2731138.jpg)
![, Image: 297295452, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Profimedia, Alamy](https://static.jutarnji.hr/images/live-multimedia/binary/2019/5/17/11/profimedia-0297295452.jpg)
![The newly completed Rock and Roll Hall of Fame sits on the edge of the North Coast Harbor in downtown Cleveland August 31. The I.M. Pei designed building will be dedicated during ceremonies September 1 - PBEAHUNDFCU](https://static.jutarnji.hr/images/live-multimedia/binary/2019/5/17/11/RTXFS0J.jpg)
![BOSTON - MARCH 31: The John Hancock Tower sits in the heart of the Back Bay neighborhood on March 31, 2009 in Boston, Massachusetts. The building, designed by I.M. Pei, was acquired by Normandy Real Estate Partners and Five Mile Capital Partners for about 0 million at a forclosure auction in New York City. The former owners, Broadway Partners, defaulted on their 2006 loan that was nearly double the cost of what the building was sold for today. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)](https://static.jutarnji.hr/images/live-multimedia/binary/2019/5/17/11/GettyImages-85740694.jpg)
Pei je 1983. osvojio međunarodnu nagradu za arhitekturu Pritzker, a osvojenih 100 tisuća dolara iskoristio je za pokretanje programa za kineske arhitekte koji žele studirati u SAD-u.