Doha: HE Chairperson of Qatar Museums (QM), Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al-Thani, opened two landmark exhibitions dedicated to the life and work of the renowned architect behind the Museum of Islamic Art, I. M. Pei.
According to Qatar News Agency, the exhibitions, “I. M. Pei: Life Is Architecture” presented in collaboration with M+ Hong Kong at ALRIWAQ, and “I. M. Pei and the Making of the Museum of Islamic Art: From Square to Octagon and Octagon to Circle,” celebrate Pei’s extraordinary legacy and his enduring influence on Qatar’s cultural identity.
The opening ceremony was attended by Bernard Chan, Chairman of the Board of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority; Betty Fung, CEO, West Kowloon Cultural District Authority; HE Sheikha Reem Al-Thani, Acting Deputy CEO of Exhibitions, Public Art, and Rubayia Qatar at Qatar Museums; Shaika Nasser Al Nassr, Director of MIA; Catherine Grenier, Director of AMM, Doryun Chong, Artistic Director and Chief Curator, M+; Veronica Castillo, Director, Collection an
d Exhibition, M+; Li Chung (Sandi) Pei, son of I. M. Pei, architect, Partner and Founder of PEI Architects; and exhibition co-curators Shirley Surya, Curator, Design and Architecture, M+, and Aric Chen, currently the Director of the Zaha Hadid Foundation, London, along with other prominent dignitaries, architects, artists, and cultural leaders from Qatar and around the world.
Also present were I. M. Pei’s former colleagues who collaborated with him during the design and construction of the Museum of Islamic Art. Presented in collaboration with M+ Hong Kong, the travelling exhibition “I. M. Pei: Life Is Architecture” at ALRIWAQ is the first comprehensive retrospective devoted to Pei’s life and work. It brings together more than 400 works, including original drawings, architectural models, photographs, films, and archival documents, highlighting the inseparable nature of architecture and life.
The exhibition is organized into six thematic sections: Pei’s Cross-Cultural Foundation; Real Estate and Urban Redeve
lopment; Art and Civic Form; Power, Politics and Patronage; Material and Structural Innovation; and Reinterpreting History through Design. It features landmark projects such as the National Gallery of Art’s East Building in Washington, D.C.; the modernisation of the Grand Louvre in Paris; the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong; and the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, his final masterpiece and a symbol of Qatar’s cultural evolution.
Following seven years of research by M+, the exhibition arrives in Doha after acclaimed presentations in Hong Kong in June 2024 and Shanghai in April 2025. At MIA, “I. M. Pei and the Making of the Museum of Islamic Art” showcases the creative journey behind one of the 21st century’s celebrated architectural achievements. Jointly organized by MIA, AMM, and ALRIWAQ, the exhibition traces Pei’s commission by HH the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani and his quest to capture the “essence of Islamic architecture.”
With original sketches, models, early photographs, and archival
documents – many displayed publicly for the first time – the exhibition retraces Pei’s process of transforming tradition into a modern masterpiece. Curated by Aurelien Lemonier, Art Mill Museum Curator of Architecture, Design and Gardens, and Zahra Khan, Art Mill Museum Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, in collaboration with Dr Mounia Chekhab Abudaya, Museum of Islamic Art Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs, the exhibition unfolds from the 1997 International Architecture Competition to the museum’s 2008 opening and its legacy as a cultural beacon.
Coinciding with the exhibitions, QM launches a series of public programs under the banner “Architecture and Design – Turning Vision Into a Universal Dialogue,” a platform for architectural exploration and exchange. The program includes talks, workshops, and academic collaborations led by acclaimed architects and designers. Complementary activities at MIA and ALRIWAQ include curator-led tours, workshops, family events, and educational sessions, engaging vis
itors of all ages and fostering appreciation for architecture as a universal language.