Ieoh Ming Pei to Receive the Royal Gold Medal for Architecture

The Chinese-born American architect I. M. Pei, who is best known in Europe for his transformation of the Louvre in Paris, has been named today as the recipient of one of the world's most prestigious architecture prizes, the Royal Gold Medal.

Given in recognition of a lifetime's work, the Royal Gold Medal is approved personally by Her Majesty the Queen and is given to a person or group of people who have had a significant influence "either directly or indirectly on the advancement of architecture".

I. M. Pei is one of the most prolific architects of all time having completed over 170 projects and more than 50 masterplans.

At the age of 92, he remains actively engaged in architecture.

His work easily spans the divide between commercial and cultural architecture, and he is equally respected and sought after by clients in all fields.

Ieoh Ming Pei (always known as I. M.) is a Chinese American architect, born in China in 1917.

He travelled to the United States in 1935 to study architecture, and never returned to live in his home country.

He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and received a Masters degree from Harvard Graduate School of Design, where he studied under Gropius and Breuer, coming under the influence of the International Style which was to inspire his work for almost 70 years.