I. M. Pei: A Profile in American Architecture (Revised Edition) - Hardcover

Wiseman, Carter

4.5

6 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0810934779 ISBN 13: 9780810934771

Publisher: Harry N. Abrams, 2001

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In 1990, I. M. Pei: A Profile in American Architecture was published as the first full-length study of the life and work of this extraordinary artist. The revised edition includes a chapter on Pei's work since 1990, when he established a new relationship with his firm that enabled him to pursue more small scale, personal commissions. Illustrated from the rich archives of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, the book charts Pei's progress from his birth in China in 1917 through every milestone in his career to his preeminent position today. The author, noted architecture critic Carter Wiseman, has supplemented extensive and meticulous research with many hours of conversation with Pei, his family, his associates, and his clients. Wiseman focuses his text on the buildings of special relevance to Pei's career, and, whether discussing the Kennedy Library, the Meyerson Symphony Center, or the Louvre, he carefully considers the project's architectural, sociological, and personal dimensions. One sees how Pei's artistic vision has emerged, how he has deftly met the demands of each new situation and client, and how his charismatic personality has affected events.
Scores of color photographs present Pei's buildings in all their splendid variety - from the urban grandeur of the Dallas City Hall to the daring innovation of the Bank of China skyscraper. Dozens of revealing drawings, plans, and models as well as personal and documentary photographs make this volume the only comprehensive visual record of Pei's work.

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About the Author:

Carter Wiseman, former architecture critic at New York Magazine, is a contributing editor of ARTnews. He has written on architecture and design for such publications as Newsweek, Architectural Record, Interior Design, and American Heritage.

From Library Journal:

Abrams first published Wiseman's study of I.M. Pei in 1990, and this revised edition adds projects that Pei completed from 1990 to 2001, during which he designed three major museums, completed his work on the Louvre, and gave us the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Pei was also thinking small as he aged, taking on commissions and building a harmony that played out in dramatic forms that match their purpose. Former architecture critic for New York magazine and a contributing editor of ArtNews, Wiseman (Twentieth-Century American Architecture) presents a thoughtful and detailed look at Pei and his work, along with 65 full-color illustrations and many more in black and white. Wiseman is equally interested in the architect's designs, his persona, and the place of his buildings in a sociological context. A weakness, however, is that he does not look back to look forward; that is, he does not offer critiques of the pre-1990 buildings to suggest whether some have lost an edge or gained new power in the ten years hence. Wiseman is very much taken by Pei and pays tribute to the man and his work in this thorough retrospective. Recommended. David Bryant, New Canaan Lib., CT
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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