I. M. Pei is considered one of the most important architects of the post-World War II era. His modernist works, which alternately soar above city streets or nestle inside rugged mountain terrain, have earned Pei enthusiastic praise for their grace, craftsmanship, and unusual forms. The most famous projects associated with his name include a wing for the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. and a major renovation at Paris's Musée du Louvre. He was also the surprising choice to design the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. "Pei himself says little," remarked John Winter in an essay for Contemporary Architects. "Unlike most great architects of the century, he does not teach, lectures rarely, writes little, does not theorize in public. It is all there in the buildings."

Pei was born Ieoh Ming Pei on April 26, 1917, in Canton, China. The second of...