Which Washington building did he design?

The National Gallery's East Building

I.M. Pei Quiz: Louvre Pyramid, Bank of China and East Building

This I.M. Pei quiz tours the geometric landmarks of a Chinese-born American architect. Play 10 interactive questions on his birth in Guangzhou, the East Building of the National Gallery in Washington, the JFK Library, the Louvre Pyramid and its critics, the triangular Bank of China Tower, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha and his Pritzker Prize.

Start I.M. Pei Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Born
In which country was I.M. Pei born?
Study
Where did he move to study architecture?
Pyramid
Which Paris landmark did he design?
Critics
How did many Parisians first react to the pyramid?
Bank
What shape dominates Hong Kong's Bank of China Tower?
East
Which Washington building did he design?
JFK
Which presidential library did he design?
Rock
Which music museum did he design in Cleveland?
Doha
Which museum did he design in Qatar?
Prize
When did Pei win the Pritzker Prize?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: In which country was I.M. Pei born?
Answer: China
He was born in 1917.
Q2: Where did he move to study architecture?
Answer: The United States
He studied at MIT and Harvard.
Q3: Which Paris landmark did he design?
Answer: The Louvre Pyramid
It opened in 1989.
Q4: How did many Parisians first react to the pyramid?
Answer: With strong criticism
Many later embraced it.
Q5: What shape dominates Hong Kong's Bank of China Tower?
Answer: Triangles
It opened in 1990.
Q6: Which Washington building did he design?
Answer: The National Gallery's East Building
It opened in 1978.
Q7: Which presidential library did he design?
Answer: The John F. Kennedy Library
It is in Boston.
Q8: Which music museum did he design in Cleveland?
Answer: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
It opened in 1995.
Q9: Which museum did he design in Qatar?
Answer: Museum of Islamic Art
He came out of retirement for it.
Q10: When did Pei win the Pritzker Prize?
Answer: 1983
He lived to 102.

Geometry From Washington to Hong Kong

I.M. Pei was born in Guangzhou, China, in 1917 and moved to the United States to study architecture at MIT and Harvard. He became known for bold geometry and modern materials, and he won the Pritzker Prize in 1983.

His East Building of the National Gallery of Art in Washington opened in 1978, built on triangular forms. He designed the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston. In Paris, his glass Louvre Pyramid opened in 1989 after strong criticism, and many Parisians later embraced it.

Hong Kong's Bank of China Tower, built on triangles, opened in 1990, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland followed in 1995. He came out of retirement to design the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, opened in 2008. He died in 2019 at 102.

What This Quiz Teaches

Architecture fans will enjoy these questions.

Where Pei came from
Which buildings he designed
How Paris reacted
Which shapes he used
Which honors he won

Did You Know?

His full name was Ieoh Ming Pei.
His sons also became architects.
He loved natural light.
Fragrant Hill Hotel is near Beijing.
His designs often used glass.