The great master of glass, metal and concrete constructions, Bei Yuming, was born in Canton (Guangzhou) in the family of a prosperous banker. He did not follow in his father's footsteps, but went to America to study architecture. He graduated from the famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and then from Harvard, where he studied with Marcel Breuer and Walter Gropius, one of the founders of the Bauhaus school, whose principles of approach to architecture and design influenced the development of American urbanism.
Sketch of the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, 1969
«I believe that architecture is a pragmatic art. To become art, it must be based on the principles of necessity»
A follower of the great modernists of the XNUMXth century and the International style of Mies van der Rohe, in his projects Bey often uses clean geometric shapes, clear lines, even smooth surfaces, but he knows how to work with them in such a way that they do not seem boring or primitive to him, although still under during his studies he was criticized for his love of traditionalism.
«Architecture is a mirror of life. You only need to look at the buildings to feel the presence of the past, the spirit of the place; they are a reflection of society»
One of Bei Yuming's first projects to show his attraction to archetypal pyramidal forms is the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, built as an extension in 1978.
When the architect was commissioned to design the library named after John F. Kennedy, years after the tragic death of the American president, Bay went to his widow Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis to discuss the future building.
The building itself, which changed its location several times in the process, was built in 1979 on the ocean shore in the bay opposite Boston. This is a huge nine-story structure made of glass and concrete, which is still modern today and does not lose its relevance. He moved the memorial function into a huge glass cube framed by concrete, and placed the museum exposition and theater auditoriums below, in the underground part of the complex.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, erected in 1995
Bey is also the author of the legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, striking for its unique composition, and the 367-meter Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong, which became a city-forming center, of approximated full-height refracting triangles.
Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong
The master calls the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, completed in 2008, his most difficult project.
«Before me was a difficult task - to cover all the diversity of Islamic culture. A truly vast culture, beginning in Iberia, passing through Mughal India to the gates of China and beyond»
In fact, it is the same pyramid, made of square and octagonal blocks of limestone brought from France. The Cairo mosque of Ibn Tulun of the XNUMXth century became a source of inspiration for Bey. An artificial island was built at the end of the Corniche embankment for the construction of the Qatari Museum.
"At first I thought that the best examples of Islamic architecture were in Spain: the mosque in Córdoba, the Alhambra ensemble in Granada. But when I delved into the question, my idea changed. I have traveled to Egypt and the Middle East many times and found that the most beautiful mosques are in Cairo. I had visited them many times before, but now I looked at them in a new way. They told me a lot about Islamic architecture."
Museum of Islamic Art in Doha
In a unique career that spans eras, Bay has won numerous awards, including the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Gold Medal, the 2014 International Union of Architects Award, the Praemium Imperiale of Japan, and the Gold Medal of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), presented personally by Elizabeth II. By the way, he spent his Pritzker Prize, received in 1983 for his contribution to architecture, to organize a scholarship to teach architecture to Chinese students in the United States.
Museum of Islamic Art in Doha
Although Bay "retired" nearly thirty years ago, he remains active, assisting both his former architectural firm, Pei Cobb Freed, and Pei Partnership Architects, which his sons lead.
