Page 56 - Nov. 27 2019 Christie's Hong Kong Desk Objects

THE COLLECTION OF EILEEN AND I.M. PEI ᴼᢚᾫֻᔖᅲᩅࡢࣳᏈ᫸
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I.M. Pei (1917-2019) was one of the 20 and 21 century’s most in- ㏋⪵㠺ԛՀࢦӽ⡕ᝬۄईዴᏊ⎏⒖लᅤ❪Ⴧ
fluential and respected architects. Internationally renowned for his ԠӬǯႣ㿰⏑᱙༈⎏⅘∇㞖ໃ౲ݣऑ؝ᛓռ
iconic glass pyramid at the entrance to the Louvre Museum in Paris, ݯՖ㍞ᱡݤം⎏⣌ݱԠה卿ձஙݥ↗प஠㉑
he designed over one hundred buildings around the world, ranging ㈷㙓 ᣖᅤ❪卿ᚘᝳቤᅺഌ᭔⎏֐᥉⥙㛑卿
from large-scale corporate headquarters to smaller, more intimately Քᝳ⡿⮏⠢⤤⎏ׇ໨᧊໩ǯ㏋᭄ᇖ→ջԖ⨒
scaled dwellings. Emerging from the Modernist tradition, Pei’s work ۔⢴߅⎉卿ཆཕ⛘ᐃワক୍㌥ጔᄟႛ൘⢙भ卿
evinced an intelligent combination of the cutting edge and the con- ୍ᡟ㉑㈷߅ംᆨӬ㺩㵁՞⎏ᅤ❪⁒卿ܵⰮ⎏
servative, rigorously crafting buildings remembered for their crisp ᓚݏক㪿⤤⎏⁒ᙠ㛢ռݩ␕㕇⯅ݯಗ⩧᳅᳅
forms, luminous interiors and elegant materials designed to engage ⶬ㘞ǯᥑཐᝳᅤ❪Ⴧ⬒ཆࠛዪ⯝ໝ㍃໭⧻⢙
and please the public. He became one of the few architects whose भ卿ռᏑ஠⊄㧷⎉ਦǮ֐᥉㫀ஏԖ჈কࢷ⁒
inventiveness and erudition appealed equally to real estate developers, 㱦උ৘ᝯ㛢ુἃ㈊᫇卿㏋⪵㠺؝ᛓݯԋԠӬǯ
corporate chairman, and museum boards. In addition to his project 㩶Ի⏑᱙༈⎏⒖ल㮴⏖ം卿㏋᭄ݯձ⪡लᙻ
for the Louvre, Pei is well known for the National Gallery of Art ӽ⎏ᅤ❪Ꮀལ㚍ࡺᑐ ჺᙻⵖ⏇㯀⁞ࢥ㉑
East Wing in Washington, D.C. (1978), the Bank of China Building ㈷⎏இ།⧻ワ㱦ែ⩙Ǯ ჺ⎏㲞ᳰԋ㠤ഌ
in Hong Kong (1989), the Miho Museum in Shigaraki, Shiga, Japan ᧊Ǯ ჺᚚទᵮ㏫⥂⊑㏫Ⴊ⎏⧻★⧻ワ㱦卿
(1997), and one of his last cultural projects, the Museum of Islamic սࣿ ჺࢽ౲‰അৌ⎏֗ᙱ⼵⻱ワࢷ⁒
Art in Doha, Qatar (2008). 㱦卿㘺ՔᛓݯᝬᇌӬᏼᙔࢇ㮴⏖ԠӬǯ
Integral to an understanding of I.M. Pei and his stature on the stage ⲋ㇝↚㈛㏋⪵㠺ࣿݯஙஇ㪡ᅤ❪⯯झӳ⎏㞒
of international architecture is a fascinating art collection that Pei ㇝஠ׅ卿ߺᇷ㮷Ի㈛㏋᭄⯝൴ຽ⏑Ღⵖ卻ዴ
and his wife, Eileen (1920-2014), had quietly assembled during their ⅏卼ங ჺᘁᏛݬᄟ⎏ᛞݏԋ卿׆㊽ⷙ㫀⎏
72-year marriage. It is a unique collection that speaks not only to the ∄∤⻱ワⅧ⻦ǯ㏋᭄ഏก⎏⻦৅ӶֿंᛇՀ
sophisticated breadth of their interests in both Eastern and Western ՞ཌែ㇛ᙹ⻱ワ۔⢴⎏᳅࣡⯞㑪卿ᝤ㇦㌴ഏ
artistic traditions, but also to the deep friendships they forged with กْ⯝஄ԋھ߅⻱ワ།Ꮢ⢙Ӵ⎏⏻ᕸऀ㊺ǯ
artists in their milieu. Artists such as Barnett Newman, Jean Dubuf- അׅஙᏇᇌࣿ⋁ջ⻱ワटӳᎰལࢴⶬ⎏⒖ल
fet, Zao Wou-Ki, Henry Moore, and Isamu Noguchi, many of whom ⻱ワ།ൈႣݤ⁞ Ĥ ⡥ᝩǮབg឴ႫⵙǮ㑤Ὅ
epitomized the major movements of postwar and contemporary art ᥑǮՕߧgᕳ‰Ǯ㞓ऑࡒ✙卿மἃ㏋᭄ഏก
history, and whose bold and assertive works are represented in the Ӭ⊂ᕸऀ卿ձٛ៧ᘵ⯇ؼ⎏Ӷ⧵ھהԮᛓ㏋
collection, were personal friends with whom the Peis maintained ᭄Ⅷ⻦ԋ⎏⒎⏖ՙ㿽ǯ୬᫉卿㏋⪵㠺ࣿ⏑Ღ
longstanding and warm relationships. As such, The Collection of ⵖഏกⅧ⻦㇦㌴Հ՞ㇼ༗Ὅ㧿⎏भה卿㵲→
Eileen and I.M. Pei is an intensely personal collaboration reflective ߅ഏกݦ՞⎏ݬऱ㯳ᜀকℒߪጮ␓卿ᇖԋՔ
of the couple’s shared vision and brilliant insight, their artistic circle, जӬ⑤ݯ⻱ワ஄ຽࣿᘨ㡐༳⧻㇬㈍卿ज㇦ݯ
and an aesthetic sensibility that celebrated a culture of creativity. ཌࠛዪᙔࢇ⎏Ὅ㩨㍵㮹ǯ

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