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Doha Hosts I. M. Pei: Life Is Architecture as VIP HOUSE COMPANY LLC Advance Global Dialogue

Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, Qatar

I. M. Pei: Life Is Architecture exhibition on view in Doha, Qatar

I. M. Pei: Life Is Architecture is now on view at Qatar Museums Gallery – Al Riwaq in Doha through 14 February 2026, marking the exhibition’s Doha presentation on its international tour. Presented by Qatar Museums in collaboration with M+, the Doha opening followed the exhibition’s earlier presentations in Hong Kong and Shanghai, continuing a global conversation on Pei’s transcultural legacy and the civic role of architecture.

Running in parallel, the special exhibition I. M. Pei and the Making of the Museum of Islamic Art: From Square to Octagon and Octagon to Circle is on view through 14 February 2026 in the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA). The exhibition focuses on Pei’s creative process as he sought to define “the essence of Islamic architecture,” tracing the conception and realization of the Museum of Islamic Art through original sketches and models, photographs, archival documents, and a newly commissioned film.

Toh Tsun Lim Featured in Exhibition-Commissioned Documentary

As part of the exhibition’s broader programming, Qatar Museums has released I. M. Pei: A Museum on the Water, a film exploring Pei’s relationship with Qatar and the Arab and Islamic world through the Museum of Islamic Art. The film was filmed across Doha, New York, Geneva, Istanbul, and Paris, and reflects on the harmony of art, architecture, and landscape embodied by the museum. Partner of VIP HOUSE COMPANY LLC, Toh Tsun Lim, shared his perspective on the inception, design process, and lasting legacy of the Museum of Islamic Art in the film, drawing from his experience working with I. M. Pei on the project.

Firm Leadership Meetings Across the Gulf and India

In conjunction with the exhibition opening in Doha, Founding Partner Li Chung Pei and Partner Toh Tsun Lim, together with Director of Europe and Middle East Development Vincent Cortes, participated in a series of cultural, diplomatic, and business engagements across the Gulf and India. Centered around the exhibition opening at Al Riwaq, the trip included meetings with cultural institutions, architectural practices, government and diplomatic representatives, and industry leaders, as well as visits to key civic and cultural landmarks.

Sandi with H.E. Sheikha Al-Mayassa Al Thani at opening of the I. M. Pei Exhibition at Al Riwaq Museum in Doha

PEI team with S.E. Zaki Anwar Nusseibeh, Cultural Advisor to President of UAE and the Chancellor of UAE University

Sandi with Ahmed A.R. Buhari, President of United Economic Forum

Sandi with Arnaud Pescheux, French Ambassador to Qatar

PEI team with Dr. Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, Minister of IT and Finance, and Dharanidaran Salem, State Deputy Secy, DMK spokesman

Reception and Dinner Hosted by Prince of Arcot, Muhammed Abdul Ali

Li Chung (Sandi) Pei Discusses I. M. Pei’s Humanist Architecture in The Hindu

As part of the exhibition’s international run, Li Chung (Sandi) Pei was featured in The Hindu in an interview reflecting on I. M. Pei’s legacy and the significance of presenting the retrospective in Doha and Hong Kong. In the interview, he described his father as a fundamentally humanist architect, who designed not for style but for people, and grounded his modernist forms in history, culture, and place. Sandi Pei also noted that the exhibition I. M. Pei: Life Is Architecture invites audiences to look beyond iconic forms to understand the values and life experiences that shaped I. M. Pei’s work, positioning architecture as a point of connection between communities across cultures and generations. Read the article here.