{"word_count": 429, "character_count": 3008}
The Battle of the Pyramid: architectural criticism on I.M Pei’s Louvre PyramidLeah HsiaoDepartment of Art History, University of YorkThis paper intends to take the Chinese-American architect I.M.Pei’s Grand Louvre project (1983-1989, 1988-1993) as a case study to investigate the consistency, similarity and wider connections between ‘public’ opinions and architectural criticism.The Grand Louvre was a direct commission offered to Pei by President Mitterrand in early 1982 which he received without going through any national or international competition. In 1983, Pei accepted the project after several months’ research on the possibility for reconstruction. Afterwards, continuous architectural, political and social criticisms were raised against the project, particularly the proposal to build a glass pyramid in Cour Napoleon. The fierce debate was named by the public media as ‘the Battle of the Louvre’. In 1985, the heat of the ‘battle’ subsided as the public finally accepted the mock-up of the glass pyramid. Following this, the Pyramid was constructed and indeed eventually became a signature of the Louvre.The essay will focus on the criticism of the project from both architectural professionals and the more general ‘public’ by investigating two examples: Firstly, Charles Jencks’s postmodern criticism on the symbolism of the pyramid form. Secondly, the ‘general’ public antagonism against the project, as reported by the French newspapers. By examining the criticisms, the paper firstly identifies the main sources of the ‘public’ opinion, and then examines the extent to which these ‘public’ criticisms overlapped with the ‘architectural’ evaluation of Pei’s pyramid. This in turn suggests the extent to which the ‘architectural’ criticism is independent from the ‘public’ criticisms. In this way, the essay explores the roles that ‘public’ opinions can play in the formation of architectural theory and history.&#160;2013-Present PhD in History of Art University funded Overseas Research Scholarship PhD Thesis: I.M.Pei’s Museum Architecture and Internationalism (Supervisor: Prof. Michael White). Synopsis: The thesis addresses the production of Pei’s multiple identities in architecture. The thesis focus on three museum designs of Pei: the Museum for Chinese Art, Shanghai (1946), finished under the supervision of Walter Gropius at Harvard GSD; the Grand Louvre (Phase I: 1983-1989; Phase II: 1988-1993), which marks the very specific moment when Pei’s architectural identity was ‘internationalised’, as it was his first realised project in Europe; the Suzhou Museum (2002-2006), which signifies Pei’s ‘return’ to China after his many international commissions and suggests an involvement of international language in Chinese identity. 2012-2013 MA (Merit) in History of Art (Architectural History and Theory). MA Dissertation: The Director’s Office: a representation of Walter Gropius and the Bauhaus (Supervisor: Prof. Michael White), Beijing International Studies University, China.