Paris (AFP)

New York, Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Paris will host Christie's's prestigious collection of works by architect Ieoh Ming Pei and his wife Eileen Loo in the coming months American sales.

It will be an exceptional selection of paintings, drawings, works on paper and sculptures assembled by the famous Sino-American architect, designer of the Louvre Pyramid, who died last May, and his wife, during their 72 years of marriage. Its value is expected to exceed $ 25 million, according to Christie's.

The collection blends Western and Eastern artists, impressionist, modern, post-war and contemporary art, as well as 20th century Chinese art. We find the signatures of Barnett Newman, Jean Dubuffet, Zao Wou-Ki, Franz Kline, Zhang Daqian, Willem Kooning, Jacques Lipchitz or Isamu Noguchi.

The exhibitions will take place from September 13 to 17 in Paris, October 3 to 8 in Hong Kong, October 15 to 19 in Los Angeles and November 1 to 13 in New York.

Composed of great scholars, both from prestigious Chinese families, the couple was married in 1942. Pritzker Prize 1983, the architect died on May 16 at the age of 102 in New York, five years after his death. wife.

They were both very knowledgeable of avant-garde artists and had around them a very close group of friends and fellow artists from Europe and China.

Pei is considered one of the greatest architects of the twentieth century: besides the Pyramid, the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong, the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and the East building of the National Art Gallery in Washington DC are among his most famous achievements.

© 2019 AFP