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After a moment of astonishment at first sight of the model of the Pyramide du Louvre, Emile Biasini reportedly exclaimed, "It looks like a diamond!" Biasini, chosen by Francois Mitterand to chair the Etablissement Public du Grand Louvre, was first to see Ieoh Ming Pei's design. The Pyramide, completed in 1989, was designed by the Chinese-American, who offered the "luminous structure-symbol" as a distinct way to avoid distracting attention away from the Louvre, but rather, as a structure that would complement or "gracefully blend" with the great palace.

Further, he rationalized, its geometric shape would enclose the greatest area within the smallest possible volume, so it would stand as unobtrusively as possible. It was, Pei assured, "a natural solution." Pei argued that a traditional horizontal roof would only bring in light; a high, pointed roof would bring in both volume and light, with the added advantage of making the entrance very visible.

This was the point of the project, after all. Before the construction of the Pyramide, the Louvre was known for puzzling its visitors - the entrance was concealed and hard to locate; congestion and chaos plagued the courtyard (la cour Napoleon); the hallways of the galleries beneath were dimly lit and incoherent in structure; the entire Richelieu wing was off limits. Pei saw the "L" shape of the museum as nonconducive to public life. By liberating this wing from the French Treasury and restoring it as part of the museum, Pei would reshape the Louvre as a "U." Finding this a much friendlier, more inviting shape, Pei determined the new entrance would, therefore, have to be located in the center. Occupying the center of gravity, this object would maintain and encourage a more harmonious, balanced environment.

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