BOY'S RETURN HOME TO BOSTON

On September 2nd 2008, "Portrait of a Boy" in marble by G. T. Chan, flew from Seattle to Boston in a carry-on bag, on United Airline flight 0386. On sept. 3rd Judy and I delivered him to the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and presented him to Dean of the School, Deborah Dluhy and Librarian Darin Murphy.

Events leading up to this historic trip, from his creation in 1929 to sept. 3 2008, can be divided into early history and recent happenings.

 "Boy" was created by G.T. Chan in Florence, Italy in 1929 when he was doing post-graduate studies in marble sculpturing, after graduating from SMFA Boston and after spending a year in Paris with Bourdelle.

On return to Boston, "BOY" was shown at the Fine Arts School Alumni Exhibition of 1930, drawing the attention of the art community. Katherine Brooks of the Boston Sunday Advertiser in her interview with G.T. quoted him as saying of the "BOY", He lived near my pension, and had such a beautiful head for modeling that I finally asked him to sit for me. He sat an hour a day for about a month, but I spent all day, every day that month, working on the bust.

F.W. Coburn, art critic, wrote " A very sensitive and exquisite head 'Portrait of a Boy' is by Goon T. Chan, a young Chinese sculptor and painter, whose unusually promising one man show was recently described. It is understood that Mr. Chan did all the cutting of this work with his own hands, instead of entrusting it to a professional marble cutter. In quality it should rank among the masterly works of this age." Mr. Coburn, in his review of G.T. Chan's exhibition at the Myles Standish wrote "Although Mr. Chan, a Canton Chinese painter, intensively trained in the art schools, has been in this country and Europe for 15 years, this is his first one-man show. His racial traditions demands, doubtless perfection to technique: after 10 years' study in the art academies Mr. Chan can tell the world, including his 400 million fellow countrymen, that he has laid the professional foundation carefully and thoroughly. As a sculptor Mr. Chan seems to combine the subtlety of western sculpture and the expressive simplicity of the ancient Chinese creators of imperishably lovely figures of Kwanyin and Avalolsitsvara in the caves of Sianfu and Longmen. A marble bust of a young boy is as fine as many of the glazed pottery heads of the Ming as say, the singing Lohan at the museum."

"Boy" then followed G.T. back to Italy, where he and mother married. They took him on a slow boat to China in 1931. In 1932 the young couple moved into their new house in Canton, China and welcomed the arrival of Elisa. G.T. was busy with sculpture commissions, teaching at 2 universities but still found time for family, his violin and his collection of 78 records of the great Caruso. Anthony arrived in 1935. "BOY" had a special ebony stand in the living room. In 1937, a sudden departure of the family from Canton was made necessary by the Japanese imperial army attack on China and the family and "BOY" took refuge in Hong Kong. In 1941 Victor arrived. This joyful event was followed by the fall of Hong Kong to the Japanese. G.T. had to flee from HK and leave his family behind when he refused the command of the conquering general to sculpture for them. BOY stayed with the family and was protected from the bombings of the war by Mrs. Lina Chan. In 1972 BOY came to Vancouver Canada after Anthony and Victor and later Lina moved from HK. He had been shown and received great praise in G.T.'s many exhibitions up until G.T.'s death in 1951.

Recent past: Anthony felt that some of Dad's works should be donated to a museum.

Victor and Judy felt that a personal contact with SMFA Boston and a review of the Archives would be desirable for this to happen. Librarian Aubry Baer, LeeAnn Famolare, Tracy Phillips and Dean Deborah Dluhy formed the link that led to the Museum of Fine Arts acceptance of the Gift of "BOY"

He is to have a "makeover" spa treatment at the Museum and then will enjoy a space in the SMFA W. Van Alan Clark Jr. Library in the company of good friend and classmate Amelia Peabody's sculpture of a girl.

Editor's note:

 If you have questions or comments regarding the text, please contact the author as follows:

Dr. Victor R. Chan

13987 60th Ave. Surrey

British Columbia

Canada V3X2M9