Through their connections, with the Catholic church and through his work for the Mother Superior of the Sisters of the Angel, an order from Quebec, Canada, my sister joined their school.

Mother, being Italian, was in touch with the Italian convent school in Hong Kong. Father, between 1937 and 1941, again became very well known as a renowned sculptor and painter and his commissions were many during the time of unrest in the world. He made notably, the bronze bust of the Governor of Hong Kong and many professors of the University of Hong Kong and many of the noted people, including Sir Robert Kotewall, Sir G. Northcote, Duncan Sloss the Chancellor of the University and many noted English and Chinese scholars, as well as military men including Major Mcfadyen.

He had done the memorial bust of Dr Sun Yat Sen. He published a book in 1940 of his works. His painting of white peonies won first prize at the 1938 Hong Kong Art Club exhibition.

When the Japanese attacked and conquered Hong Kong the conquering General wanted our father to work on something to glorify their victory and, as he refused, he was obliged to run away during the night and took a passage to free China, just above Viet Nam an area influenced by the Vichy French. This place was safe from Japanese intrusion, but often Japanese planes did fly over.

After leaving in early 1942, he was not heard from until late 1945 when he suddenly reappeared. He thought, all along, that we were receiving his messages, as well as his money, but, unfortunately, all of this was intercepted and mother, in fact, had information that he had died during that time.

During the war years, because of the connection with the Italian convent, we spent the war years there. I was the baby of the nuns. It was hard times, we did have shelter, but food was scarce and each was responsible for finding food for the family. Mother did so by giving private lessons in languages, especially French and Italian. She was also quite ingenious in taking some of the habits of the Nuns, that they were not using, of very fine material that could be made into dresses and with her friend Amy, who owned a dress shop, they managed to get income from using this material in producing women's clothes. However she suffered malnutrition and a breakdown likely as a result. Her instinct to protect, feed and care for her three children was strong and helped carry her through.

After peace from the Second World War father returned and once again picked up on his work. He was forever working, it seemed, according to a good friend and a fellow artist, Yang Sin Sum whom I met 3 or 4 years ago, when he was 92 years old. He told me father was always working, was always conscientious, was considered one of the best, if not the best, sculptor of China, in his time, and he was very much saddened when father died in 1951, but between 1946 and 1951 he was very busy doing commissions from Sir Robert Kotewall, Sir Arthur Morse, the Chairman of the Hong Kong/Shanghai Bank, Sir Robert Hotung and many others. He also painted flowers and water scenes of sailing junks and Hong Kong's water front. He returned with an assistant Ah Sing. A teen who was seeking work in Guangzhou Wan to help support his single mother. Ah Sing became part of the family. He helped with the heavy work of casting and purchasing of clay. Both the clay and the bronze were of inferior quality compared with pre war, necessitating a lot of clean up afterwards.

In 1949 China fell to the communists. Father returned to Canton thinking he could salvage something from his home there. Instead he was arrested as a wicked landlord. A former student interceded for him and they let him return to Hong Kong empty handed.

He gave his last exhibition in 1950. Both English and Chinese press and critics praised the quality of his work. The Governor of Hong Kong Sir Grantham and Lady Grantham and Sir Robert Hotung were among the notables that attended. In mid August 1951 he suffered a stroke and succumbed to a second one a week later on the 22 August 1951. I recall him placing my hand in the palm of my older brother with his good hand and though he was unable to speak, we understood his final instructions.

My recent visit at the school MFA was facilitated by the work of LeeAnn Famolare, librarian and archivist who had made arrangements with Maureen Melton to have the original archives 1917 to 1930 brought over from the museum library. Wearing white cotton gloves I was able to leaf through delicate pages that bore so much history and found photographs and articles regarding father and his teachers and some notable classmates: Teacher of drawing and painting Philip Hale, sculptor Charles Grafly, renowned for General Mead Memorial in Washington, Federic Allen, sculptor.

Both Mr. Grafly 1929 (auto accident while Dad was in Europe) and Mr. Hale 1931 died soon after Dad's graduation.

Katherine Lane Weems and father exhibited at the Museum in 1930.

In 1927 the school moved to its current location on the Fenway from Copley square and father would have been a part of that move.

Dean Deborah Dluhy welcomed Judy and I and showed great interest as I narrated the career and life of G.T. Chan, using father's booklet of works (1940) and the CD produced by my brother Anthony and possible future article in ArtMatters on G.T .Chan.

We look forward to that.

About the author

Victor Chan MD FRCP FACP is a Clinical Associate Professor Medicine at UBC (Div of Nephrology). As well as being a physician, he is also an artist. He is the youngest son of G.T. Chan (sik kwan). Dr Chan's brother (who compiled a collection of photos of G.T. Chan's works) is on a mission of remembrance of G.T. Chan and his art.

Dr. Chan's father had 15 years of training in Boston (SMFA), Paris and Florence before returning to China in 1930. There he was professor of sculpture and Painting in Canton (Guangzhou) until 1937 when the family took refuge in Hong Kong from the Japanese. He died in 1951. Despite the wars he was able to have an illustrious career in his chosen profession.

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