INFO
| Name | Rossano Fan (he/him) |
| Also known as | Ming Ching Fan, Laocino Fan, “Rosie” |
| Born | 1934 |
| Died | 2014 |
| Country of Birth | China |
| Ethnicities | Chinese (Cantonese) |
| Artform | Architecture, Visual arts |
| Decades Active | 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s |
ABOUT
Rossano Fan was an architect and painter whose life spanned China, Hong Kong, the United States and Aotearoa. Described as a "unique, non-compromising, contradictory, brilliant, complex, philosophical, articulate, loving, precise and challenging character", Fan was the subject of a 2011 documentary about his life and work, directed by Richard Riddiford.
Born in Guangzhou on October 13, 1934, Fan's life and interest in architecture were shaped by his father, Fan Chi Hung, “one of China’s most notable post-revolution architects”, who designed the Bank of China in 1947. The events of the Cultural Revolution had a significant impact on Fan’s family. His father passed away on 23 January 1960 at the age of 45.
In the early 1950s, Fan moved to Hong Kong to escape the political unrest. He began working as a designer of intricate headstones for local graveyards, including the Pok Fu Lam cemetery. During this period, he met Mary Sue, who was visiting Hong Kong from Aotearoa with her family. They married and moved to Aotearoa in 1963. Mary, who hailed from a prominent market gardening family in Horowhenua, provided the financial stability that would underpin Fan's artistic and architectural endeavours. While Mary Sue and their children tended to the garden, Fan utilised his time studying English and engaging in his creative pursuits.
Upon arriving in Aotearoa, he began to establish himself as an architect, initially working as an apprentice for Palmerston North-based architect David Taylor. According to Fan, this period of study deeply influenced his architectural philosophy. Under Taylor, he learned architectural history and techniques, specifically, building with timber.
In 1970, Fan relocated to New York but quickly grew dissatisfied with the focus on large-scale concrete and steel high-rise projects that dominated American architecture at the time. This disconnect led him to return to Aotearoa after six months, where he aimed to develop a practice that incorporated natural materials and principles more aligned with his design philosophy. Fan admired the Japanese post-and-beam construction method and sought to incorporate these principles into his designs. One notable example was the King House in Paremata (built in 1967), a residence for Peter King and his wife, which featured clean lines, simplicity, and harmonious integration with the natural environment.
As revealed in Riddiford’s documentary, Fan’s architectural work was sporadic, complicated by his complex personality, which he attributed to struggles in his upbringing. He developed friendships with prominent architects like Ian Athfield, who said, “When he did his houses in the late 60s, early 70s, he was quite a dominant force in the local area. No one really knew too much about him because he appeared for short moments. A powerful and intelligent character.”
After moving to Pōneke with his family in 1985, Fan retired from architecture to focus on painting, working primarily in watercolours. He produced hundreds of paintings that explored a wide range of subjects, including war and sexuality. Reflecting on this transition, Fan remarked, "After I had no rich clients, I worked as an artist, and my mind is not tired anymore. I get up at half past three in the morning, drink myself til drunk, and paint."
He exhibited his paintings in Beijing, where he lived for several years from 2012 before falling ill. In his final years, he returned to Aotearoa and resided at the Vincentian Home in Berhampore, where he continued to paint.
Fan died on July 17th, 2014. In November 2015, Potocki Paterson Art Gallery in Wellington hosted an exhibition featuring a collection of his paintings, including portraits, nudes, and landscapes. Described as a "tortured genius" with a "Van Gogh-like" complexity, the exhibition sought to introduce Fan’s work to a broader audience.
LINKS
Key works / presentations
2015 – Rossano (Ming Ching) Fan, Potocki Paterson Art Gallery, Pōneke