Ronald Fong Sang (11 July 1938 – 11 June 2021) was a New Zealand architect, art collector, art exhibitor and publisher of New Zealand art books.

Early life

Sang was born in Fiji in 1938 to parents who had migrated from southern China. He received his secondary education at

Marist Brothers High School, Fiji Marist Brothers High School is a Roman Catholic all-boys' high school situated in Suva, the capital of Fiji. It is a school in the Marist tradition, founded in 1946 by the order of Marist Brothers, which has had a presence in Fiji since 1844. ...

, and, having arrived in Auckland in 1957, at St Peter's College, Grafton. He studied architecture at

Auckland University College , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn ...

from 1958 to 1961.''New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa 2001'', p. 777. He became a registered architect in New Zealand in 1965. He joined an architectural practice which became Fairhead Sang and Carnachan Architects. In 1968, Sang set up his own practice.

Architecture

As an architect, Sang engaged in both commercial and domestic architecture. He is noted for his design of a house for the photographer

Brian Brake John Brian Brake (27 June 1927 – 4 August 1988) was a photographer from New Zealand. Biography Born in Wellington, New Zealand, Brake was the adopted son of John Samuel Brake and his wife Jennie Brake (née Chiplin). He was raised initially at ...

Titirangi Titirangi is a suburb of West Auckland in the Waitākere Ranges local board area of the city of Auckland in northern New Zealand. It is an affluent, residential suburb located 13 kilometres (8 miles) to the southwest of the Auckland city centr ...

, West Auckland. The house has a Category 1 rating from Heritage New Zealand. Sang had a special interest in using New Zealand artworks in domestic and commercial interiors. He was a committee member of the Aotea Centre Works of Art Committee from 1988. He developed a New Zealand art collection including paintings, prints, sculpture, pottery, and weaving. This collection included significant New Zealand artists such as

Colin McCahon Colin John McCahon (; 1August 191927May 1987) was a prominent New Zealand artist whose work over 45 years consisted of various styles, including landscape, figuration, abstraction, and the overlay of painted text. Along with Toss Woollaston and ...

and

Bill Hammond William Hammond (29 August 1947 – 30 January 2021) was a New Zealand artist who was part of the Post-colonial Gothic movement at the end of the 1990s. He lived and worked in Lyttelton, New Zealand. The theme of his works centred around the env ...

. Sang published books on New Zealand artists. In 2013, Sang was co-chairman of the Auckland Chinese Garden steering committee. In the 2000 Queen's Birthday Honours, Sang was appointed an

Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant (document), royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of New Zealand, Queen of New Zealand, "for those ...

, for services to architecture and the arts.

Later life and death

In March 2015, Sang auctioned off much of his personal art collection to fund his retirement, raising over $1.9 million. Sang died at his home in Auckland on 11 June 2021.

Early life

Architecture

Later life and death

References

Further reading