Painting by Rémy de Haenen Jr. on the cover of this edition of Eden Rock St Barths' InsidER Magazine. 

Rémy de Haenen St Barth Picnic, 2023, Oil on canvas, 43.31 x 39.37 in (110 x 100 cm)

RÉMY DE HAENEN JR

Childhood memories of Eden Rock... Rémy de Haenen lives in Buenos Aires but regularly returns to his birthplace, the Antilles. Meet the son with the same name as the founder of Eden Rock, who shares with us his wonderful memories of the place...

What relationship did you have with your father? 

Rémy de Haenen Jr. : I was born in 1947 in Martinique where I grew up with my mother. My parents had split up and the first time I met my father, I was six years old... One day, my mother and I went to the airport of Saint-Martin. A US Army reconnaissance aircraft landed. A man stepped down, he wanted to meet me. I held out my hand and said "Good day, sir." He answered: "Come to St Barths, you need to know your three stepsisters." From then on, I spent all my holidays there.
 

What are your best souvenirs of Eden Rock? 

Rémy de Haenen Jr. : We landed in St Barths in a savannah where an old tamarind tree served as a hangar. Eden Rock was almost finished, but lacked a good water supply. At that time, there were four bedrooms. My father had painted the floors in red. Full board cost 50 dollars. We sometimes shared the meal with our guests for whom I would pick fruit and vegetables from the market garden. It was like being in a family, very warm and friendly.
 

I was also responsible for the electricity generator in the evening, and taking out the rubbish. Everyone knew everyone else. There were only 1,200 inhabitants, fish everywhere, iguanas, parrots, monkeys. I and my sisters spent our days in the water, fishing, only going home for dinner. We ate lobsters, shrimps, sea urchins and clams. Paradise... We occasionally set off in a little rowboat with my father, to wander around the islands. A magnificent way of spending time with him...
 

What ties do you keep with St Barths and Eden Rock?

Rémy de Haenen Jr. : Twenty years ago, I met the new owners, David and Jane, who adopted me as a member of their family. They had succeeded in preserving the soul of the place and loved to hear my souvenirs of Eden Rock. After a career in finance, I now spend most of my time painting in my studio in Buenos Aires. In 2021, in my exhibition "St Barths long ago", I reinterpreted my souvenirs of walks surrounded by trees and flowers, flamboyant sunsets, on huge canvasses... I stay at Eden Rock every year and always feel at home.