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Sir Roland Richardson: Saint-Martin's painter of island life

Born in Marigot in 1944, Sir Roland Richardson paints St. Martin from life, en plein air, and was made a Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau in 2007.

By SXM Daily ·

Sir Roland Richardson is a painter from Marigot who has spent his career painting St. Martin's landscapes, people and flowers from life, outdoors. He was born on the French side in 1944, and his family's roots on the island go back to the 1700s, according to his official site and WGCU.

Illustrative: the Hôtel de la Collectivité in Marigot, Saint-Martin

Illustrative photo: Richie Diesterheft, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Early life and training

Richardson emigrated with his brothers in 1957, at the age of 13, to join his mother's family in New London, Connecticut, according to Spotlight News Magazine and his own account for the Richardson Heritage Association. He studied at the Hartford Art School of the University of Hartford, earning a BFA. Spotlight reports that he then taught on a fellowship in Beirut, where he began to earn a living from his paintings.

Painting from life

Yachting magazine dates the start of his career on St. Martin to 1970. He works only from life, "en plein air", in oil, watercolour and etching, his site and WGCU say. Yachting has called him the "father of Caribbean impressionism", and WGCU described him as "a pioneer of contemporary Caribbean impressionism". His site lists more than 100 solo and group exhibitions, including the inaugural exhibition of the St. Martin Museum in Marigot in 1995, and in September 2025 WGCU covered a show of his work at the Marco Island Center for the Arts in Florida.

His Roland Richardson Gallery Museum is on rue de la République in Marigot.

Heritage work

According to Yachting, Richardson led the restoration of Fort Louis above Marigot and was the founding editor of Discover St. Martin-St. Maarten magazine. His site says he was involved for years in planning and establishing museums on both the French and Dutch sides and founded the Cultural and Historic Foundation. The Richardson Heritage Association works to preserve his artistic and cultural legacy.

Honours

In 2007 Queen Beatrix made him a Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau, his site, WGCU and Spotlight report; in Spotlight he noted that he is a French citizen. He has also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the French government.

Sources

  • https://www.rolandrichardson.com/about-the-artist
  • https://www.wgcu.org/arts-and-culture/2025-09-02/sir-roland-richardson-exhibit-at-marco-island-center-for-the-arts-features-snapshots-of-caribbean-life
  • https://www.swspotlight.com/articles/community/artist-spotlight-sir-roland-richardson-believes-color-is-the-real-subject/
  • https://www.lesfruitsdemer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Association-Culture.pdf
  • https://www.yachtingmagazine.com/cruising-and-chartering/island-icon-roland-richardson/

Source: https://www.rolandrichardson.com/about-the-artist

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