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L’OMBRE DES HEURES, LE RETABLE DU TEMPS

Hennessy welcomes "L'Ombre des Heures, le Retable du Temps" (The Shadow of the Hours, The Altarpiece of Time) a work by French artist Jeremy Demester for the "Atelier de Tonnellerie", our barrel-making workshop in Cognac, a production site where craftsmanship meets art.

Crafting
X.O

The Atelier de Tonnellerie occupies an emblematic place in the Maison Hennessy's history and values. It embodies ancestral savoir-faire: the making and conservation of the barrels in which eaux-de-vie are aged.

Jeremy Demester’s "L'Ombre des Heures, le Retable du Temps" was created to be displayed in this symbolic place, a workshop of excellence that is rarely visited, where the human hand works with skill and expertise.
This creation was born out of numerous encounters and has since lived at the Atelier.
A powerful statement for Hennessy, whose contemporary installation links art and craftsmanship.

Through this piece, Jeremy Demester and Hennessy pay special tribute to the oak barrels in which the eaux-de-vie are silently aged. Here, they mature to one day reveal their full potential. Hennessy’s coopers have been working with wood for over 200 years. In order to emphasise the value of this expertise, and through this on-site artistic installation, Hennessy celebrates this essential raw material and its affinity with excellent craftsmanship.

Coopers learn to master their craft over time. Jeremy Demester’s work is a natural expression of his sensory approach on canvas. The handiwork of each one enhances the material. Open or closed according to the day, "L'Ombre des Heures, le Retable du Temps" will bear witness to this.

A French-Gypsy painter born in Digne in 1988, Jeremy Demester currently lives in Benin. His work has been displayed in various international solo and group exhibitions. Since 2019, he has chaired “Atoké”, a foundation created with his wife to support an orphanage in the Ouémé region of Benin.

The fruit of an encounter between artist and artisans

Jeremy Demester was invited to the Cognac region to immerse himself in our land and our production processes. He is one of those artists who pays attention to the environment that will bring his work to life. Before painting, he visited Hennessy’s workshops, met its craftsmen and had long talks with those who will be looking at his work every day.

Jeremy Demester then invited Hennessy to observe his own creative process, from the art foundry in Naples that he collaborates with to his workshop in Landes. We met him again a few months later for the collective and memorable presentation of his piece: "L'Ombre des Heures, le Retable du Temps".

This monumental work of art is marked by encounters, simple and warm exchanges and time spent together; it has formed the foundations of a beautiful story, made concrete by very strong emotions when the work was installed in Cognac.

We have captured some precious moments of this adventure in a documentary.

Photo credits:

©Jeremy Demester Courtesy Galerie Max Hetzler photo Gotz Göppert

Video credits:

©Jeremy Demester Courtesy Galerie Max Hetzler Crédit Filmography

SEE THE FILM

Hennessy X.O

In 1870, Maurice Hennessy created Hennessy X.O for his circle of friends and introduced a new style of cognac. Hennessy X.O is the Original, the emblematic icon of the Hennessy Maison.

Deep and powerful, the eaux-de-vie of this Hennessy X.O cognac are aged in young barrels and marked out by their power and energy, but also by their capacity to achieve a great roundness through time.

Our Tasting Committee has explored every facet of the blend and identified several emotions that were assimilated to an Odyssey through 7 chapters:

Sweet Notes: The palate is warmly embraced by flavors of candied fruit.
Rising Heat: The intriguing sensation of an intense, rising heat slowly reveals the complex taste of eaux-de-vie patiently aged in oak barrels.
Spicy Edge: Perception of a strong spicy cognac note, tantalising the lips and palate with its distinct peppery flavor intertwined with a hint of chocolate.
Flowing Flame: A wave of warmth grows, crests and then breaks. A robust presence, full and voluptuous, is felt.
Chocolate Lull: There is the gradual discovery of something very familiar. It is the well-rounded flavor of a rich, dark chocolate.
Wood Crunches: A striking sensation is suddenly felt – the vigorous ebb and flow of oak notes interlaced with vanilla.
Infinite Echo: The evanescent oak notes leave a long, omnipresent finish in their wake. Seemingly endless, it echoes all of the subtleties of each taste and sensation that has preceded it.