Memorial room of Nicholas Roerich

2 floor

Memorial Room of N.K.Roerich presents artworks by Nicholas Roerich and collection of rarities, associated with the members of his family.

MEMORIAL ROOM OF NICHOLAS ROERICH

Memorial Room of N.K.Roerich presents artworks by Nicholas Roerich and collection of rarities, associated with the members of his family.

Memorial Room of N.K.Roerich is a special area at the exposition of the State Museum of Oriental Art. It was founded in 1979 owing to the gift of Catherine Campbell-Stibbe, an American, who was one of the closest friends of the Roerich family. With the assistance of Henrikh Popov (then Director of the State Museum of Oriental Art) she transferred a unique collection of paintings and drawings by Nicholas Roerich and his son Svyatoslav Roerich, as well as decorative and applied art items from their Indian collection, to the Soviet Union. This gift laid the foundation not only for the Memorial room, but also for the first permanent exhibition of the artworks by Nicholas and Svyatoslav Roerich in the USSR.

Olga Rumyantseva, who devoted her life to the preservation and study of the Roerich family heritage, was at the origins of creation of the Memorial Room. The large-scale exhibitions of Roerich paintings, conferences, meetings (including with Svyatoslav Roerich and his wife Devika Rani Roerich, the famous Indian film actress) were associated with her name. In the 1980s, the Commission on the Cultural and Artistic Heritage of Nicholas Roerich, whose honorary chairman was Svyatoslav Roerich, met within the Room. Among the frequent guests were Catherine Campbell and her associate Ingeborg Fritschi.

The Memorial Room recreates the atmosphere of the Roerich family home in the Indian Kulu Valley. Here are paintings, photographs, Buddhist bronze from the family collection, personal belongings of the Roerichs, jewelry, rare publications (by the Roerichs themselves and from their home library). For many decades, the Memorial Room became a center for studying the Roerichs' heritage, attracting admirers of their artwork from all over the world. In September 2019 a large-scale update of the cabinet was completed. However, the memorial space itself remains unchanged. The exhibition is made up of Roerich paintings and sketches. At the moment it is supplemented with works from the collection of the Soviet Roerich Foundation, among them are triptych "Fiat Rex" ("Long live the Lord!"), the iconic painting "Treasure of the World", Himalayan landscapes and portraits of Nicholas and Elena Roerich by Svyatoslav Roerich. In total, the memorial cabinet features 31 paintings and more than 180 museum items.

The Memorial Room is opened for visitors according to the Museum’s schedule.