On September 1st, 1939, Hitler invaded Poland and World War II broke out.
It ended with the aggressor's capitulation and the Nuremberg trials, in which the war criminals were held accountable for crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
Some country and some people are in the process of repeating the history.
Nicholas Roerich
WAR AGAIN
A quarter of a century has passed [since World War I], exactly a quarter, just one generation, and the virus of the same madness has broken out. This epidemic has started in the same inhuman way. Again, bombs are being dropped on civilians. Again, ships carrying peaceful travelers are being destroyed. Schools are shattered and children's bodies torn apart.
Of course, this war did not start just yesterday. Already in 1936, the evil germs were sprouting... Violence was rampant. Destruction was justified by citing the most astounding reasons. As often happens, the biggest missiles exploded when public opinion least expected them…
On August 1st, 1914, we were in a temple, on September 1st, 1939 we were up in the Himalayas. Both—temples. Back then we were not ready to believe in such human madness, and now the heart does not want to admit that a new horror has been born…
Once more, we will turn to art to remind us that destruction is unacceptable, once more we will hope that at least now humanity will understand what true values are, and what is the purpose of human evolution.
September 3, 1939, Himalayas
Visit
Location
Nicholas Roerich Museum
319 West 107th Street
New York NY 10025
The Museum is on 107th street, between Broadway & Riverside Drive closer to Riverside Drive.
Subway:, #1 train to 110th Street and Broadway.
Bus: M104 bus to 108th Street and Broadway; M5 bus to 108th Street and Riverside Drive
Car: The Museum does not provide for parking, which can be found on nearby streets. Parking garages can be found on 108th Street, east of Broadway.
Museum Hours
Saturday, Sunday noon–5 p.m.
Tuesday–Friday, noon–4 p.m.
Closed Monday.
Also closed New Years’ Day, July 4, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
Admission
Admission is free, though
donations are welcome.
Accessibility
If you will need to use the elevator, we ask that you give us a call at least a day in advance. There are two flights of stairs that lead to the second and third floor galleries, so please plan your visit accordingly.
For wheelchair access, please contact us at least a day in advance. We are not able to provide it on the same day's notice.
Contact
phone: 212–864–7752 (during open hours)
Events
Concerts & Recitals
Regretfully, after lengthy discussions, we have canceled the 2022 Fall concert season due to the continuing risks of Covid infection.
Artists in Residence
Sunday, June 24th, the Nikolai Kachanov Singers (NKS), our artists-in-residence, performed “PARALLELS AND CROSSINGS: Peace, Hope, Love and Joy,” a program of some great music of the Renaissance period, as well as music by our contemporaries. The performance took place at the historic Holyrood Episcopal Church in Washington Heights.
New on the Site
July 6th
An interview (in Russian) with Elena Semeka-Pankratova who was George Roerich's secretary (and later postgraduate) at the Institute of Oriental Studies (Moscow, Russia) during 1958-1960. Read here »
July 3rd
Collection catalog under "Browse table" updated ». "Browse thumbnails" will be updated shortly.
Collection
The Museum's collection comprises more than 200 paintings of the artist, exhibited on three floors of a classic townhouse in the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
Virtual tour
Biographical Facts
| 1874 | Born in St.Petersburg |
| 1893–1898 | Studied in the Imperial Art Academy |
| 1906–1916 | Director of the Drawing School of Imperial Society for Encouragement of Arts. Exhibited in major European cities |
| 1917–1919 | Karelia, Scandinavia, London |
| 1920–1923 | President Founder of the Master Institute & Roerich Museum in New York, exhibitions across the U.S.A. in more than 20 cities |
| 1923–1928 | Expedition to Central Asia: Sikkim, Kashmir, Ladakh, Chinese Turkestan, Altai, Mongolia, crossing Tibet from North to South |
| 1929–1947 | Settled in Naggar, Kullu Valley, India |
| 1934–1935 | Expedition in Manchuria and Inner Mongolia |
| 1935 | The Roerich Pact signed in the White House by twenty one countries |
| 1947 | Passed away in Naggar |
Archive
Photos
Below: Nicholas Roerich preparing for crossing the Gobi and Tibet from north (Ulaan-Bator) to south (Sikkim). Photo taken early April of 1927
Video clips
Below: Nicholas Roerich in Darjeeling, India, soon after his expedition in Central Asia. Photo taken in the Fall of 1928
Correspondence
Our archive holds tens of thousands of items of correspondence pertaining to Nicholas Roerich's artistic and other activities.
The Roerich Pact
A visionary and idealist, Roerich promoted peace and the protection of the world's cultural heritage, the unity of religions, and the notion that the creative people of the world bear the responsibility to save the world.
During the nineteen-twenties, he composed a treaty for protection of the historic monuments, museums, scientific, artistic, educational and cultural institutions in time of peace as well as in war.
Nowadays the Roerich Pact movement is especially popular in Latin America—check banderadelapaz.org and watch the video.
Gift Shop
Prints » Large size prints » Books »
Guestbook
JAMES WARD, UNITED STATES:
January, 2012
What a treasure the Roerich Museum is! A wonderfully immersive experience to be surrounded by his art and artifacts in such relaxed, inviting and densely adorned surroundings.