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Nicholas Roerich — featured artwork

Introduction

Date of Birth
10 Oct 1874
Zodiac sign
Libra
Date of Death
13 Dec 1947
Age
73
Place of Birth
St. Petersburg, Russia
Place of Death
Kulu, Himachal Pradesh, India
Spouse(s)
Helena roerich
Year Marriage Registered
1901
Children
Svetoslav roerich, george de roerich
State Country of Birth
Russia
State Country of Death
Himachal Pradesh, India

Exhibitions

  1. 1902

    1. His pictures shown at exhibitions in St. Petersburg and Moscow, Russia
  2. 1904

    1. Exhibits his pictures in, Prague, Czeckoslovakia
    2. Exhibits his pictures in Venice, Italy
    3. Exhibits his pictures in St. Petersburg, Russia
    4. Exhibits his pictures in, Munich, Berlin and Dusseldorf, Germany
  3. 1907

    1. His pictures exhibited in, Venice, Italy
    2. His pictures exhibited in, Moscow, Russia
    3. His pictures exhibited in Paris, France
  4. 1909

    1. His pictures shown in London, UK
    2. His pictures exhibited in Paris, France
    3. St. Petersburg, Russia
  5. 1910

    1. His pictures exhibited in St. Petersburg and Moscow, Russia
    2. His pictures exhibited in Rome, Italy
    3. His pictures exhibited in London, UK
  6. 1988

    1. Story of a Hundred Years: The Bombay Art Society 1888-1988, Presented by Bombay Art Society, Mumbai, India
  7. 2002

  8. 2004

    1. The Underlying Spirit, The Inaugural Exhibition from the Osian's Archive Collection, Curated by Neville Tuli, at Visual Art Gallery, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, India

      09 Nov 2004 to 18 Nov 2004

  9. 2005

    1. Revisualising India, From The Osian's Archive & Library Collection, Rabindra Bhavan Galleries, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi

      16 Aug 2005 to 02 Sep 2005

  10. 2009

    1. The Ballets Russes: Celebrating the Centennial, Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, Connecticut, USA

      09 Feb 2009 to 09 Jun 2009

    2. Cabinet of Latvian Pastel Painting of the First Half of the 20th Century, LNMM, Exhibition Hall Arsenals, Riga, Latvia

      01 Aug 2009 to 12 Apr 2010

20 of 38
Roerich, Nicholas (Artist). Nicholas Roerich: A Himalayan Saga, 2002 | Solo Exhibition Catalogue | 00882668

Roerich, Nicholas (Artist). Nicholas Roerich: A Himalayan Saga, 2002 | Solo Exhibition Catalogue | 00882668

Chronicled Highlights 91935 – 2018

Nicholas Roerich was born in 10 October 1874 in St. Petersburg, Russia.

1935
Public Auction HighPainting
Osian's · Indian Antiquities Modern Contemporary Fine Arts & BooksMumbai · 07 April 2017

In 2017, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Pilgrim in the Himalayas (1935), offered in the Indian Antiquities Modern Contemporary Fine Arts & Books by Osian's, which concluded on 07 April 2017 at Mumbai, achieving a sale price of ₹1,74,00,000 ($270,228). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.

Roerich, Nicholas (Artist). Pilgrim in the Himalayas, Mid 1930s | Painting
Selling price
INR1,74,00,000
Within estimate
Estimate
INR 1,60,00,000 – 2,40,00,000
Rate per sq in
INR 16,781
Medium
Tempera and pastel on canvas pasted on board
Dimensions
28.5 × 36.4 in (72 × 92 cm)
Signature
Artist monogram in cyrillic l.r.
Lot
38 · Os.Mum/07.04.17
Provenance
Formerly from the Byramji J. & Shirinbai B.Moos Mistry Family Collection, Hyderabad & Mumbai; thereafter inherited by their eldest son Pestonji Byramji Mistry; by descent to his son Cyrus P. Mistry, who worked as the personal assistant to Honourable Justice S.N. Variava during the 1990s before his retirement. Byramji J. Mistry (1851-1938) was in the service of the Nizam of Hyderabad between 1918 & 1929. During the 1920s to 1940s many artworks and antiquities were purchased by the Mistry family towards building their collection.
1935
Literary ReferencePainting
DeRivaz & Ives · Inaugural Masterpieces SeriesOnline · 19 November 2022

All teachers journey to the mountains. The highest knowledge, the most inspired songs, the most superb sounds and colours are created on the mountains. On the highest mountains there is the Supreme. The high mountains stand as witness of the great reality. The spirit of prehistoric man already enjoyed the greatness of the mountains.

Roerich, Nicholas (Artist). Untitled, mid 1930s | Painting
Selling price
INR53,76,000
Within estimate
Estimate
INR 48,00,000 – 72,00,000
Rate per sq in
INR 12,361
Medium
Tempera on thick paper
Dimensions
18.1 × 24 in (46 × 61 cm)
Lot
7 · De.Onl/19.11.22
1935
Literary ReferencePainting
DeRivaz & Ives · Inaugural Masterpieces SeriesOnline · 19 November 2022

To Roerich, the Himalayas were a source of constant joy and inspiration. His paintings reveal the sublimity of the Himalayan landscapes. At a commemorative exhibition held in 1947, the year Roerich died, the late Pandit Jawharlal Nehru said, “When you look at these paintings, so many of the Himalayas, you seem to touch the spirit of those great mountains which have towered over the Indian plain and been our sentinels for ages past. They remind us so much of our history, our thought, our cultural and spiritual heritage so much not merely of the India of the past but of something that Is permanent and eternal about India, that we cannot help feeling a great sense of indebtedness to Nicholas Roerich who has enshrined that spirit in these magnificent canvases.

Roerich, Nicholas (Artist). Sacred Place of the Himalayas, mid 1930s | Painting
Selling price
INR1,00,80,000
Within estimate
Estimate
INR 1,00,00,000 – 1,60,00,000
Rate per sq in
INR 17,713
Medium
Tempera on canvas
Dimensions
19.1 × 29.8 in (49 × 76 cm)
Lot
6 · De.Onl/19.11.22
1940
Public Auction HighPainting
Saffronart · Evening SaleNew Delhi · 21 September 2017

In 2017, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Himalayas (1940), offered in the Evening Sale by Saffronart, which concluded on 21 September 2017 at New Delhi, achieving a sale price of ₹4,80,00,000 ($761,905). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.

Roerich, Nicholas (Artist). Himalayas, 1940 | Painting
Selling price
INR4,80,00,000
167% above high estimate
Estimate
INR 1,20,00,000 – 1,80,00,000
Rate per sq in
INR 85,565
Medium
Tempera on canvas
Dimensions
18.3 × 30.7 in (46 × 78 cm)
Signature
Signed in Russian with artist's monogram l.r.; Signed 'N. Roerich'
Lot
49 · Sa.Del/21.09.17
Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist, Indore Thence by descent Property of a Lady, India
1945
Public Auction HighPainting
Osian's · Masterpieces & Museum Quality Series VI: With Rare Drawings and Books on Indian Contemporary ArtNew Delhi · 01 March 2006

In 2006, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Untitled (Amid The Himalayas) (1945), offered in the Masterpieces & Museum Quality Series VI: With Rare Drawings and Books on Indian Contemporary Art by Osian's, which concluded on 01 March 2006 at New Delhi, achieving a sale price of ₹50,60,000 ($114,092). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.

Roerich, Nicholas (Artist). Untitled (Amid The Himalayas), c.1945 | Painting
Selling price
INR50,60,000
153% above high estimate
Estimate
INR 16,00,000 – 20,00,000
Rate per sq in
INR 11,257
Medium
Tempera on paper
Dimensions
18.5 × 24.3 in (47 × 62 cm)
Lot
39 · Os.Del/01.03.06
1996
Image 1/2
First Auction Appearance | BOOK.AUCPainting
Sotheby's · Modern and Contemporary Indian Paintings: One Hundred YearsLondon · 08 October 1996

On 08 October 1996, Nicholas Roerich made their debut in the Indian public auction market when A Kulu Belle was presented as Lot 23 in Modern and Contemporary Indian Paintings: One Hundred Years, conducted by Sotheby's in London, UK. This auction marked the artist's first recorded appearance in the public auction market, establishing the earliest chapter of their auction history.

Roerich, Nicholas (Artist). A Kulu Belle, n.d. | Painting
Selling price
INR4,72,940
6% above high estimate
Estimate
INR 3,33,840 – 4,45,120
Medium
Tempera on board
Lot
23 · So.Lon/08.10.96
2009
Featured on Auction Catalogue Cover | Os.Mum/21.03.09Auction Catalogue
Osians · Indian Modern & Contemporary Art & CraftLondon · 21 March 2009

In 2009, an artwork by Nicholas Roerich was featured on the cover of Osians: Indian Modern & Contemporary Art & Craft (March 2009, London), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Osians (Auction House) and Neville Tuli (Curator). Indian Modern & Contemporary Art & Craft. 21 March 2009 | Auction Catalogue
Lots offered
74
Lots sold
43 · 58%
Pages
179
Lot
Os.Mum/21.03.09
2010
Featured on Auction Catalogue Cover | B&H.Del/30.11.10Auction Catalogue
Bid & Hammer · Significant Indian PaintingsNew York · 30 November 2010

In 2010, an artwork by Nicholas Roerich was featured on the cover of Bid & Hammer: Significant Indian Paintings (November 2010, New York), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Bid & Hammer (Auction House). Significant Indian Paintings. 30 November 2010 | Auction Catalogue
Lots offered
60
Lots sold
TBC
Pages
172
Lot
B&H.Del/30.11.10
2018
Featured on Auction Catalogue Cover | Os.Mum/26.10.18Auction Catalogue
Osians · Indian Modern Contemporary Fine ArtsLondon · 26 October 2018

In 2018, an artwork by Nicholas Roerich was featured on the cover of Osians: Indian Modern Contemporary Fine Arts (October 2018, London), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Osians (Auction House) and Neville Tuli (Curator). Indian Modern Contemporary Fine Arts. 26 October 2018 | Auction Catalogue
Lots offered
63
Lots sold
30 · 48%
Lot
Os.Mum/26.10.18

Economics of Art

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Research Centre

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Calendar 1

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