http://www.geocities.com/stephenvincent/nkrchrono.htmA general chronology of Nicholas K. Roerich
compiled by Stephen V. O'Rourke1850- Konstantin F. Roerich, Nicholas Roerich's father is born in Russia.
1855- Maria Vasilievna, Roerich's mother is born.
1874- Nicholas K. Roerich is born in St. Petersburg on September 27 (later altered to October 9 when Russia changes its calender in 1918).
1893- Roerich graduates from Karlvonmay and enrolls at the Imperial Academy of Arts. There he befriends Sergei Diaghilev and Vladimir Stasov.
1897- His first major painting, 'The Messenger, It has risen against the tribe', is critically acclaimed. It was to be the first in a series on the founding of Russia. Roerich graduates from the Academy and sets out on an artistic career path.
1900- Roerich writes essay 'On the Route from the Varangians to the Greeks'. Works at Pskov, Novgorod and Tuersk for Russian Archeological Expedition. Meets Helena Ivanovn Shaposhnikova. His father Konstantin dies in July. Roerich travels to Paris to study art.
1901- Roerich marries Helena on October 28. He is hired as Secretary for the Encouragement of Arts by the Imperial Academy.
1902- The Reorichs first son , George Yuri, is born. Building The Town
1903- Roerich participates in Mir Iskusstva exhibition with the painting, 'Building The Ships'. Travels with Helena through Russia studying ancient architecture; he paints churches, kremlins and crosses.
1904-The Roerichs second son Svetoslav Roerich is born. Roerich is commissioned to design iconastes, nurals and mosaics for churches. Several of Roerich's architecural works are displayed at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis. For many years afterward these works are in limbo due to a complex web of legal and illegal actions by the expos sponsor. They end up at the Oakland Art Museum, unbkownst to Roerich, and are finally returned to Russia in 1974.
1905- Roerich writes a fairy tale based on an Indian legend entitled 'Devassari Abuntu.
1906- Roerich is promoted from secretary to Director, his family moves into living quarters in the Society.
1907- Designs stage sets in the Russian Theater's presentation of Nikolaevich Evereinov's 'The Three Magi', as well as Wagner's 'Die Walkure'.
1908-Roerich is commissioned by the Opera Comique in Paris to design sets for Rimsky-Korsakov's 'Snegurochka' (The Snow Maiden). Diaghilev begins his Russian Seasons in Paris performing music by Glinka, Rimsky-Korsakov, Borodin and Mussorgsky.
1909-Diaghilev debuts 'Ballet Russe' in Paris with Anna Pavlova, Waslaw Nijinsky, Serge Lifar & George ballanchine and many Russian artists including Roerich (he works on the sets for Rimsky's 'Pskovitianka' [renamed 'Ivan Grozny']).
1911-Roerich designs sets for Lope deVega's 'Fuente Ovejuna' which was performed ar the Starinng Theater.
1912-Roerich designs sets and costumes for Wagner's 'Tristan and Isolde and sets for Ibsen's 'Peer Gynt'.
1913-Roerich designs sets and costumes for Maeterlink's 'Princess Maleine'. Cry of the Serpent, The Last Angel, Sword of Valour paintings which foreshadowed the impending world conflicts. 'Le Sacre du Printemps' (The Rite of Spring) debuts in Paris (5/29/13 at the Theatre des Champs Elysees). A historic collaboration between Diaghilev, Stravinsky, Nijinsky and Roerich.
1914-'The Doomed City' and a series of paintings (Conflagration, Crowns, Human Deeds and The Herald ) are critically hailed as masterpieces. The writer maxim Gorky dubs Roerich, "The Great Intuitionalist". Roerich participates in an exhibition and auction to benefit a military hospital and donates much personal money and artifacts to help victims of the great war.
1915-Roerich leads a campaign to save cultural landmarks from destruction during war; his 'Enemy of Mankind' poster is distributed to army camps and military zones. Roerich proposes an international agreement to the high command of the Russian army, the U.S. and French governments and to the Czar Nicholas II to preserve cultural landmarks by use of a special identification flag to be flown over them.
1916-The Roerichs become Theosophists. Helena Roerich begins translating Blavatsy's 'Secret Doctrine' into Russian. Nicholas Roerich compiles a volume of poetry, 'The Flowers of Morya'. a large book on his art is published in Russia. Ill from phuemonia Roerich and family move to Sortavala, Finland on Lake Lagoda.
1917-The Roerichs leave Russia for good after several meetings in which Nicholas Roerich attempted to reconcile his duty at the Society with the new Communist government.
1918-Roerich tours Scandanavia with his paintings and eventually settles in London. In London he works with Diaghilev (on Prince Igor) and with Sir Thomas Beecham (set designs).
1920-An exhibition of Roerich's work is held in London as his popularity in the art and Theosophical worlds grows. The Roerichs arrive in New York on October 3 to promote an exhibition at the Kingore Gallery (directed by Robert Harshe). A 28 city tour follows. The Roerichs found the Agni Yoga Society in New York.
1922-The Corona Mundi arts center is established and opens (7/11/22) with several of Roerich's recent works:Ocean , New Mexico , and the Arizona series. George Roerich studies linguistics in London and enrolls at the School of Oriental Languages at Sorbonne in Paris.
1923-Svetoslav Roerich attends Columbia University in New York and the Harvard. George Roerich completes his degree; receives his Masters in Indian Philology from Harvard.
Nicholas Roerich's popularity continues to rise; he secures funding for an Asiastic Expedition to begin in late 1923. Funding also begins for a Roerich Museum. Louis Horch begins his association with Roerich, acting as chief financier for the museum, which is established (in its' original incarnation) on November 17 in a wing of the Corona Mundi Center.
The Roerich Museum (i.e. Louis Horch) agree to fund the Central Asian Roerich Expedition through the purchasing of "all artistic results of the Expedition". Roerich gives Horch power of attorney over all his financial affairs, a move he will come to regret dearly.
1924-Sancta series is displayed (3/24/24). Roerich Museum construction is overseen by Harvey W. Corbett who envisions a 24 story structure to house both the Master Institute and Corona Mundi. Nicholas Roerich begins a series of paintings in Sikkim, India; Treasure of the World , Chintamani , Burning of Darkness , Drops of Life . Roerich returns briefly to New York in the autumn.
In Berlin Roerich meets with a Russian diplomat in an attempt to obtain a visa to enter Altai-Himalaya (which is Soviet controlled territory). Roerich returns to India in preparation for the expedition after visiting Egypt and Ceylon with Lithuanian theosophist Vladimir Shibayev.
Visions of the Roerich Museum in New York now expand to turn the structure into an artistic colony complete with lecture halls, concert halls, a small opera and drama theater. The museum is also to house a Tibetan library to house the 333 volume Kanjur-Tanjur, the holy scripture of Tibet. Several of the floors are to be allocated for scholarly and cultural organizations, with the remaining floors reserved as residential apartments for artists and students. The building is to be capped by a stupa, (a Buddhist memorial shrine, but this idea was discarded in favor of added five more floors.
Banners of the East series of paintings, 19 spiritual teachers , from Jesus to the 'Mother of the World'
1925-The Central Asian Expedition resumes. At Srinagar Roerich hears of legends of Christ's life after the crucifixion, in Kashmir as a teacher. On route to Ladakh ("little Tibet") they are attacked by bandits, seven men on the expedition are wounded. The expedition visits ancient monasteries and forts. Helena Roerich experiences strange electrical phenomena in their tent at 11,000 ft. above sea level. Maitreya series. The Expedition is held by Chinese officials at the village of Khotan.
1926-The Expedition is put under house arrest by the Chinese. After surrendering their firearms they are eventually released. On April 11, they arrive in Urumchi, on June 13 they meet Sina and Maurice Lichtmann in Moscow, on August 26 they arrive in Altai-Himalaya. Roerich verifies the existence of rare manuscript on Christ at the Hemis Monastery. On Dec. 21 The New York Times reports that the Nicholas Roerich expedition is missing "somewhere in Russia or Central Asia" in a dispatch from Moscow.
1927-The Lichtmann's return to New York and declare the Roerich Expedition to be safe and sound and travelling through Western Mongolia. Lichtmann tells of Roerich's acceptance by the Mongolian people and leaders and Professor Roerich's gift of the painting The Great Rider to the government's President. Lichtmann also reports that the expedition was proceeding to the Gobi desert.
On September 20 the Expedition reaches Tibet after encampments in the Gobi and Sharagol. The Expedition was held captive by Tibet/Chinese officials on the Chantang plateau- the coldest spot in Asia.
1928-The Expedition is finally allowed to leave in March, but is then denied entry into Lhasa. Back in New York services are held for the Roerichs at the church of St. Marks -in-the Bowerie, owing to the uncertainty of the part's fate.
The Expedition sends a message to the Museum fom northern India and arrives in Darjeeling on May 26. Roerich speaks in Calcutta on May 31.
The NY Times carries an article on the skyscraper planned as the Roerich Museum in it's July 13th edition.
The Roerichs visit Kulu Valley in India and purchase a new home as well as a plot of land tobe the site of the Urusvati Research Center.
1929-Nicholas Roerich is nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by the University of Paris. The Cornerstone for the Museum is laid on March 24 amid much celebration and speeches from dignitaries from around the world.
The NY Times carries a front page piece on Roerich speaking of U.S. President Herbert Hoover and his travels through Asia in it's May 9th edition.
Nicholas Roerich arrives back in New York City much to the approval of the waiting press. Time magazine give Roerich a humorous write up and the NY Times covers him with a series of articles over the course of the rest of the year. Roerich himself writes a feature for the New York Times magazine in September.
Roerich gives a lecture on the 'Cult of Shambhala' and the explains the cults belief that humanity will change through the mastery of "psychic energy over cosmic energy" (6/19/29) Mayor Walker honors Roerich at a special reception at City Hall on June 20, 1929. The Nicholas Roerich Museum officially opens on October 17, 1929, one week before the Great Stock Market Crash.
1930-Banner For Peace Committees are formed in Paris, New York and Bruges as the concept for the Roerich Pact developes. The Roerich Museum publishes several books, including the original edition of 'Shambhala: In Search of the New Era' which chronicles the Central Asian Expedtion.
1931-The Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor is bestowed upon Nicholas Roerich by the French Government at the the conclusion of a Roerich Pact Conference in Belgium on September 15.
1932-First lady-elect Eleanor Roosevelt gives a lecture at the Roerich Museum lecture hall. Star of the Morning , Gompa , St. Francis paintings completed
1933-Tibet , Castle of Ladakh , Glory of the Hero , Lotus paintings completed
1934-Nicholas and George Roerich are hired by the U.S. Government's Agriculture Department chief Henry Wallace to search for drought resistant grasses in the Gobi desert.
At Roerich's suggestion the Great Pyramid seal of the United States is added to the U.S. dollar bill.
1935-The Roerich Pact is signed in Washington, D.C. on April 15 by Henry Wallace and other foreign heads of state. Roosevelt declares that the pact "possesses a spiritual sgnificance far greater than the text itself."
Rumours in the U.S. press abound that Roerich has been arrested by the Japanese, accused of being a Russian spy. Lichtmann terms the reports as "sheer nonsense" in a NY Times article on 6/24/35.
In July Louis Horch severs his ties with Roerich by closing down the Museum and putting much of Roerich's artwork in storage. The I.R.S. conducts an audit on the Museum and declares Roerich guilty of tax evasion and fraud.
1936-The Roerichs and the Lichtmanns file suit to restrain Horch from taking control of the Museum on February 11. From Beyond , Armageddon , Island of Rest , Arjuna
Maude Meagher, a Roerich Museum visitor, writes a letter to the NY Times complaining on the poor condition of the Roerich Museum facilities and her hope that it will be restored to it's former state. (9/12/36)
1938-The I.R.S. charges against Roerich are upheld tarnishing his reputation in the U.S.
Horch closes the Museum on May 13th and announces that it will re-open as the Riverside Museum on June 4th.
1940-Louis Horch is declared legal proprietor of the Roerich Museum after winning a decision in the suit brought by Lichtmann and Roerich. Roerich declares Horch "a real American gangster".
1941-Vasilisa , Yuroslav the wise , Alexander Nevsky paintings
The U.S. Supreme Court refuses to hear Roerich's income tax case (3/10/41).
Svetoslav Roerich exhibits paintings in Philadelphia and New York in May.
1942-Jawarhala Nehru and his daughter Indira visit Helena and Nicholas Roerich in Kulu Valley.
The Last Angel , Prince Igor's Campaign paintings
1945-Svetoslav Roerich marries Indian actress D. Rani on August 23.
The Committee of the Pact & Banner reconvenes in New York in December.
1947- The Hidden Treasure , The Master's Command paintings completed
Roerich undergoes surgery for a heart ailment.
Nicholas K. Roerich dies on December 13 in Kulu Valley.
1948-Helena and George Roerich move to Kalimpong; Svetoslav and his wife move to Bangalore.
1955- Helena Roerich dies in Kalimpong.
Officials of the Master Institute aquire a five story brownstone and re-open the Nicholas Roerich Museum in New York City. Sina Fosdick is the museum's director.
1957-George Roerich helps to rebuild the Institute of Oriental Studies in Moscow.
1960-George Roerich dies of a heart attack on May 21 in Moscow.
1989-Writer and researcher Jacqueline Decter publishes a comprehensive Roerich biography, with reproductions of many of Nicholas Roerich paintings in full color.
1993-Svetoslav Roerich dies in Russia after helping establish the Roerich Cultural Center in Moscow. Other Roerich Centers proliferate in pos-communist Russia.
1996-The Nicholas Roerich Museum brings Roerichs artwork to cyber-space with the establishment of an interactive website. Many of Roerichs paintings can be viewed in digital quality.
1998- The US cable tv channel, The History Channel, airs a documentary on Shambhala and features interviews with Robert Thurman and Jaqueline Decter about the Roerich Expedition.
2004- Ruth Drayer publishes a detailed account of the Roerich family in the book Wayfarers.
This page copyright 2006 Stephen Vincent O'Rourke