The Visionary Art of Nicholas Roerich

The Visionary Art of Nicholas Roerich is a fully illustrated biography of mystic, artist, and explorer Nicholas Roerich.

This edition includes 88 colour plates showcasing the broad range of Roerich’s artistic talent, from breathtaking Himalayan landscapes to set and costume designs, most notably for Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring.

Through this work, Jacqueline Decter examines Roerich’s profound love for the folk traditions of Russia, India, and Tibet, alongside his spiritual quests across the Himalayan Mountains. His journeys were in pursuit of beauty and the lost paradise of Shambala.

Nicholas Roerich (1874–1947) was a Russian artist, writer, archaeologist, explorer, mystic, theosophist, and peacemaker, who left a remarkable legacy of nearly 7,000 visionary paintings and 30 books on the mystic East. Renowned for the Roerich Peace Pact—a remarkable treaty signed by President Roosevelt aimed at preserving cultural monuments during war—Roerich had a profound love for the traditions and legends of lost cities and paradise in Russia, India, and Tibet.

Alongside his family, Roerich embarked on numerous spiritual quests from the 1890s into the 1930s, traversing India, the Gobi Desert, the Altai and Kunlun Mountains, Mongolia, and Tibet. He crossed the Himalayan Mountains many times before settling in Kulu, India, in the shadows of the great mountain range. Through his global explorations and the immersive art he created, Roerich sought spiritual truths behind legends of paradise lost, including during his pilgrimages in search of Shambala.

Jacqueline Decter’s work reveals the mystical world of Nicholas Roerich in stunning full colour, inviting readers to witness his far-reaching vision and dedication to beauty across his inspiring life and artistic career. This new hardcover edition features Decter’s translations of many Russian texts into English. By celebrating Roerich as both a visionary artist and an explorer, this fully illustrated biography illuminates a man whose life and work significantly influenced the development of modern art and culture.