Svetoslav Roerich

In this name that follows East Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Nikolayevich and the family name is Roerich.

Svetoslav Roerich
Святослав Рерих
Roerich in 1945
Born(1904-10-23)23 October 1904
Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire
Died30 January 1993(1993-01-30) (aged 88)
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Resting placeBengaluru, Karnataka, India
Citizenship
  • Russian (1904–1917)
  • Stateless (1917–1960)
  • Indian (1960–1993)
Education
Spouse
​
(m. 1945⁠–⁠1993)​
Parents
RelativesGeorge de Roerich (brother)
Signature

Svetoslav Nikolayevich Roerichα (Russian: Святослав Николаевич Рерих; 1904–1993) was a Russian born, Russian-Indian painter.

Early life and education

Roerich was born on the 23 October 1904 in Saint Petersburg to Helena Roerich and Nicholas Roerich.[1][2]

Roerich studied from a young age under his father's tutelage.[2] Between 1918–1920, Roerich studied in England.[3] In 1920, Roerich entered Columbia University and studied architecture.[3][4] Roerich graduated from Harvard University's School of Architecture.[3]

Biography

He won the Grand Prix of the Sesquicentennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1926. He lived for many years in India where Jawaharlal Nehru awarded him the International Award and the Padma Bhushan. His paintings of Nehru and Indira Gandhi, adorn the historic Central Parliament Hall in New Delhi. He was married in 1945 to an Indian movie star Devika Rani, who was once married to producer Himanshu Rai and known as "The First Lady of the Indian Screen". Roerich was born a citizen of the Russian Empire, but became stateless after the Bolshevik Revolution. Resident in India since the 1930s, Roerich became an Indian citizen on 21 March 1960.[5] Roerich died in 1993 at the age of 88 and is buried in Bangalore, India.[6]

He was named an Honorary Academician of the Art Academy of the USSR, and was an honorary member of the Bulgarian Academy of Art.

He had a large plantation on the outskirts of Bangalore, called Tataguni, on Kanakpura road. He and Devika Rani lived here; after their respective deaths. In August 2011, the Government of Karnataka acquired the estate after the Supreme Court of India passed the verdict in favour of them.

Roerich family's residence in Manali, India, is now home for a gallery of paintings. It is managed by the International Roerich Trust and has been named Roerich Heritage Museum. The gallery was founded by Svetoslav Roerich in 1962.[7]

Work

Roerich mainly painted landscapes and portraits.[8] His paintings were first exhibited in India in 1936–1937.[9]

His portrait of Indira Gandhi was unveiled in the Central Hall of the Parliament of India.[10]

European art historians have considered his paintings to be influenced by expressionism.

Honours and awards

Family tree

Main article: Tagore family § Family tree

See also

Notes

^α Also anglicised as Svyatoslav Rerikh

References

  1. ^ "Rerikh, S. N. (Svi︠a︡toslav Nikolaevich)". Library of Congress Name Authority File. Washington, D.C.: The Library of Congress. 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  2. ^ a b Skumin, V. A.; Aunovsky, O. K. (1995). Светоносцы (о семье Рерихов) [The Bringers of the Light (The story of the Roerich family).] (in Russian). Novocheboksarsk: TEROS. ISBN 5-88167-004-3. Archived from the original on 24 August 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  3. ^ a b c Singh, Kuldip (3 February 1993). "Obituary: Svetoslav Roerich". The Independent. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  4. ^ "Svetoslav Roerich (1904-1993): Portrait of Nicholas Roerich in a Tibetan Robe". Christie's. London: Christie's. 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  5. ^ "Why a celebrated Russian artist chose to become an Indian citizen". scroll.in. 16 September 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  6. ^ "SVETOSLAV NIKOLAEVICH ROERICH (RUSSIAN-INDIAN 1904–1993)". shapiroauctions.com.
  7. ^ International Centre of the Roerichs
  8. ^ "Untitled Document". www.roerich.kar.nic.in.
  9. ^ "The Sunday Tribune – Spectrum". www.tribuneindia.com.
  10. ^ "Rajya Sabha". rajyasabha.nic.in.
  11. ^ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
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