21.06.2025

Exhibition “Himalayas through Artists’ Eyes” at the Folk Art Museum of the IRMT

On 21 June, the Folk Art Museum of the International Roerich Memorial Trust (IRMT), inaugurated an exhibition entitled 'Himalayas through Artists' Eyes'. The exhibition features paintings from the IRMT's collection of Modern Artt.

The exhibition space was prepared in November 2024 to display paintings from this collection. The artists' works held at the IRMT include paintings donated to the Trust since the early 1990s by artists who have held exhibitions, workshops or participated in plein airs at the Roerich estate. The tradition of donating their paintings has been maintained among artists to this day, and the IRMT's collection of contemporary art is constantly growing.

The exhibition currently features works by artists from India, Russia, Uzbekistan and the UK. India is represented by the following artists: Surjeet Singh, Sukh Das, Arvind Ranchan, Veena Harrison, Pradeep Ghosh, Sudarshan Kumar, Naveen Dhiman, N. Manoharan, Kavita Gautam, Anindita Kishore, Seeme Murtaza, Atmaram Koigade, Sadhna Sangar and Harsh Inder Lumba. Russia is represented in the exhibition by the works of Zinaida Vedeshina, Irina Tur and Alexander Goryachev. The exhibition also features paintings by Uzbek artist Asliddin Isaev and British artist Carol Fraser.

All the works are unified by a shared theme, reflecting the spiritual, cultural and natural landscape of the Himalayas. Each artist brought their own unique vision of the Himalayas to the collection, imbuing it with a diverse array of artistic accents. Some artists are attracted to the unique play of colour and shadow, and the rich Himalayan hues. Others are attracted to the simple life of the Himalayas, including the traditional buildings and people, and how they fit into the Himalayan landscape. However, behind all external manifestations, the spiritual world of the Himalayas shines. In the background of many paintings, the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas serve as a constant reminder of higher ideals, representing qualities of clarity and purity akin to the pristine snows of the Himalayan mountain ranges. Other paintings feature symbolic landscapes inspired by the nature of the Himalayas, imbued with higher energies and aspirations. The very spirit of the Himalayas is conveyed to the viewer. Just as the Himalayas became a source of inspiration for the great Russian artist Nicholas Roerich, uplifting and ennobling the soul, as well as a symbol of spiritual ascent and approach to the Light, so too did they inspire all the artists whose works are presented at the exhibition. Roerich wrote, 'Nowhere is there such sparkle or spiritual saturation as among these precious snows'. The works in the exhibition, which differ in style - ranging from realism to symbolism - and technique - from deliberately rough brushstrokes to meticulous attention to detail - seem to form the different facets of the magical crystal that is the Himalayas, sparkling and calling to the higher realms.