Nicholas Roerich

Nicholas Roerich or Nikolai Konstantinovitch Rerikh (Николай Константинович Рерих) was a Russian painter, traveler, and esoteric writer (1874-1947).

As a painter, he is usually grouped with the Russian Symbolists. His best-known paintings (generally tempera on canvas or cardboard) feature old Russian churches, Himalayan landscapes, or religious scenes representing various Eastern religions. He also painted the backdrops for a number of operas, including the premier of Stravinsky's Sacre du printemps, as well as the interiors of several Russian churches. Museums of his artwork exist in New York City, Moscow, and Naggar (Himanchal Pradesh, India), among other places.

Between 1924 and 1928 Roerich led a U.S.-flagged expedition through various regions of Central Asia including Chinese Turkestan, Altai, Mongolia, and Tibet. During the 1930's he visited Manchuria at the behest of U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Henry Wallace, to whom he reportedly suggested adding the Great Seal of the United States (the eye-in-pyramid symbol) to the obverse of U.S. currency. Exposure of Wallace's "guru letters" to Roerich (so named for their customary salutation, "Dear Guru...") derailed Wallaces 1948 presidential bid.

Together with his wife Helena Roerich (Elena Ivanova Rerikh,