Nicholas Roerich is known first and foremost as a Russian-born artist. His paintings, of which there are thousands around the world, explore the mythic origins, the natural beauty, and the spiritual strivings of humanity and of the world. The Museum displays approximately two hundred of these works, and keeps them permanently on display, for visitors who come from around the world. Indeed, for many of these visitors, the Museum is a destination of great importance; the paintings speak to them of their own inner yearnings and possible fulfillment. For them, Roerich's paintings are a kind of teaching--about spiritual development, about culture and its role in human life, and about opportunities for the achievement of peace in a fractious world
