“Peace, longed-for peace can only come through culture.” These words of the great artist and humanist Nikolai Roerich are in line with the new exhibition at the The People’s Museum of Tallinn, organized by the Estonian Roerich Society and the Estonian Roerich Pact and Peace Flag Committee. The exhibition “PAX per CULTURA. The Roerich Pact in Estonia. The evolution of views” highlights Estonia’s special role in the establishment of the idea of ​​”peace through culture”. The way views on the humanist ideas of the Roerich family have changed over time in Estonia reflects the complex history of the 20th century: from unconditional acceptance to a complete ban, then to rebirth.

Nikolai Roerich wrote in a letter sent from British India to the Estonian diplomat Karl Pusta in 1932: “Between the snowy peaks of the Himalayas, I again saw the historical sites of your brave country, which I had the pleasure of visiting so often. Your treatise on the European Union reminded me again how close we are in our peacefulness. … Really, shouldn’t the protective star also be displayed over the great cultural values ​​of your country?” The Peace Flag displayed at the exhibition symbolizes the Roerich Pact – the first international document that declared the priority of preserving cultural values ​​not only in wartime, but also in peacetime. The flag consecrated in Tartu St. John’s Church in 2021 is on display together with archival materials and rarities. Of particular interest are the facsimile copies of Nikolai Roerich’s paintings displayed at the exhibition, which Tallinn is seeing for the first time.

The curators of the exhibition are Eduard Kramp, Marat Almuhametov, Jelena Aleksandrova.

Museum: The People’s Museum of Tallinn

Address: Pikk 29a, Tallinn

Open: 01.07.2022 — 4.09.2022

Nikolai-Roerich. Chintamani. 1935-1936