Roerich Museum

This fascinating little musuem is dedicated to the artistic works and philosophical ideals of Nicholas Roerich and his family. Born in Russian in 1874, Roerich was an artist and scholar, who developed a fascination for Eastern culture and philosophy. He undertook numerous expeditions to Central Asia, Tibet, India, Manchuria and Mongolia during the 1920s and 1930s. During these forays he produced an incredible volume of canvasses depicting the Himalayas and steppes in vivid smokey colors, and exploring his fascination with myth, legend and mystical religious figures.

Interestingly, Roerich's views on the preservation of culture during wartime became the basis for the 1954 Hague Convention, which is still enforced today. The musuem houses an extensive collection of his paintings and drawings as well as photgraphs, journals, maps and models outlining Roerich's various expeditions to the East. This charming, albeit rather obscure, museum is always quiet and delicately scented by incense sticks and is definitely worth a quick peek while you're visiting the nearby Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts.