NICHOLAS ROERICH
The Eternal Search
A Celebration of The Artist’s 150th Anniversary
London | October - December 2024
NICHOLAS ROERICH
The Eternal Search
A Celebration of The Artist’s 150th Anniversary
CONTEXT
From his earliest years in Imperial Russia throughout his career in exile, Nicholas Roerich consistently exhibited a longing and search for universal truths. His lifelong dedication to this quest is clear in his numerous texts and prolific oeuvre, beginning with his theatrical works produced for the Ballets Russes spanning his extraordinary trips to Central and South Asia in the 1920s and 30s. A striking figure in 20th Century Art, this exhibition is a tribute to this unique Legacy
TIMING
Virtual Exhibition: October-December 2024
Virtual Editorial Feature: Evergreen Consignment deadline: September, 30th, with the opportunity to add consignments online during the run of the show
LOCATION
Online, works will be available for viewing by appointment in our offices in London and New York
SVETOSLAV ROERICH (1904-1993)
Portrait of Nicholas Roerich in a Tibetan Robe Christie’s New York, April 2009 Sold for $2.9 mln
Christie’s Sotheby’s Bonhams
The Heavenly Battle
White and Heavenly, from the series, His Country
Tibetan Lama
Christie’s London, November 2021 Sold for £231,250
Karakoram, from the Mountain Suite Christie’s New York, March 2024 Sold for $214,200
The Call of the Sun Christie’s London, August 2024 Sold privately for a record price
CHRISTIE’S SUCCESS WITH PRIVATE SALES
Private Sales at Christie’s have grown rapidly in size, value and depth in recent years, totalling $1.2 billion in 2022: our third highest year ever and a 52% increase on pre-pandemic levels in 2019. Selling Exhibitions are a core component of our Private Sales business.
THE GLOBAL REACH OF SELLING EXHIBITIONS
• Growth in Private Sales has been driven by clients from every region, and our international Selling Exhibition programming is designed to engage clients around the world.
• To optimise engagement with our global client base, we carefully plan the timing of our Selling Exhibitions around key moments in the international auction calendar.
• We have curated Selling Exhibitions across a wide and expanding range of collecting categories, demonstrating our clients’ increasing interest in transacting privately.
• Christie’s leads the way in curating exhibitions that shape the market. From single-artist shows to thematic, cross-category exhibitions, we have produced exceptional results for our consignors.
2023 YEAR-TO-DATE BY THE NUMBERS
50% 52% 26 of all Private Sales clients are also active across Christie’s auction sales successful Selling Exhibitions across fifteen locations
increase in new Private Sales clients from pre-pandemic levels
Dream Big Online, Summer 2022.
Robert Indiana: A Universal Language Online, October 2023.
Art of Literature London, Summer 2022.
Selfhood London, June 2023.
Tour de France Online, July 2023.
Earthly Paradise New York, July 2023.
GROWING PRIVATE SALES THROUGH DIGITAL INNOVATION
The success of our Selling Exhibitions is supported by our online platform. With 16.7 millions visits so far this year, Christie’s website facilitates global access to works available through Private Sales and Selling Exhibitions.
ONLINE PLATFORM & DIGITAL ANALYTICS
• All Selling Exhibitions are featured on christies.com, providing clients with the opportunity to explore available works online. The exhibition pages showcase each work with high-resolution images, comprehensive cataloguing information, and direct enquiry links.
• In addition, we have seen remarkable success with online-only Selling Exhibitions hosted exclusively on christies.com. Dream Big, our online-only Selling Exhibition series dedicated to monumental sculpture, is a testament to the dynamism of digital.
• Nearly 20% of works sold privately are discovered online and an increasing number of clients engage with our Selling Exhibition content. Our recent Earthly Paradise and Tour de France exhibitions both demonstrated the power of our online platform with top engagement and transactions from leading institutions and private clients as a direct result of our digital strategy.
• Private Sale works listed online are also included in Christie’s personalised emails, which deliver tailored recommendations to nearly 170,000 recipients each week based on their browsing activity or bidding history over the last 15 years. This ensures that all works offered are shared with the collectors most likely to acquire them.
2023 YEAR-TO-DATE BY THE NUMBERS
617 x2 239
million views in 2023 YTD countries and regions engaged with christies.com in the first half of 2023
higher clickthrough rate for our personalised recommendation email than the industry average
GLOBAL PROMOTIONAL STRATEGY
Marking the 150th Anniversary of Nicholas Roerich, the exhibition will coincide with events in London and New York surrounding the 2024 fall sale season. Asian Art Week will provide an optimal springboard for the fall season
Considered a national treasure in India, Nicholas Roerich has been attracting unprecedented interest from collectors with ties to South Asia
The timing of this exhibition captures this milestone anniversary and meets current market demands
Tailored marketing campaign featuring
• Dedicated Selling Exhibition web page and individual lot pages with high-resolution images and expertly researched catalogue entries on christies.com
• Bespoke global digital marketing strategy including targeted client emails, digital advertisements and comprehensive social media campaign across platforms such as Instagram and WeChat
• Carefully-crafted press engagement strategy
• One-to-one client promotion managed and executed by Christie’s global specialist and client advisory network
• Professionally produced editorial content with promotion across christies.com, Christie’s Magazine and social media platforms
Sanctuaries and Citadels
Christie’s London, June 2013 Sold for £481,875
YOUR CHRISTIE’S TEAM
Izabela Grocholski Vice President, Head of Department Russian Art
T +1 2126362302
M +1 7186876529 igrocholski@christies.com
Aleksandra Babenko Head of Department Russian Paintings, EMEA
T +44 20 7389 2489
M +44 7747 568460 ababenko@christies.com
