Michał Leszczyński, (aka, Michael Lester), started his artistic career mainly as a maritime and landscape artist. Becoming one of the first master mariners in the newly formed Republic of Poland in the 1920s-1930s, he practiced his trade internationally on various shipping vessels. Domestically, he worked as a port pilot in the state-of-the-art harbor-city of Gdynia on Poland's Baltic coast. During his earlier years as a sailor, he traveled the globe on many different ships, endearing himself to his crewmen by offering to draw their portraits or by selling landscapes of visited ports and localities. He achieved some early success with his paintings and drawings, establishing his own gallery in Warsaw and selling his artworks in Paris, Brussels, London, and other European cities. However, in 1939 when World War II erupted and Poland fell to the forces of both the German and Russian invasions, Lester found himself abroad in Belgium, without a country and his gallery and artwork in Warsaw destroyed. Unable to return to Poland, he made his way to Britain where he offered his services as a sea captain in the wartime Polish Mercantile Fleet in Exile. Post-WWII, he became a British citizen, and served in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Never able to set down his drawing utensil or brush, his wartime seaborne experiences are captured in his many works on paper from this era and contained particularly within this collection. Post-war Britain and Poland offered job opportunities, but lacked the artistic inspiration of which he was in constant search. Plying his trade on a bauxite ore transport ship between Mobile, Alabama and Montego Bay, Jamaica, he eventually decided to emigrate to Jamaica in the early 1950s, abandoning his life at sea, and establishing himself as a full-time artist. He continued his drafting, but a dramatic change occurred in his paintings. He described this time as “…a personal renaissance,” which is evident in his color palate, bold lines, unique subject matters, and observant compositions. This collection of his most precious works on paper is revealed for the first time to the public. Spanning his career from the 1930s to 1970s, the underlying genius of Lester’s enduring artistic talent is evident throughout.