In 2022 a significant collection of Michał Antoni Leszczyński's artwork (aka, Michael Lester) was purchased from the caretakers and heirs of his estate. Featuring 32 works on oil and over 600 works on paper, ephemera, publications, personal notes and diaries, this estate collection reflects his life’s accomplishments. Pieces from early as 1937 to up until his death in 1972, exhibit his artistic evolution. Earlier works feature still lifes and primarily focus on maritime compositions. Lester was well-educated in his Polish homeland and excelled in both art and sailing; he was an experienced and highly regarded master mariner and illustrator in the inter-war period in Poland and in both wartime and post-war Britain. His eventual immigration to Jamaica in the early 1950s had a dramatic effect on his style and composition. Ever astute, he quickly discovered a market for his works as Jamaica's north coast became a hot spot for world-class tourism. Establishing a gallery in Montego Bay, run by his wife Peggy, patrons of his work included the local de Lisser family, Reynolds family members (of Reynold's Aluminum), Lee and Stanisław Radziwiłł (sister and brother-in-law of Jackie Kennedy), and many other celebrities, musicians, and socialites of the time. He achieved something that few artists ever accomplish; the financial independence of selling his own work and living from his passion. Lester was highly prolific, hundreds (perhaps thousands) of artworks were produced in the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s. Some of his greatest works were commissioned and shipped overseas to adoring collectors all over the world. Others to this day still adorn the lobbies and halls of Jamaica’s public buildings, resorts, homes, and restaurants. Some of his largest works were created on a rolling commission to Half Moon resort in Montego Bay, where to this day many of these masterworks reside. This collection, featured in its digital form, can be considered his personal favorites which decorated his home in Belmont, Jamaica. The collection consistently reflects his vision and artistic eye to the world around him, inviting the viewer to into his intrepid life. Please enjoy this digital version of the collection. More to come as the digitization and preservation of his legacy continues.

In the mid-1960s, Michael Lester was commissioned to create large murals for the dining room and lobby of the Half Moon Resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica. In addition, many other watercolors and oils on hardboard were featured in guestrooms and suites, made available for purchase for discerning guests. The murals are considered his magnum opus and are treasured by guests and dignitaries alike. Becoming part of the fabric of Half Moon, Lester's artwork and legacy is featured throughout the property. In addition to his mural size oils, the largest collection of his work in one location is on continued-evolving display for the enjoyment of all visitors. Here in digital form, one can find both the exquisite Half Moon collection and the Leszczyński Estate collection in one place. Within the coming years, both collections will be combined to cement the legacy of Lester as a master painter and promote Half Moon as the preeminent sponsor of his artistic inheritance.

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.