Amanufacturer of leather goods, Chester Herwitz first came to India with his wife Davida on a business trip in '61. He bought a painting by M.F. Husain and was curious enough to meet the artist, who then introduced him to other Indian painters and sculptors. Thus began Herwitz's nearly 40 years of patronage that resulted in his celebrated collection of contemporary Indian art. According to art critic Yashodhara Dalmia: 'Herwitz had this long vision of Indian art, for he knew one day it would occupy a position of centrality. All his efforts for contemporary art and artists were motivated by this inner conviction. He felt that the vitality of Indian art was at gut-level, from the street as it were.'