William S. Schwartz

At the age of thirteen, he moved to the nearby city of Vilna to attend art school.

Four years later, he emigrated to the United States and eventually enrolled in the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

When Schwartz returned to painting, he distinguished himself with dreamy, symbolist works and abstractions that tended to bewilder viewers.

Greatly influenced by European surrealism, Schwartz painted strange biomorphic forms and apocalyptic scenes in many of his works.

He became a well-known figure in Chicago, mostly due to his memorable handlebar mustache and eccentric persona.