“My Dear Davey and Chester …”

These words, teeming with affection, symbolize the close relationships Indian artists forged with Massachusetts-based collectors Chester and Davida “Davey” Herwitz over the course of the couple’s long-standing engagement with modern Indian art and artists.​

The letters and photographs shared in this Phillips Library Gallery exhibition are a fraction of Chester and Davida’s personal archive, which they donated to PEM along with 1,275 works of art and their library of more than 6,000 books.

The artists’ words, which are detailed in transcriptions, demonstrate how they influenced the Herwitzes’ appreciation for Indian art and helped them develop a network of friendships and build their collection.

Credit: Overview from museum website