Avi Schwartz was born in Bucharest, Romania, and immigrated to Israel at age of 10. Early on, his artistic talent was clear to his art-collector father, who encouraged Schwartz to study and develop it further. However, in the Avni Art Institute he became disillusioned by the push for modern and abstract art which resulted in a nearly decade long distancing from painting.

Schwartz ultimately returned to art after befriending and studying under those more aligned with the Paris School and more influenced by artists such as Cezanne. His works are often reflections of his own memories of the Middle Eastern markets of his youth and the almost magical ambiance he felt in them.