Ben Schwarz was born in Czechoslovakia. He was two and a half years old, when his family immigrated to Israel where he grew up in a Kibbutz. In 1975, he received his bachelor’s degree in Architecture and Urban Planning from the Technion, the Institute of Technology of Israel. He practiced architectural design for several years, designing numerous buildings in Israel. As a hobby, he started painting in watercolors in 1985 while living in Detroit, Michigan and his artwork was later exhibited in Birmingham and West Bloomfield, Michigan in 1986 and 1987.

In 1992, he received a Ph.D. in Architecture from The University of Michigan with an emphasis on Environmental Gerontology. Following his graduation, he moved with his family to Columbia, Missouri, and taught for 25 years at the Department of Architectural Studies at the University of Missouri. During these years, Dr. Schwarz expanded his artistic works beyond watercolors and had three exhibitions in Columbia, Missouri in 1994, 1999, and 2005. He retired in 2018 as a Professor Emeritus. He lives with his wife, Rachel in Columbia, Missouri. Together they have three adult children, 7 grandchildren, and two dogs Leonardo and Mona-Lisa.