Lawrence is a naturalized American who grew up in Czechoslovakia. After receiving a doctor of international law degree and master’s degree in journalism ,he held various positions inside the Czechoslovak diplomatic and intelligence services. After the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union in August 1968, he refused to accept the authority of the new regime in occupied Prague, escaped to Germany and asked American representatives for political asylum. For this decision the communist military court sentenced him to death in absentia.

In the United States he devoted most of his energy to academic work at Boston University. He is the author of numerous books on international communication, disinformation and propaganda which have been published in the US, Germany, Switzerland, Indonesia, Spain, Portugal, Canada and, after 1990, also in the Czech Republic.
Gradually he became interested in visual art and since September 1996 when he left Boston University as Professor Emeritus, he has devoted all his time to painting. Using watercolor as the major vehicle, his pictures evolved from purely representational to realistic phantasy and semi-abstract visions.

Among the major artistic influences on Bittman’s work are a Czech artist Josef Lada and the Austrian painter Fritz Hundertwasser. With their colorful vitality, Prague, Gloucester and Rockport are the major sources of his artistic interest and inspiration. Brigid Alverson of North Shore Town Online said : "When he turns to Rockport, his home over 30 years, his paintings come alive with fish and fishermen, with light dancing on water, with boats bumping into one another in colorful profusion. It’s clear from his work that Bittman’s heart is in Cape Ann."


Lawrence Martin-Bittman is a permanent member of the Local Colors Gallery in Gloucester, Massachusetts.