MYKHAILO KMIT
1910–1981
Mykhailo Kmit
Painter. Born July 25, 1910 in Stryi, Halychyna, Ukraine; died May 22, 1981 in Sydney, Australia. Studied at the Oleksa Novakivsky Art School in Lviv and at the Cracow Art Academy (1932-39). Taught in Poland and at the Lviv College of Art and Industry (1942-44) before leaving for Austria.
Emigrated to Australia in 1949 as a contract labourer. He was befriended by the Sydney Group of Artists and soon gained recognition for his work. His first solo exhibit was held at the Macquarie Galleries in 1951. He won a number of prestigious awards including first prize in the Blake Competition in 1954 for his oil St. Mark the Evangelist, the Perth Prize (1954), the Critic’s Prize for Contemporary Art (1955), the Darcy Morris Memorial Prize (1956), the Sulman Prize (1957, 1970), and the Melrose Prize (1967). An attempt to establish himself as a painter in the United States (1958-65) did not succeed, and he returned to Australia. Kmit had 27 solo exhibits in Australia.
Selected Collections: National Gallery of Victoria, Sydney; Art Gallery of New South Wales; Australian National Gallery, Canberra; Art Gallery of Western Australia; Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery; University of Queensland Gallery.