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Michael Kmit Edit Profile

painters and graphics

Michael Kmit was a Ukrainian painter who spent twenty-five of his most productive years in Australia. He is notable for introducing a neo-Byzantine style of painting to Australia, and winning a number of major Australian art prizes including the Blake Prize (1952) and the Sulman Prize (in both 1957 and 1970). In 1969 the Australian artist and art critic James Gleeson described Kmit as “one of the most sumptuous colourists of our time”.

Career

Exhibitions:

1954 — Exhibited with the Sydney Group

1956 — 'Contemporary Australian Painting', Pacific Loan Exhibition, Art Gallery of NSW and on board the SS Orcades

1965 — Dominion Galleries, Darlinghurst Sydney

1965 — Australian Galleries, Melbourne

1968 — Solo exhibition, Von Bertouch Galleries, Newcastle

1979 — Solo exhibition, Niagara Lane Galleries, Melbourne (7–27 June 1979)

1974 — Group Show Official Opening of Phillip Bacon Galleries Queensland

1979 — Solo exhibition in Holdsworth Galleries Woollahra, Sydney

1980 — Solo Exhibition at the Fine Art Gallery, Western Australia

1980 — Blake Exhibition in Sydney

1982 — Solo exhibition, Von Bertouch Galleries, Newcastle (26 Feb – 14 Mar 1982)

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Education

Awards

  • Blake Prize for Religious Art (Second prize of 50 guineas), Austarlia

    in 1952 with "The Ascension"

  • Blake Prize for Religious Art, Australia

    in 1953 with "Evangelist John Mark"

  • Perth Prize for Contemporary Art, Australasia

    in 1954

  • Critics Prize for Contemporary Art, Australia

    in 1955

  • Darcy Morris Memorial Prize, Australia

    in 1956

  • Sulman Prize, Australia

    in 1957 with "The Voice of Silence"

  • Melrose Prize, Australia

    in 1957 with "Adelaide"

  • Sulman Prize, Australia

    in 1970 with "Philopena"