Ismail Khayat is an Iraqi Kurdish artist born in 1944 in Iraqi Kurdistan. He graduated from Teachers Institute in 1966 and has since had a prolific career exhibiting his artwork in over 33 solo exhibitions and 65 group exhibitions around the world. His paintings can be found in private and public collections internationally. Khayat also worked in education for over 20 years and has played a leading role in developing the arts, particularly for children, in the city of Sulaymania.