Ismail Khayat is an Iraqi Kurdish artist born in 1944. He has had a long career in art education and participation in exhibitions. Some of his key accomplishments include graduating from the Teachers institute in 1966, holding memberships in the Iraqi Artist Association and Syndicate. He has held over 33 solo exhibitions and participated in 65 group exhibitions across Iraq and internationally. His artwork is held in collections around the world. He has also designed covers for 40 Kurdish books and decorations for Kurdish theaters and children's nurseries.