Keyt is regarded as Sri Lanka’s foremost modern artists, born in Ceylon in 1901 He came from a distinguished Burgher family of Dutch ancestry His works centre on Buddhist and Hindu iconography Being a poet too, he drew inspiration from historical prose such as the Buddhist Jataka His works also resemble the cubist works of Picasso, Braque and Matisse The distortion of the human figure is central focus He also explored Hindu mythology extensively and their influences His nudes have been encouraged by great Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda He has received an honorary Doctorate from The University of Peradeniya while turning down an offer for an Imperial title from the British Queen He also received the Kala Suri award from the President Keyt passed away in Colombo, Sri Lanka in 1993