Jack Kilgour, artist and teacher, was born in Melbourne in 1900. He studied at the Sydney Art School where he met fellow art student Nancy Davidson.

The couple married in 1931 and travelled by sea to England. In London, Kilgour, with Sir William Dobell and Frederick H Coventry became the centre of a group of expatriate Australian artists. Jack and Nancy returned to Sydney in 1939 and Jack began teaching at East Sydney Technical College.

Jack died in Sydney in 1987 and through a bequest, established the Kilgour Prize of $50,000, awarded annually by Newcastle Art Gallery.