Mimi Kilgore

Emilie deMun "Mimi" Smith Kilgore (November 13, 1935 – November 24, 2022) was an American arts patron and heiress. She was the co-founder of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.

Early life and education Emilie deMun Smith was born November 13, 1935, in Houston, Texas. She was one of three children. Her father C. Cabanne Smith was a banker and veteran of World War II (Third Army). Her mother Lucy (Thompson) Smith was an arts patron.

She grew up in the neighborhood of River Oaks. She attended The Kinkaid School and then went on to Smith College, graduating magna cum laude in 1957 after studying in France for a year.

In the summer of 1970, Kilgore met the painter Willem de Kooning at a party. She became his muse and lover. A few weeks after meeting, they went on a public tour of houses in the Hamptons. While they were at one house, Kilgore found a frog that was run over and flattened by a car tire. The shape of the frog reminded her of one of de Kooning’s paintings, so she gave it to de Kooning as a gift.

Boards Kilgore served on the boards of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and the Contemporary Arts Museum. She was on the board of Guild Hall, in East Hampton, New York. She was the commissioner of the Municipal Arts Committee of the city of Houston.

Personal life In 1958, Kilgore married William S. Gilbreath III. Together they had a son. They divorced in 1963. In 1965, she married John E. Kilgore Jr. Together they had a son. They divorced in 1985.