Itzchak Tarkay
(Israeli, 1935 - 2012)
“My work comes from the love to paint. That's the love that runs in my blood and is the center of my life.”
— Itzchak Tarkay
Itzchak Tarkay was born in Subotica on the Yugoslav-Hungarian border in 1935. At 9 years old, Nazis sent him and his family to the Mathausen Concentration Camp where they remained for a year, until the Allied liberation freed them. The family emigrated to Israel in 1949 and lived at the Beer Yaakov transit camp. In 1951, Tarkay received a scholarship to the Avni Art Academy where he studied under artist Schwartzman, among other Israeli artists Janko, Stematsky, Mokady, and Streichman.
Financial difficulties and his service in the Israeli army forced him to put his education on hold in 1952. After his service was complete, he moved to Tel Aviv where he enrolled at the Avni Institute of Art and graduated in 1956. At that point, he had grown quite popular and held exhibitions both in Israel and abroad. Most notably, he held an exhibition at the International Art Expo in New York City from 1986-87.
Tarkay’s subjects mostly consist of bright, colorful women in cafés, or patio-like settings. The pieces always exude a happy environment. His watercolors, drawings, paintings, and limited editions have reached 100,000 collectors worldwide over his career and posthumously. His style clearly bears his Israeli roots, but influences of Matisse, Braque, and Vlaminck are also evident.
People all over the world cherish Tarkay’s paintings. The bright spirit in them is unmistakably his work. While some artists create art to make a statement of some kind, Tarkay painted because he loved creating art. Because of this, his paintings are timeless, not simply about a certain event or point in time. The art world appreciates his classic style.
American Fine Art, Inc. is proud to feature the original works and limited editions of Itzchak Tarkay. Visit our 12,000 sq. ft. showroom in Scottsdale, Arizona or call today. Our website is offered only as a limited place to browse or refresh your memory and is not a reflection of our current inventory. To learn more about collecting, pricing, value, or any other art information, please contact one of our International Art Consultants. We look forward to giving you the one on one attention you deserve when building your fine art collection. We hope you find our website helpful and look forward to seeing you in Scottsdale soon.