Israeli Artist
Born 1935 Subotica, Yugoslavia – Died 2012 Detroit, USA
Itzchak Tarkay is well-known as one of the central figures in the modern figurative movement. Particularly, Israeli painter and graphic artist depicted timeless world of mysterious elegant women on beautiful terraces. He took part in the individual and group shows all around the world.
Early Life
Itzchak Tarkay was born on the Yugoslav-Hungarian border in Subotica. War times brought sufferings to his family. When the artist turned 9, he and his family were sent by Nazis to the Mauthausen concentration camp. Allied forces freed them a year later.
Shortly soon, in 1949, the family moved to Israel. After the arrival, they were sent to the transit camp at Be’er Ya’akov. Following this, they lived in a kibbutz for several years. In 1951, Tarkay got a scholarship for the Bezalel Art Academy in Jerusalem. However, after one year because of the financial issues and the duty to serve in the Israeli army, the young artist abandoned his education.
After his service at the Israeli Army, Tarkay moved to Tel Aviv and applied to the Avni Institute of Art and Design, from which he graduated in 1956. Notably, his professor was Schwartzman, Moreover, his mentors were significant artists of the time including Moshe Mokady, Marcel Janco, Yehezkel Streichman and Avigdor Stematsky. The painter received his international recognition after participating in International Art Expo in New York City.
Over the years,
his unique artistic style had developed. Dream colorful world of women reminds of French Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, especially, works by Henri Matisse and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. The artist created portraits and landscapes in watercolor and acrylic. Tarkay’s expressive use of color and meandering silhouettes create the atmosphere of mystery. Furthermore, the paintings of the artist inspired other famous Israeli creators, such as Yaacov Agam and Yuval Wolfson.
Despite the fact
that Tarkay is famous and commercially successful artist, he is also pointed out in the legal history. He won the case Romm Art Creations Ltd. v. Simcha International Inc. In details, imitation of the work of Tarkay led to a charge of trade dress infringement. The plaintiffs published and distributed art works. In this action, they sought to terminate the manufacturing and selling of limited editions and fine art posters of an artist-competitor named Patricia Govezensky.
You can find a large selection of his artwork in Kings Gallery.
Kings Gallery is a leading fine art gallery established in Jerusalem in 1995 that strives to collect and sell the highest quality historic and contemporary Israeli and International art.
