Itzchak Tarkay (1935-2012) "Summer's Day," c.1992

Updated September 18, 2026

Itzchak Tarkay (Israeli, 1935-2012), Summer's Day, circa 1992. Large-format color serigraph on paper, hand-signed "Tarkay" at lower right and individually numbered 149/350 at lower left. Approximately 38 x 38 3/4 inches. The identification is strongly corroborated by documented impressions of Summer's Day catalogued as circa 1992, produced in an edition of 350 and measuring approximately 38 x 38 1/2 inches.<br><br>A particularly striking example of the sophisticated female café imagery for which Tarkay achieved international recognition, Summer's Day presents two elegantly composed women absorbed in quiet conversation within a richly layered interior. One figure, dressed in brilliant golden yellow, anchors the composition at left, while her companion's sweeping orange hat creates a dramatic counterpoint at center. Behind them, secondary figures, furniture and architectural forms dissolve into expansive passages of crimson, turquoise, violet, blue, charcoal and yellow. The foreground floral tablecloth introduces another field of exuberant pattern and color, giving the work an almost textile-like richness.<br><br>Tarkay's distinctive visual language is fully expressed here: gracefully simplified female figures, sinuous contour drawing, compressed perspective, overlapping planes and intensely saturated color. His work has frequently been associated with Post-Impressionist and modern figurative traditions, with the influence of Henri Matisse and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec particularly evident in his flattened color fields, elegant line and fascination with fashionable women in intimate social settings. The combination of these characteristics with the unusually substantial near-square format gives Summer's Day considerably greater wall presence than many of Tarkay's more modestly scaled graphic works.<br><br>Born in Subotica in 1935, Tarkay survived wartime internment with his family before immigrating to Israel in 1949. He subsequently pursued formal artistic studies in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, including study at the Bezalel Academy and the Avni Institute of Art and Design. His later career established him as an internationally recognizable Israeli painter and printmaker whose depictions of elegant women, café interiors and moments of quiet conversation became the defining subjects of his mature oeuvre.<br><br>The present work belongs squarely to that highly recognizable and commercially enduring body of imagery. Its appeal is enhanced by several factors sought by Tarkay collectors: the identified title Summer's Day, circa 1992 dating, substantial 38-inch scale, vibrant café composition, pencil signature, and relatively limited numbered edition of 350. <br><br>The sheet presents attractively with strong, vivid color and no major tears, losses or significant image damage apparent. The work is presently unframed, allowing the composition and margins to be viewed directly.

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