Tarkay was born in Yugoslavia in 1935 and studied at the Bezalel Art Academy in Jerusalem. He is one of the most successful Israeli artists abroad. He painted figures prolifically and, in particular, feminine figures. Through the lines, shapes and colored surfaces of his pictures, Tarkay creates the mood of his painting. The woman in his paintings is not a specific personality but rather a depiction of feminineness. Tenderness, attentiveness and occasionally, sadness and pain are the emotions conveyed through Tarkay paintings.