He studied in Budapest and at the Julian Academy in Paris, worked with Sándor Bihari and then returned to Paris. He moved to Holland in 1898, a time during which his art was influenced by Jozef Israels. On his return to Hungary, he painted in the artist colony of Szolnok and in Besztercebánya. After settling in Budapest, he strolled the villages on the outskirts of the city, looking for material for motifs and themes.
Bibliography: Vittorio Pica: Artisti contemporanei. Izsák Perlmutter, Emporium (Bergamo), 1913 február, 37/218, 82-101. o Lázár Béla: Perlmutter Izsák, (Az Ernst Múzeum Művész Könyvei, 3), Budapest, Ernst Múzeum, 1921. o Perlmutter Izsák, study by Gábor, Anna, exhibition cat., Budapest, Magyar Zsidó Múzeum és Levéltár, 2003.