Fur Alma By Miklos Steinberg Work May 2026

For decades, the "Fur Alma" by Miklos Steinberg work was considered lost. Steinberg, who fled the Nazis to Switzerland in 1939 and eventually settled in New York, faded into obscurity after his death in 1960. His works were scattered, often mistaken for Soutine or dismissed as derivative.

The rediscovery occurred in 2003 during an estate clean-out in Budapest. A family clearing their grandmother’s attic found a rolled canvas behind a wardrobe. Covered in dust and mildew, the painting was nearly thrown away. Fortunately, a local antique dealer recognized the distinctive handling of the fur. After a five-year restoration by the Szépművészeti Múzeum, the signature "M. Steinberg / 1927" emerged from the grime, along with the faint, handwritten title on the verso: "Fur Alma."

The restoration revealed that the background was not originally brown, but a deep, oceanic blue that had oxidized. This discovery changed the painting’s mood entirely, suggesting Alma was not in a void, but drowning in a night sea of memory. fur alma by miklos steinberg work

If you are searching for an authentic Fur Alma by Miklos Steinberg work, look for these four hallmarks:

The most likely intended work is “Fur el Alma” (often meaning “For the Soul” in Spanish, though mixing German “Fur”) or a misspelling of “Fur Alina” – but Miklós Steinberg (Hungarian-born composer, 1920–1982) is known for serious concert works, not short pedagogical pieces. For decades, the "Fur Alma" by Miklos Steinberg

Actually, the famous short piano piece “Für Alina” is by Arvo Pärt (Estonian, 1976) — not Steinberg.
Thus, you may have confused two composers.

To stand before the original "Fur Alma" by Miklos Steinberg work (currently held in a private collection in Vienna, though a charcoal study resides at the Hungarian National Gallery) is to experience vertigo. Measuring approximately 81 x 65 cm (32 x 26 inches), it is an oil on canvas that vibrates with restrained chaos. You can find his catalog via Editio Musica

If you need to cite a real Steinberg work, these exist and are citable:

You can find his catalog via Editio Musica Budapest (EMB) or Hungarian Music Information Centre.

For the serious collector, locating a Fur Alma by Miklos Steinberg work is the equivalent of finding a Fabergé egg at a flea market. Fakes abound, primarily from Eastern Europe, which use cheap mink and laser-cut wood.

Miklos Steinberg employed a technique known as impasto nervoso (nervous impasto). Unlike the smooth blending of the academies, Steinberg left every stroke visible. The "Fur Alma" by Miklos Steinberg work shows evidence of reworking: the artist painted and scraped away her chin three times. The resulting surface has the topography of a battlefield. This tactile roughness makes the fur feel real enough to touch, yet the face remains disturbingly smooth—a classic Steinberg juxtaposition between external armor and internal vulnerability.