MILAN STEINER: A CENTURY OLD SECRET OF THE HIDDEN GEM – Jewish Genie whose work survived Hitler

“The drawing does not speak, it simply FASCINATES” Miroslav Krleža (one of the greatest Croatian writers)

The collection

The hidden gem of Impressionist Art survived a whole Century. Found behind a tiny secret wall under the ruined staircases of a modest neighborhood (Petrinjska street) in Zagreb. The fact just opposite of the fragile life and mortality of its magnificent Jewish-born Author. A complete collection, his life work; survived a Century after his death: both great wars, Hitler’s tyranny where Jewish possesion simply oftenly vanished and long years of socialistic negligence. It survived miraculously as a whole, in one piece, untouched.

A hidden/found treasury is bound by three very similar, incredibly humble, quiet and withdrawn artsy personalities. Those analogous “wisemen” followed and keep from the oblivion the first one – a tragic magician of drawings. Mildly intense and very passionate, the author of a hidden gem was Milan Steiner. In barely four years his cruel Fate bestowed him to paint, a genius born painter has passionately created an incredible big collection of up to 160 works: drawings, sketches, gouaches, several oil paintings.

The guardians and admirers of this massive collection were complemented by the same artistic sensibilities, quite remarkable: first one was his adored brother: a talented, quiet and modest writer, translator and an intellectual par excellence. He met a third artist in a row in early 50ies; on his first big exhibition, and they stayed close alongside. The third man is amongst the biggest of Croatian contemporary art’s world, a famous painter and Master of drawings, whose drawings western critic even recognize as Leonardo da Vinci’s heir.

Three artists in a row are great genius of painting Milan Steiner, Ivo Steiner his brother and Josip Vanista, a famous painter who brought Avanguard’s arts to the Balkans.

France and Paris are their intellectual foundation as well. The first one brought the spirit of impressionism to the small environment of Croatia, then beyond the bounderies of Europe’s cultural events. The second one was literally powered up by French culture. The third one was awarded by Order of the French legion of honor for a long career inspired by the spirit of Marcel Proust, Andre Gide and Jean Paul Sartre.

They say the great work far outlives its authors. In this dramatic case if passionate guardians of fire are keeping looking after – especially. At this point, they kept it as a whole a collection for entire Century after author’s 24-year-short tragic life. Under any circumstances they did not want to let it away neither to use it in any way.

Ivo, Milan’s older brother was a “Spiritus movens” of a painter Josip Vanista. He taught him a value of European and French culture and in some ways set up him and identified as a writer and sealed his personality. They both patiently held the century-old fire of the impressionistic creation of the late Milan Steiner, Ivo’s brother.

After Milan Steiner’s tragic death in 1918 a collection was put in a safe place, concealed and carefully kept up to 1985 from his brother Ivo’s hands. After Ivo’s death it has been forwarded to be kept as a real relic and memory until 2018, until the death of his last keeper – the painter Vanista. A gem was jealously guarded by assaults but also by oblivion. During World War II it has been hidden under the mentioned staircases defying the Jewish possible fate of his owner and his author.

Steiner’s Fate

In fact, the tragic sudden death of a young painter’s genius by the banal Spanish flu at dusk of the World War I hindered the possible continuation of the apparently anticipated brilliant painting impressionist career. Milan Steiner was born in provincial town Sisak at misfortuned time, far away from centers of culture. From the very beginning he defied his karma by showing more than fighting spirit of his fragile body. He suffered a dramatic fall from the nanny’s hands as well as a life with only one pulmonary wing from his very young age. This left lasting physical consequences: hunched over and dwarfed, he remained lonely and painfuly to fight against all of his “demons”. However, a wealthy father, merchant Hinko Steiner, and his mother Rosalia Deutsch had no choice but to let him go. They knew: thier son was absolutely special in several ways from the day one. They had no choice but to leave their son, a thuggish young man to rush into the world and leave his gift to the planet. Supernatural talent erased his physical disability. The “dwarf” became, it was immediately apparent, a painting “giant” soon. At his studio in Zagreb, the major city, he paired with the best young painters of the Era while studying at the College of Arts and Crafts. He even shared by chance his atelier with another genius: Sava Sumanovic. Sumanovic lived long enough to coax his legendary painting “Bathers” near the Sava River, but, unfortunately did not survive Hitler. Young and enthusiastic, during that dangerous War’s winter of 1917, two friends and collegues shared the same atelier but couldn’t see a bigger picture or imminent tragic deaths of both.

Sumanovic became posthumously (he was killed in the beginning of WWII) a most expensive Serbian painter of all time, but Steiner’s work survived as well, all alongside. It could have been quite easily destroyed at the ingle of the main squares in the age of Fascism, or to be taken away & stolen like millions of others.

Toulouse Lautrec of Croatian Impressionism

As if the “Scream” of both their favorite Norwegian painter Edward Munch followed their lives. Steiner, as a dwarf and hunchback, grew emotionally in the eyes of his rare painters friends, studying and later recounting, educating others about Egon Schile and Nietsche’s Zarathustra. He was the intellectual vertical of the artistic elite, we can say Toulouse Lautrec of “Croatian Impressionism”. He hungrily absorbed everything he could achieve about Art, Literature, Poetry. Many “quick” sketches and self-portraits in pen point to his already restless dialogue with himself and his doubts.

By following his lively impulsive hand we can observe the landscapes and motifs of his environment: Zagreb of that time, Sisak his native town, the Kupa River, promenades where he spent his time. We can spot even Parisian fashion of the Era, women taking offslowely black socks of the time; we perceive outlines and morphologies of different portraits, characters in motion. Nudes are his favorite, Circus’ scenes and hidden boudoirs so popular back then. He sketched the masterpiece portrait of Ljubo Babić, his menthor and teacher, one of the greatest Croatian painters who would later become Vaništa’s raw model as well. Theater topics and scenes, furthermore, were another fascination of a style: ballerinas, sketches of impresarios and directors. The crucifixion of Christ as an usual painter’s topic, but this time he was following a Calvary as a favorite theme of his respected mentor metioned above. Also we can disguise this scene as an ubiquitous symbol of sacrifice for the highest interests, for the benefit of humanity and a short sketch of his life.

Pen, shower, and charcoal are continued by red chalk as their most favorite tool. Rare oils and gouaches are most commonly found in blue-green valer. “Horizons” that, at some glittering moments, seem to believe in a beautiful, forthcoming future. Admittedly, the character of death is “smiling down” from several drawings, in various forms. That particular demon did not leave him, ever, even so young.

The Modern Gallery in Zagreb has housed several of his famous oils, including the famous “Rain”, whose design is also part of the Vanista Collection. Ivo Steiner, Milan’s brother, left his brother’s entire legacy to the painter Vanista after his death in 1985. Some of the oils from Steiner collection changed their owners, of which there are no precise written facts. However, in vast majority, the collection has been preserved overall. Along with an exclusive exibition at Art Salon Zagreb in 2019 after Vanista’s death; Steiner’s oeuvre has been featured as a part of Josip Vanista impressive collection on several occasions during a third guardian’s long career (1924 – 2018).

The value of rarity, the value of Era (Impressionism) & within the value of the entity as a whole – this could be attributed to this hundred-year-old hidden gem of 137 drawings, prints, gouaches and oils by Milan Steiner (1894 Sisak – 1918 Zagreb), which is a part of the Legacy of a painter Josip Vaništa. His two daughters, Eva and Ana, inherited the whole collection which is secured at “Vanista Foundation”, established at Silvije Hraste Law Office in Zagreb in 2019.