Klári Tolnay Memorial House

The Tolnay Klári Memorial House is a commemorative and exhibition venue in Nógrád County, Mohora, preserving and presenting the memory of Tolnay Klári, a prominent actress of the 20th century. Its founder is the industrial artist István Balla, and its operator is the civil organization Tolnay Klári Cultural and Artistic Association.

Tolnay Klári spent her childhood in Mohora and also completed elementary school there. “The people hardly heard of a theater in Mohora. Occasionally a traveling circus or a stunt show set up its tent. Nothing else.” – she later recalled her childhood.

Description

The creator of the collection presenting Tolnay Klári’s oeuvre is the leather‑industrial artist István Balla. The theater‑loving artist came close to Tolnay Klári through an exhibition, after which he visited her in the dressing room to ask her to open his upcoming exhibition. The actress gladly complied. “She then agreed to open a second exhibition of mine, and I stood at the reception that followed and asked her to give me a personal souvenir of her choosing. I was not thinking of something of great value, but of something that truly meant a lot to her. We went to her apartment and began sorting. She showed all kinds of things—pictures, decorative objects—but none really appealed. Then, with an exclamation ‘Look, this will do?’, she pressed the first pair of baby shoes from the infant’s first steps into my hand. In fact, this tiny shoe with its tiny beads, bone buttons, silk‑velvet, kid‑skin gave the whole memorial house its starting point. When a person receives such a value from someone, it already obliges certain things.” This baby shoe inspired István Balla to honor the actress on her upcoming 80th birthday with a retrospective exhibition.

The Tolnay collection started as a travelling exhibition and from 1994 to 1999 practically toured the country. The collection found a home not far from Tolnay Klári’s former family manor in Mohora. Here the house was bought by István Balla, who founded the Tolnay Klári Memorial House. The museum was inaugurated in 2000 by President of the Republic Ferenc Mádl. István Balla and his family have been preserving the memory of the unforgettable queen of the stage ever since.

The exhibition revives Tolnay Rozália/Klári’s life path with a multitude of contemporary photographs, numerous utilitarian objects evoking the atmosphere of the theatre, a career that started “from below” and reached the highest peaks. Among the personal items are the Tolnay family’s more than 140‑year‑old piano, or Tolnay Klári’s dressing table from the comedy theatre; among the photographs are portraits of colleagues – the great Hungarian actors of the 20th century. The hugely successful, now historically significant roles – such as Tennessee Williams *A Streetcar Named Desire* (Blanche), Gergely Csiky *The Grandmother* (Countess Szerémy), Ibsen *A Doll’s House* (Nora) – are recalled by a series of photographs and original costumes.

The memorial house is also the venue for cultural events. A commemoration is held each year on the artist’s birthday, and the Tolnay Klári Award ceremony is also organized here annually.