“Kiscell was my love”
Margit Egry Mrs Ferenc Tőkei, former director of the Kiscell Museum
MúzeumCafé 48.
When planning the series about museologists of previous decades, MúzeumCafé aims to look at institutes not covered in earlier interviews. Thus recently an approach was made to someone who retired from museum life many years ago, namely Margit Egry Mrs Ferenc Tőkei, who worked in the Kiscell Museum for decades in a variety of positions, from assistant museologist to director.
– How did you get involved with the arts?
When I went to university ELTE was new and undergoing structural reorganisation. Training for librarians, museologists and archivists began, all with new departments. I chose museology. I met my husband-to-be [the sinologist Tőkei Ferenc – ed.] at the start of my studies and I was in my fourth year when we got married. We were constantly moving, our children were born in succession and I had to work throughout, since in 1956 Feri was president of the revolutionary committee in the Hopp Ferenc Museum, at the time an affiliate of the Applied Arts Museum, and the surrounding neighbourhood was particularly significant during the revolution. He couldn’t get a job for seven years.
– When did you start at the Museum? Had you already had some work experience there?
Yes, and those years were spread out for a long time, since due to giving birth my state exam was postponed. At the time the municipal museum structure was taking shape. The Castle Museum was established in 1948. The Castle District was completely destroyed during the war and naturally the function of the palace changed, but at the time it wasn’t known what would become of it. As the director of the Castle Museum, László Gerevich headed the research and renovations. The Baroque building of the former Buda Castle Town Hall was reconstructed as a museum and became the medieval department of the Municipal Museum. Aquincum, the antiquities department, had been put to rights previously.
– What was the situation of the Kiscell at the time?
The Kiscell Museum building had formerly been a Carmelite monastic house and church, though the Carmelites later moved out, since the order was dissolved during the time of Joseph II. In 1910 Miksa Schmidt, a Viennese furniture manufacturer, purchased the building for use as a furniture display centre and in his will he left the building and the entire collection to the capital. It began to function as a museum in 1951 with a variety of objects, the only connection being that they were from Pest or Buda.
– How did the architectural collection start and then develop?
The ‘Beautification Commission’ assembled everything with great thoroughness, but unprocessed material had already come from the Town Hall. Architectural designs had to be agreed with the municipality, hence the Town Hall accumulated an incredible quantity of architectural plans. I convinced Vilmos Bertalan that these should be brought over. Plans for a Museum of Architecture were launched and were necessary, since the architectural collection of the Kiscell Museum could not be expanded so quickly, given that in the meantime there was a decision to re-establish a fine arts collection, after which the former Municipal Picture Gallery became the National Gallery. I was appointed director of the Kiscell. The architectural collection played a diminishing role, and the history and arts departments were separated.
– How did the ruined church become a contemporary arts exhibition space?
Speaking with the architects, I realised that if the church space was renovated the large 18th century altarpiece could be moved there. It then became possible to raise the northern wall and put a roof over the space.
– You were connected with Kiscell in every way. Why did you go over to the Hungarian National Gallery?
My husband became very ill and in the meantime I was invited to the Gallery. Éva Bodnár retired as head of the painting department. I replaced her for a couple of months. In the museum at the time everyone was enthralled with the 19th century.
– How did you make purchases? Were there artists with whom you developed a close contact?
I often visited studios and I frequented the Százados Road artists’ colony, on occasions calling in on two or three artists. I developed close contact with Tamás Vígh and with Tihamér Gyarmathy, whom I once phoned to ask if I could visit him. He lived in Damjanich Street and he said to me that, naturally, I could visit his studio at any time. I was working at the Gallery prior to my retirement, though there was one more period, since the municipality called me back.