The painter's house

István Szőnyi is an outstanding figure of 20th century Hungarian painting. He lived and worked in Zebegény from 1924 until his death. It was here that his art came to full fruition, his painting inspired by the magical beauty of the landscape, the people of the village and the members of his family. His former house and studio have been a museum since 1967. The aim of the museum founders was to preserve and present as faithfully as possible the environment in which the works were created.

Zsuzsa Szőnyi, the heiress of the house in Zebegény, has lived in Italy since 1949 with her husband, Mátyás Triznya. In 1967, she was able to come home as an Italian citizen for her mother's funeral, and in her book Triznya's Tavern she wrote the story of the museum's foundation. Zsuzsa Szőnyi. 1999

Pál Pátzay, an old friend of the family, was asked to organise the preparations for the museum. The museum became a member institution of the Pest County Museum Network, but the Hungarian National Gallery's staff took care of the inventory of the works and the conservation of the damaged pieces. The first permanent exhibition was organised by art historian Irén Kisdéginé Kirimi. The opening ceremony took place on 18 August 1967. Since 2017, the museum has been maintained by the Municipality of Zebegény.

The permanent exhibition of the former Szőnyi family furniture and furnishings include a major painting from each of the Master's creative periods, providing a complete cross-section of István Szőnyi's oeuvre. Among the works on display are "The Garden Bench" "The Old Ferryman" "The Evening Train" and "The Village in Autumn".

In 2013, the Mátyás Triznya-Szőnyi Zsuzsa Triznya Memorial Room was opened, where paintings, photographs, personal objects and documents recall the rich life of the couple. The collection also includes some interesting works from the Bartóky family legacy, including a youthful drawing by Mihály Munkácsy of József Bartóky's mother, Jolán Szulimán, and works by Károly Lotz, Bertalan Székely and László Mednyánszky. Szőnyi's artist friends - Róbert Berény, Vilmos Aba Novák, Aurél Bernáth, Jenő Elekfy, Elemér Vass and many others - donated a number of works to the artist. The collection also includes a collection of works by Szőnyi's pupils, which were brought to the museum on the occasion of exhibitions of their works.