Museum of Old and New Art
Encyclopedia
The Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) is an art museum located within the Moorilla
winery on the Berriedale peninsula
in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. It is the largest privately funded museum in Australia. The museum presents antiquities, modern and contemporary art from the David Walsh
collection. The museum opened on Friday 21 January 2011 having been described as "macabre and ungodly". Operational costs of A$
8 million per annum are underpinned by the winery, brewery, restaurant and hotel on the same site. In May 2011, it was announced that the museum would end its policy of free entry and introduce an entry fee to interstate and overseas visitors while remaining free for Tasmanians.
and built by Hansen Yuncken
, is a three level structure built into the cliffs around the Berriedale peninsula.
MONA was officially opened on 21 January 2011, coinciding with the third MONA FOMA
festival. The afternoon opening party was attended by 1,350 invited guests. 2,500 members of the public were selected by random ballot for the evening event which included performances by True Live
, The Scientists of Modern Music
, Wire
, Health
and The Cruel Sea
.
's Snake, displayed publicly for the first time in Australia. Wim Delvoye
's Cloaca Professional, a machine which turns food into excrement, Stephen Shanabrook
's "on the road to heaven the highway to hell", remnants from suicide bomber cast in dark chocolate, and Chris Ofili
's The Holy Virgin Mary
. The curators of MONA are Nicole Durling for Australian contemporary art and Olivier Varenne for international modern and contemporary art.
Moorilla Estate
Moorilla is a winery located in the suburb of Berriedale, 12 km north of the city centre of Hobart, Tasmania. It was established in 1958 by Italian-Australian former textile merchant Claudio Alcorso....
winery on the Berriedale peninsula
Berriedale, Tasmania
Berriedale is a suburb in the northern suburbs of Hobart, capital of Tasmania, Australia. It is in the local government area of City of Glenorchy. The suburb is situated between the suburbs of Chigwell and Rosetta. There are no educational institutions within Berriedale, however there are primary...
in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. It is the largest privately funded museum in Australia. The museum presents antiquities, modern and contemporary art from the David Walsh
David Walsh (art collector)
David Walsh is a Tasmanian millionaire, entrepreneur and owner of a large private art collection.Walsh grew up in the Glenorchy district of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, the youngest of three children....
collection. The museum opened on Friday 21 January 2011 having been described as "macabre and ungodly". Operational costs of A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
8 million per annum are underpinned by the winery, brewery, restaurant and hotel on the same site. In May 2011, it was announced that the museum would end its policy of free entry and introduce an entry fee to interstate and overseas visitors while remaining free for Tasmanians.
History
The precursor to MONA, the Moorilla Museum of Antiquities, was founded in 2001 by Tasmanian millionaire David Walsh. It closed in 2007 to undergo $75 million renovations. The new museum, designed by Melbourne architect Nonda KatsalidisNonda Katsalidis
Nonda Katsalidis is an Australian architect.He is currently a practicing director of architecture firm Fender Katsalidis Architects in partnership with Karl Fender.-Life:Katsalidis migrated to Melbourne, Australia as a 5 year old...
and built by Hansen Yuncken
Hansen Yuncken
Hansen Yuncken is a national Australian construction company, founded in 1918. The company claims to have completed over 4500 projects, and has managed the construction of several Australian landmark buildings including Myer Emporium in Melbourne, the new terminal at Adelaide Airport and the...
, is a three level structure built into the cliffs around the Berriedale peninsula.
MONA was officially opened on 21 January 2011, coinciding with the third MONA FOMA
Mona foma
MONA FOMA is an annual festival based in Hobart, Tasmania, curated by Brian Ritchie bass player from the rock band Violent Femmes. It is billed as Tasmania's largest contemporary music festival and showcases the work of artists in a broad range of art forms, including sound, noise, dance, theatre,...
festival. The afternoon opening party was attended by 1,350 invited guests. 2,500 members of the public were selected by random ballot for the evening event which included performances by True Live
True Live
True Live is an Australian jazz rap band formed in Melbourne, Australia. They had chart success with "TV" reaching #76 on the ARIA Single Chart and The Shape Of It reaching #85 on the ARIA Albums Chart...
, The Scientists of Modern Music
The Scientists of Modern Music
The Scientists of Modern Music are an electro-synth group from Hobart, Australia, consisting of Cal Young and Simon McIntosh.-History:In 2004, Cal Young & Simon McIntosh started wagging audio design classes together, in order to jam on a very old drum kit and an un-tunable guitar just for kicks...
, Wire
Wire (band)
Wire are an English rock band, formed in London in October 1976 by Colin Newman , Graham Lewis , Bruce Gilbert , and Robert Gotobed...
, Health
HEALTH (band)
Health is an American noise rock band from Los Angeles, California. The band's 2007 release with Crystal Castles charted at position nine in the UK indie singles chart.- History :...
and The Cruel Sea
The Cruel Sea (band)
The Cruel Sea are an Australian indie rock band from Sydney formed in late 1987. Originally an instrumental-only band, they became more popular when fronted by vocalist Tex Perkins in addition to Jim Elliott on drums, Ken Gormly on bass guitar, Dan Rumour on guitar and James Cruickshank on guitar...
.
Exhibits
The museum houses over 400 artistic works from David Walsh's private collection. Notable works in its inaugural exhibition, Monanism, include Sidney NolanSidney Nolan
Sir Sidney Robert Nolan OM, AC was one of Australia's best-known painters and printmakers.-Early life:Nolan was born in Carlton, a suburb of Melbourne, on 22 April 1917. He was the eldest of four children. His family later moved to St Kilda. Nolan attended the Brighton Road State School and...
's Snake, displayed publicly for the first time in Australia. Wim Delvoye
Wim Delvoye
Wim Delvoye is a Belgian neo-conceptual artist known for his inventive and often shocking projects. Much of his work is focused on the body. He repeatedly links the attractive with the repulsive, creating work that holds within it inherent contradictions- one does not know whether to stare, be...
's Cloaca Professional, a machine which turns food into excrement, Stephen Shanabrook
Stephen Shanabrook
Stephen J Shanabrook is an American conceptual artist, who lives and works in New York City and Moscow, Russia.He graduated from Syracuse University, The Skowhegan School of Art program, USA and de Ateliers, The Netherlands....
's "on the road to heaven the highway to hell", remnants from suicide bomber cast in dark chocolate, and Chris Ofili
Chris Ofili
Chris Ofili is a Turner Prize winning British painter best known for artworks referencing aspects of his Nigerian heritage, particularly his incorporation of elephant dung. He was one of the Young British Artists, and is now based in Trinidad.-Early life:Ofilli was born in Manchester. He had a...
's The Holy Virgin Mary
The Holy Virgin Mary
The Holy Virgin Mary is a painting created by Chris Ofili in 1996. It was one of the works included in the Sensation exhibition in London, Berlin and New York in 1997–2000...
. The curators of MONA are Nicole Durling for Australian contemporary art and Olivier Varenne for international modern and contemporary art.