David Walsh in his own words: Why I spend money on the arts

A FASCINATING interview with Mona founder David Walsh reveals whuy he spends money on the arts.

THERE’S always an interest for me in why we make art.

Typically the contention is that it’s cultural, and a cultural phenomenon, but all cultures make art — or all individuals have a crack, whether it’s just drawing in the sand or doing a handprint on a wall in a cave 40,000 years ago.

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So, I want to know what art is; I want to know why people do it. And in disassembling the world of art I’m also trying to disassemble the world of myself. The art world is fragile, and so is my own.

If I could be responsible in some small way for a big engagement in the arts that can’t be a bad thing can it? It’s bloody great.

Mona creator David Walsh says it would be “cool” if a bunch of other rich people built similar art galleries around the world. Picture: MATHEW FARRELL

Everybody’s building a modern art gallery now. But states building art galleries is not the same as individuals building art galleries. It’s completely different. One is a political gesture and the other is just trying to show you’ve got a big dick.

You’ve heard the phrase come upstairs and see my etchings? Mona is very much come downstairs and see my etchings. But because I’m a talentless git I have to get a series of individuals to create something worth having, or worth presenting, or worth indulging.

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I’m less concerned about pushing boundaries than the push to the centre. For me the fear is not pushing the boundaries, it’s reinhabiting the centre.

The museum is at the moment not profitable but it is not – and I say this with some certainty – is not an act of philanthropy.

If I could build this thing and entertain a few hundred thousand people a year and do something for the local economy (which admittedly I didn’t intend, but is a desirable side effect) that would be great.

But what would be a damn sight greater would be to have other richer, more avaricious folks than me say: “Oh he did that with his money and he created a bit of a reputation and also he made some bucks.”

Then these f...ing things would be built all over the world, and that’d be damn cool.