David Dominic Walsh (born 1961) is an Australian professional gambler, art collector and businessman. He is the owner of the

Museum of Old and New Art 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 the Southern Hemisphere. MONA houses ancient, mode ...

(MONA) and

Moorilla Estate Moorilla Estate is a winery located in the suburb of Berriedale, 12 km north of the city centre of Hobart, in Tasmania. Establishment It was established in 1958 by Italian-Australian former textile merchant Claudio Alcorso. Moorilla Est ...

Background

Walsh grew up in a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

family in the Glenorchy district of

Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, the youngest of three children. He attended

Dominic College Dominic College is a Roman Catholic, co-educational, day school, located in Glenorchy, a suburb of , Tasmania, Australia. Dominic College caters for students from Kindergarten to Grade 10. History The college owes its religious foundation to ...

, and the

University of Tasmania The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public research university, primarily located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1890, it is Australia's fourth oldest university. Christ College, one of the university's residential colleges, first pro ...

, where he briefly studied mathematics and computer science in 1979. Walsh made his fortune by developing a gambling system used to bet on horse racing and other sports. Walsh describes himself as a "rabid atheist". He has been married twice, the second time in March 2014, to artist

Kirsha Kaechele Kirsha Kaechele (born 1976) is an American contemporary art curator, artist, and practitioner of sustainable building design. She is founder of KKProjects, Life is Art Foundation. Early life Kaechele was born in Topanga Canyon, California, and rais ...

. He has three children from different relationships. In 2001, he founded the ''Moorilla Museum of Antiquities'' on the Berriedale peninsula in Hobart, which closed in 2007 to undergo $75 million renovations. It was re-opened in January 2011 as the

or MONA. MONA won the 2012 Australian Tourism Award for best new development and is a major Tasmanian tourist attraction. In 2009, Walsh and his syndicate reportedly won $16–17 million over the

Melbourne Cup Carnival The Spring Racing Carnival is the name of an Australian Thoroughbred horse racing series held annually in Melbourne during October and November. The Carnival and its status in the wider community Although racing in Australia is held every day excep ...

. In July 2012, Walsh was involved in a dispute with the

Australian Tax Office The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is an Australian statutory agency and the principal revenue collection body for the Australian Government. The ATO has responsibility for administering the Australian federal taxation system, superannuati ...

, which demanded he pay $37 million from the profits of his gambling system. In October 2014 Walsh's book ''A Bone of Fact'' was published. The publisher described it as Walsh's "utterly unconventional and absorbing memoir". On 20 July 2015 Walsh's partner Kirsha Kaechele gave birth to their child Sunday Walsh. In the

2016 Australia Day Honours The 2016 Australia Day Honours were announced on 26 January 2016 by the Governor General of Australia, Sir Peter Cosgrove. The Australia Day Honours are the first of the two major annual honours lists, announced on Australia Day (26 January), wit ...

, Walsh was made an

Officer of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

(AO) for 'distinguished service to the visual arts through the establishment of MONA, and as a supporter of cultural, charitable, sporting and education groups.'

References

External links

Hobart's infamous son
The Age. {{DEFAULTSORT:Walsh, David 1961 births Living people Australian art collectors Australian gamblers People from Hobart Former Roman Catholics Australian atheists Museum founders Australian memoirists University of Tasmania alumni Officers of the Order of Australia