Mona museum’s $100m underground library Phrontisterion opens in Hobart
Consensus Summary
Hobart’s Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) opened its $100 million underground library, Phrontisterion, in June 2026 after a decade of planning and four years of construction. The library houses 30,000 books from founder David Walsh’s collection, including a $6m–$8m Shakespeare First Folio, Bowie’s handwritten lyrics, and documents by Einstein and Newton. Unlike traditional libraries, Phrontisterion rejects the Dewey Decimal system, using an app called The O to track books placed anywhere on the shelves. The space blends art and literature, featuring installations by Anselm Kiefer and Joshua Yeldham, and includes a kids’ section and study areas. Walsh, a lifelong library enthusiast, tied the project to his childhood in Hobart’s Glenorchy Library and his gambling fortune, which funded Mona. Both sources highlight the library’s innovative design and Walsh’s personal touches, though details like specific book collections and emotional context vary slightly.
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Key details reported by multiple sources:
- The library, named Phrontisterion, contains 30,000 books from David Walsh’s private collection.
- The Shakespeare First Folio (1623) is the most valuable book in the collection, valued at $6m–$8m.
- The library’s construction cost over $100 million, exceeding the original $11m budget.
- The library is located beneath Mona’s Elektra amphitheatre and connected via tunnels, built around Matthew Barney’s *Rouge Battery* (2014).
- The library uses a custom app (The O) by Art Processors to track books without traditional Dewey Decimal categorization.
- David Walsh’s childhood love of libraries (e.g., Glenorchy Library) inspired the project, and he credits *The Theory of Gambling and Statistical Logic* (Richard Epstein) with shaping his gambling fortune.
- The library includes handwritten documents by David Bowie (e.g., *Starman* lyrics), Einstein, Newton, and Darwin.
- Books cannot be removed from the library; visitors can browse freely but must stay in the room.
- The name *Phrontisterion* comes from Aristophanes’ *The Clouds*, mocking the educated elite.
- Construction took four years, involving excavation of ~20,000 cubic meters of soil/rock (equivalent to eight Olympic pools).
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Walsh spent more on the library renovation ($100m+) than the original Mona build ($75m).
- The library includes a Picasso sketchbook and a digital duplicate of the First Folio with animated page-turning via The O app.
- Walsh owns 98% of Bowie’s favorite books, and the collection includes a Greek history textbook from his late brother Tim (died 1991).
- The library has no labels or library cards; books can be moved to any shelf, and cameras track their locations.
- Walsh mentioned spending more on books/maps than on art.
- The library features a kids’ section with books from his daughters’ collections and a ‘Lonely Planet’ set resembling thrift-store finds.
- Walsh described the original Mona as a ‘big hole in the ground’ filled with art, contrasting it with Phrontisterion’s community expectations.
- The library includes Anselm Kiefer’s *Elektra* amphitheatre, Julian Charrière’s *Breathe* installation, and Joshua Yeldham’s *Surrender Room*.
- Walsh’s blog post highlighted his childhood habit of attempting to take every book from Glenorchy Library at once.
- The library includes a first-edition *Lolita* (Nabokov) and signed editions by Umberto Eco, J.G. Ballard, and Hunter S. Thompson.
- Handwritten documents by Walt Whitman, Gustave Flaubert, Guglielmo Marconi, and Alexander Graham Bell are also displayed.
- The library has ‘live bays’ with moving neon lighting to highlight book relationships.
- An ‘ammonite vending machine’ (non-functional) is mentioned as part of the library’s quirky features.
- Mona lost $408 million since its opening (as of November 2025), but Walsh dismissed financial concerns for the library.
- The study room is designed for visitors to work or study, with no checkout policy.
- The library’s basement includes Joshua Yeldham’s artwork, and the space is described as cave-like for young readers.
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The Guardian states the original Mona budget was $75m, while ABC does not specify the original budget but notes the new wing cost ‘just north of $100m’—no direct contradiction, but Guardian’s $75m figure is unique to it.
- The Guardian mentions Walsh’s brother Tim died in 1991, but ABC does not reference this detail.
- The Guardian describes the library’s budget as ‘leapt from the original $11m to more than $100m,’ while ABC states the project took 10 years of planning but does not mention the $11m starting figure.
- The Guardian includes a Bowie shrine with LPs and colorful books, while ABC focuses on handwritten lyrics and documents without mentioning LPs or a shrine.
- The Guardian notes Walsh’s stress about community expectations, while ABC does not address his emotional state or pressure.
Source Articles
From a Shakespeare First Folio to Bowie’s handwriting: inside Mona’s new $100m library of 30,000 books
After 10 years of planning, four years of construction and a budget that blew out almost 10 times over, Phrontisterion is finally open in Hobart David Walsh is nervous. It’s the day before the public opening of his Hobart museum’s new library and wing, and he’s accidentally still here when the media arrive. Continue reading...
Shakespeare, Bowie, Einstein: Mona opens one-of-a-kind underground library
From Shakespeare's First Folio to neon-lit shelves to a curvy kids' section, Mona's new library, Phrontisterion, is anything but ordinary.