T
Tania Admin
I stumbled across an article this morning about the Mona Museum in Tasmania and it's Wall Of Vaginas. .
Seems pretty interesting. Have any of you been there?
It seems pretty quirky.
MONA is the creation of the Tasmanian-born millionaire David Walsh who made his money developing gambling systems. As such, it is a throwback to the good old days of robber barons, who tried to buy the public good will – and perhaps in some cases genuinely repent for their cut-throat, buccaneering business ways – by spending their fortunes on museums, galleries, libraries, universities, hospitals and other public institutions. Walsh’s museum lives off the profits of its winery, restaurants, brewery and hotel, as well as ticket sales (Tasmanians can get in for free; charging them per head would have been deeply unfair). I can only applaud someone who put his money where his mouth is and does not expect the government (i.e. the middle-income taxpayers) to subsidise his hobby.
For to do so, in this case, would be a double sin. Even some of the staunchest and driest right-wingers can recognise the need for a public subsidy to preserve the cultural heritage of our and other civilisations. There is a timeless and widely acknowledged beauty to ancient Greek sculptures, the Old Dutch Masters or the Inca jewellery. On the other hand, while beauty – and art – might indeed be in the eye of the beholder, I doubt that many people genuinely enthuse over most of the modern art exhibited at MONA, or that any of it will survive and still be viewed a century from now.
Source: https://www.spectator.com.au/2016/11/mona-oh-my/
Seems pretty interesting. Have any of you been there?
It seems pretty quirky.
MONA is the creation of the Tasmanian-born millionaire David Walsh who made his money developing gambling systems. As such, it is a throwback to the good old days of robber barons, who tried to buy the public good will – and perhaps in some cases genuinely repent for their cut-throat, buccaneering business ways – by spending their fortunes on museums, galleries, libraries, universities, hospitals and other public institutions. Walsh’s museum lives off the profits of its winery, restaurants, brewery and hotel, as well as ticket sales (Tasmanians can get in for free; charging them per head would have been deeply unfair). I can only applaud someone who put his money where his mouth is and does not expect the government (i.e. the middle-income taxpayers) to subsidise his hobby.
For to do so, in this case, would be a double sin. Even some of the staunchest and driest right-wingers can recognise the need for a public subsidy to preserve the cultural heritage of our and other civilisations. There is a timeless and widely acknowledged beauty to ancient Greek sculptures, the Old Dutch Masters or the Inca jewellery. On the other hand, while beauty – and art – might indeed be in the eye of the beholder, I doubt that many people genuinely enthuse over most of the modern art exhibited at MONA, or that any of it will survive and still be viewed a century from now.
Source: https://www.spectator.com.au/2016/11/mona-oh-my/