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 Estate, Moorilla winery on the Berriedale, Tasmania, Berriedale peninsula in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. It is the largest privately funded museum in the South ...

(MONA) and Moorilla Estate.

Background

Walsh grew up in a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

family in the Glenorchy district of

Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, the youngest of three children. He attended Dominic College, 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 (University of Tasmania), Christ College, one of the unive ...

, 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. He has three children from different relationships, including one with Kaechele. 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. 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, superannuatio ...

, 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". In the 2016 Australia Day Honours, Walsh was made an

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

(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