Mona’s $100m Phrontisterion opens in Hobart with Shakespeare folio and digital innovation
Owner David Walsh’s decade-long project features a 30,000-book collection, major contemporary art installations, and a radical departure from the Dewey Decimal system, relying instead on digital tracking to navigate a space designed to mock elitist expectations.
The Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) in Hobart has officially opened Phrontisterion, a new library and exhibition wing that represents a substantial shift in the institution’s scale and operational philosophy. Spearheaded by owner David Walsh, the project required ten years of planning and four years of construction, with a final budget exceeding $100 million. This figure marks a significant escalation from the initial estimate of $11 million, reflecting both the complexity of the build and the depth of the collection housed within.
The library’s holdings total 30,000 books, anchored by a Shakespeare First Folio acquired in 2023, which is valued between US$6 million and US$8 million. The collection also includes extensive David Bowie memorabilia, such as handwritten lyrics to 'Starman', a complete set of LPs, and 98% of the singer’s personal favourite books. Walsh notes that the investment in books and maps has surpassed his expenditure on art, and in this renovation alone, exceeded the cost of Mona’s original $75 million build.
Phrontisterion departs radically from traditional library conventions by operating without fixed classification systems or library cards. The traditional Dewey Decimal system has been removed, a decision library manager Mary Lijnzaad attributes to its Eurocentric and gender-biased subject headings, which she argues are heavily weighted towards Christianity and masculinity. Instead, the library utilises Mona’s app, The O, and a network of cameras to track item locations, allowing visitors to place books anywhere on the shelves while still locating them digitally.
The wing also serves as a gallery for major contemporary art installations, including Anselm Kiefer’s inverted concrete amphitheatre Elektra, Julian Charrière’s Breathe, Matthew Barney’s Rouge Battery, and Joshua Yeldham’s Surrender Room. To protect rare items while ensuring accessibility, Mona has commissioned Art Processors to create digital duplicates of 60 books, including a Picasso sketchbook, allowing visitors to interact with the pages virtually.
The name Phrontisterion is derived from Aristophanes’ comedy The Clouds, a work that mocks the educated upper class, reflecting the institution’s intent to make the space accessible to all. Walsh, who cites his early experiences with public libraries in Tasmania as foundational to his career, has designed the environment to remove the pressure of formal education, encouraging visitors to simply browse, read, or ignore the collection at their leisure.