On a trip to LA in the early 90s, David Walsh (of MONA infamy), who was already a collector, went to Rodeo Drive in search of an ancient stone corn-grinder from Costa Rica. He left with an array of shiny coins; artefacts from Egypt, Italy, Afghanistan, and Greece. Although he probably had some idea of their eventual worth, perhaps he wouldn’t have guessed that 25 years later they would help finance a new wing at his infamous museum, MONA. But here he is, and here we are, writing about the completion of MONA’s latest expansion, Pharos.

This new addition features major new works (notably four iconic James Turrell pieces) and a brand-new, immaculately pastel interior-ed restaurant, ‘Faro Tapas’, with panoramic views over the Derwent River. Turrell’s spectacular light works are what the crowds will come for, but with pieces like Richard Wilson’s ‘20:50’ (which David acquired from Charles Saatchi in 2015) and Randy Polumbo’s shiny, sensory explosion,‘Grotto’, the Pharos wing takes MONA’s already impressive WOW-factor to new heights.

Find out more about Pharos at mona.net.au

Thanks to one of our in-the-know readers for tipping us off about this one! If you’ve got the scoop, let us know!