di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art maintains a permanent collection of works by Northern California artists that was originally collected by Rene di Rosa (1919-2010) and Veronica di Rosa (1934–1991). The collection contains notable works by artists living or working in the San Francisco Bay Area from mid-twentieth century to the early twenty-first century, highlighting a story of experimentation of the artists of the region. It is displayed in part, on a rotating basis, in the galleries at di Rosa.
This page represents a just a portion of di Rosa’s rich permanent collection. Stay tuned as we continue to populate this page with artworks from our collection.
di Rosa strives to be a resource for educators, students and lifelong learners. For research inquiries, please contact curatorial@dirosaart.org.
The Long Journey
Painting
Shrouded figure (artist) riding tiger with potted plant on purple ground
415
Enamel on canvas
Painting
AR415
Allan Frumkin Gallery
Purchase
Joan Brown
1981
Object
78 in
96 in
The Incorrect Museum - Ongoing
May 3, 2025 - Ongoing, di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art, Napa
The Incorrect Museum: Redux
May 13, 2022- 2023, di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art
The Incorrect Museum: Vignettes from the di Rosa Collection
April 17, 2021 - April 17, 2022, di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art, Napa
Based on a True Story: Highlights from the di Rosa Collection
October 26, 2016 - October 15, 2017, di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art, Napa
Altered States: The Collection in Context
October 31, 2009 - January 23, 2010, di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art, Napa
Curator
Brown had an abiding interest in Egyptian art, and her first trip to the country in 1977 proved pivotal in establishing her sustained interest in spiritual and symbolic subject matter. This autobiographical journey emerges here as an imaginary, dreamlike scene evoked through brightly rendered, simplistic forms.