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.
Private Fear
Painting
Green man in broad brimmed hat and black & white polka-dot dress with birds and multi-colored naked men in conical hats
1173
Liquitex acrylic on cotton canvas
Painting
AR1173
John Simpkins
Purchase
John Simpkins
1985
Dimensions
Title
Medium
Signature
Date
Verso, center
15 x 23 ¼ / “PRIVATE FEAR” / LIQUETEZ ACRYLIC ON / GESSO PRIMED COTTON CANVAS. / 1 COAT GRUMBACHER VARNISH / 550. BEGUN ON SEPTEMBER / 30, 1985. COMPLETED ON / OCTOBER 7, 1985. ALSO CREATED / WOODEN LINER. John Simpkins 1985
Painted
Object
23-1/4 in
15 in
John Simpkins: The Many Natured Oneness of Things
April 11 - May 17, 2026, di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art, Napa