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.
Sept. '63
Painting
Gestural abstraction on terra cotta ground with 'face' lower left
1381
Oil on Canvas
Painting
AR1381
Frank Hamilton
Gift
Credit Line: Gift of Frank Hamilton
Hassel Smith
1963
Signature
Date
Verso
Hassel Smith Sept 1963
Pen
Framed
70-1/8 in
47-1/4 in
2-1/4 in
Object
69 in
45-7/8 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, Napa
The Incorrect Museum: Vignettes from the di Rosa Collection
April 17, 2021 - April 17, 2022, di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art, Napa
Be Not Still: Living in Uncertain Times (Part 1)
January 27 - May 27, 2018, di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art
Hassel Smith: 55 Years of Painting
October 25, 2002 to January 26, 2003, Sonoma County Museum, Santa Rosa
Hassel Smith (1915-2007) was an icon of the Bay Area school of abstract expressionism. Even after contemporaries like Elmer Bischoff and Richard Diebenkorn turned from abstraction to figuration in the late 40s, Smith continued to paint in an idiosyncratic abstract style. Sept. '63 – painted 59 years ago this month in a self-built redwood-sided studio on an apple orchard outside Sebastopol –illustrates Smith’s expressive brushwork and bold color sense. Smith completed his undergraduate studies at Northwestern University and graduate studies at the California School of Fine Arts. His work is held in numerous collections including the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Tate Modern, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.