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.
Untitled
Painting
Portrait of man and woman; man holding cigarette
166
Oil on Canvas
Painting
AR0166
Charles Campbell Gallery
Purchase
Elmer Nelson Bischoff
1972
Object
23 in
25-3/4 in
The Incorrect Museum: Redux
May 13, 2022 - February 26, 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
The Collection in Context: Bay Area Figurative Art
July 8 – September 26, 2006, di Rosa Preserve
Bay Area Figurative 1950s-1960s
April 29 - June 18, 2006, Bolinas Museum
Elmer Bischoff, A Survey of Paintings and Drawings, 1937-1972
February 29 - May 31, 2020, Marin Museum of Contemporary Art, Novato, CA
Curator
2016
Elmer Bischoff (1916 – 1991) was a Bay Area painter who studied and practiced Abstract Expressionism, but abandoned the style in the early 1950s (along with artists Richard Diebenkorn and David Park) to shift his focus back to figuration after returning to San Francisco from serving in World War II from 1941-45. Bischoff seemed to look back to 19th century painting trends for inspiration when approaching his figurative subjects, exploring different tones achieved by color and brushstroke. His work often appears pastoral or romantic in effect, but if you look long enough, one can also sense a hint of isolation or brooding – adding his own unique element of expression to everyday subjects. Untitled (1972) is from the end of Bischoff’s figurative period, and one can almost sense a bit of anxiety.