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.

 

What the Owl Said

Sculpture

Stainless steel owl inscribed with poem 'What the Owl Said' by Michael Hannon, perched between two sledge hammers standing heads down on steel palette

544

Steel, aluminum, and wood

Sculpture

AR544

Fuller Goldeen Gallery

Purchase

William T. Wiley

1985

Fabricated under artist's supervision at Lipincott, Inc. (foundry), North Haven, CT

Inscription

WHAT THE OWL SAID / WHEN THE EARTH QUAKES / LISTEN TO ME, HOLDING ON / DEEP IN THE PINES. / MICHAEL HANNON

Poem by Michael Hannon

Owls

Object

54 in

24 in

17 in

William T. Wiley: Fables

April 19 - June 14, 2025, Sam Parker Gallery, Los Angeles