A Napa Treasure, Then and Now

Rediscover di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art By Monica Barrows, Director of Advancement at di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art

Just a few minutes from the hum of Highway 29, tucked into the Carneros hills, is a bend in the road that leads somewhere unexpected. It’s not a winery, though vines edge the land. It’s not a nature preserve, though birds migrate here by the hundreds. It’s di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art.

For nearly three decades, it’s been one of Napa Valley’s most quietly radical treasures. Today, di Rosa is home to the most extensive collection of contemporary Northern California art in the world. Over 1,600 works—sculpture, painting, performance, installation—all rooted in the regional spirit of risk, rebellion, and reinvention. It is committed to interpreting and cultivating art of Northern California’s past, present and future.

Before it was a cultural institution, di Rosa was simply a place—first a vineyard, then a home, and finally, a vision. When René di Rosa purchased the property in the 1960s, he wasn’t chasing prestige. He was following curiosity. A former journalist with a keen eye and a wry grin, René began collecting the work of Bay Area artists who moved him—work that was eclectic, loud, heartfelt, and often overlooked. He wasn’t building a museum. He was creating a conversation.

He also knew the land mattered. Rather than develop it, René placed over 200 acres into conservation, ensuring that the hills, the lake, and the sky would remain a canvas—for art, for reflection, for the public.

Locals may remember di Rosa as a place of firsts: the first school field trip where art felt alive. The first community picnic under the oaks. The first time an artist saw their work on view. It’s always been more than a museum—it’s a place where people return.

And now, like so many of us, di Rosa is evolving.

This year marks the beginning of a major transformation: an 18-month renovation of its Gatehouse Gallery and Residence designed to make the campus more sustainable for years to come. Meanwhile, in downtown Napa, a new First Street gallery brings the collection into the heart of the city, offering rotating exhibitions and a new entry point for curious passersby.

The Sculpture Meadow, the preserve, the lake - and Gallery Two, which houses a rotating selection of works from the collection along with essential storage for the art - are all open to visitors. July 1st opened with, di Rosa offering two tours - 11 am and 1 pm - with a reservation.  Gallery Two offers a more intimate, often surprising encounter with di Rosa’s holdings, guided by curators and docents who know the stories behindthe art.

And in August, di Rosa will expand to San Francisco with a new gallery space and installation at Minnesota Street Project. The first exhibition, FAR OUT, will feature works from the collection that include both rarely seen and fan favorites—putting contemporary artists into dialogue with iconic Northern Californian artists.

With new programs and artist-led experiences on the horizon, di Rosa isn’t scaling back. It’s growing with intention: more creatively, more sustainably, and more in step with the community that surrounds it.

If you haven’t been in a while, now’s a good time. (And if you’ve never been, there’s never been more to discover.) You’ll still find the work of iconic regional artists like Robert Arneson and Viola Frey. You’ll still feel that collision of land and imagination. But you’ll also see the momentum—the care being taken to shape something enduring, not just for art lovers, but for Napa Valley itself.

René di Rosa didn’t build a place to impress people. He built a place that made him feel alive—and then gave it away. That gift lives on.