Di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art to Become Non-Collecting Entity, Deaccession Portion of Holdings -ARTnews

The board of the Rene and Veronica di Rosa Foundation in Napa, California, has voted to cease collecting, and will gradually begin deaccessioning pieces from its holdings of 1,600 works to provide funding for the foundation’s endowment. The center, which is home to the collection of Rene and Veronica di Rosa, will hold on to several hundred works (an exact number has not yet been determined). Its collection will hold works by William Allan, Robert Arneson, David Best, Joan Brown, Bruce Conner, Judy Dater, Jay DeFeo, Viola Frey, Robert Hudson, David Ireland, Paul Kos, Jim Melchert, Peter Saul, and William T. Wiley.

Robert Sain, the executive director of the di Rosa, told ARTnews, “This is a textbook example of completing the transition from a private individual’s extraordinary endeavor to it being a public-facing institution. … We’ve got a great program to deliver to the community, but in order to keep doing it, the board has made these important decisions.”

Currently, the di Rosa center receives over 13,000 annual visitors annually. Its collection largely consists of artists from Northern California.

Sain added that the di Rosa will focus on “dynamic and compelling exhibitions, integrated education programs, strategic partnerships, all with an eye towards experimentation, supporting artists, and commissioning new work.”

Rene di Rosa passed away in 2010, and the foundation has not actively collected work since his passing. Through the board’s decision, the foundation is officially a non-collecting entity. Brenda Mixson, president of the foundation’s board of directors, said in a statement that “our emphasis will be on commissioning and supporting working artists and expanding the artistic experiences available for visitors.”