Rene di Rosa (May 14, 1919–October 3, 2010) was an American vintner and art collector.

Personal life

Rene di Rosa was born in Boston and graduated from Yale University where he was editor of the Yale Daily News. He took a job in 1950 as a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle after serving in World War II and then spending some time in Paris.[1][2] Di Rosa married artist Veronica McDonald (1934-1991)[3] in 1974.

Winery Lake Vineyard

In 1960, di Rosa purchased 460 acres of land in Carneros region in the Napa Valley.[1][4] On a 250-acre portion of that land, in an area once known as Talcoa Vineyard, di Rosa planted grapes and called his new fields the Winery Lake Vineyard.[5][6] Di Rosa produced Chardonnay and Pinot noir on site, but he received the most accolades for the grapes he sold to other vineyards in the region, including Belvedere and Acacia.[4][7][8] In 1979, di Rosa was a founding partner of Hagafen Cellars, along with Ernie Weir, Zach Berkowitz, and Norm Miller.[9] In 1986, di Rosa sold the Winery Lake Vineyard to Joseph E. Seagram & Sons and used the money to invest in his art collection.[10][11]

Art collection

Di Rosa became acquainted with the Northern California counterculture artists in San Francisco's North Beach when he first arrived in the 1950s.[12] He became very involved in collecting Northern California art in the 1960s while taking viticulture classes at UC Davis, whose art department included Robert Arneson, Roy De Forest, and William T. Wiley, among others.[2][13]

Di Rosa's collection consists of works of art spanning Bay Area movements such as assemblage, the Bay Area Figurative Movement, Funk Art, and Conceptual Art. Key artists include Joan Brown, Jay DeFeo, Viola Frey, Robert Arneson, William T. Wiley, Peter Voulkos, Robert H. Hudson, Bruce Conner, Manuel Neri, Carlos Villa, Nathan Oliveira, Richard Shaw, David Best, and more.[14]

Di Rosa housed his collection in a historic home (formally of Talcoa Vineyard) and additional buildings he constructed on his property, most of which is classified as a nature preserve under the Land Trust of Napa County.[15] In 1997, he opened the property, dubbed the di Rosa Preserve, to visitors.[12] In 2000, the collection and property was incorporated as a public trust. In 2002, di Rosa stepped down and the institution's first executive director, Jack Rasmussen, was hired.[16][17] Now referred to simply as di Rosa, the organization maintains the collection, organizes rotating contemporary art exhibitions, and presents educational and public programs.[18]

References

  1. 1 2 "René di Rosa – Napa Valley Wine Library Association". Napawinelibrary.com. Archived from the original on 2020-03-28. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  2. 1 2 Baker, Kenneth (2010-10-13). "Rene di Rosa, Bay Area art collector, dies". SFGate. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  3. ↑ "di Rosa Preserve "Director's Cut" Art Auction". Click-media.net. Archived from the original on 2007-08-19. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  4. 1 2 Sullivan, Charles L. (1988). "Rene di Rosa". A Companion to California Wine. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-21351-3. Sullivan gives the size of the purchase as 400 acres.
  5. ↑ Prial, Frank J. (1986-02-26). "Wine Talk". The New York Times. Retrieved 2016-11-03. Prial gives the size of the planted field as 225 acres.
  6. ↑ "History - Page 3 - Carneros Wine Alliance". Carneros.com. 2016-10-27. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  7. ↑ Balzer, Robert Lawrence (1985-11-10). "The Quietest Winery: Belvedere Has Made a Name for Itself--Everywhere but on Its Labels". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  8. ↑ Curry, Kristine N. (30 May 1985). "The Mouse That Roared: Tiny Illinois Winery Gets 2nd Major Wine". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  9. ↑ "Hagafen Cellars - About Us - History". Hagafen.com. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  10. ↑ Knight-Ridder Newspapers (1986-02-05). "Winery In California Bought By Seagram". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  11. ↑ Special to the New York Times (1986-02-04). "Seagram Unit Adds Winery". New York Times. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  12. 1 2 von Busack, Richard (2000-05-11). "Artful Refuge: California art finds a home at the di Rosa Preserve". Metro Publishing Inc. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  13. ↑ "You See: The Early Years of the UC Davis Studio Art Faculty". University of California Television. 4 February 2008. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  14. ↑ "The Collection | di Rosa". Dirosaart.org. 3 July 2010. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  15. ↑ "Land Trust of Napa County List of Natural Lands". Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  16. ↑ M.V. Wood, Special to The Chronicle (2002-02-22). "Artful codger / Rene di Rosa converts Napa home, grounds into gallery for the unpretentious". SFGate. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  17. ↑ Brady-Herndon, Gary (2002-03-05). "di Rosa steps down". Napa Valley Register. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  18. ↑ "The Place | di Rosa". Dirosaart.org. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
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