The di Rosa Preserve

When writer Rene di Rosa sought rural tranquillity in 1960 and bought some old grazing land in Carneros, locals would probably have thought they were as likely to see cows walking on water than the eventual creation of the biggest collection of Northern Californian contemporary art, and one of the largest regional art collections in the country. Thirty years later, they saw both.

The di Rosa Preserve (5200 Carneros Hwy./U.S. 121, Napa, 707/226-5991) opened to the public in 1997 and now has more than 2,000 works on display throughout its 217 acres, including a colorful cow that has floated on the 35-acre lake since 1989, although it occasionally tips over.

When he originally bought the land, di Rosa restored a turreted, former winery building as his residence and eventually planted 250 acres of vineyards on the land where grapes were once grown until disease and Prohibition killed the wine industry. The art first came from local artists through barter arrangements, and di Rosa eventually sold off the vineyards to focus purely on his passion for collecting art.

The Winery Lake vineyards are now owned by Sterling Vineyards (the Winery Lake name can be seen on some of Sterling’s premium merlot, pinot noir, and chardonnay wines), and the old winery building is now one of the four indoor galleries on the grounds of the preserve.

Di Rosa himself lives in an apartment above the neighboring tractor shed and still actively collects art from up-and-coming artists all over the greater Bay Area to add to the huge collection of works that date from the 1950s. Visiting the preserve is to enter an eclectic, artistic wonderland, where giant sculptures march up into the hills, a car hangs from a tree, and every indoor space is crammed with photographs, paintings, and video installations of sometimes mind-bending bizarreness. Even nature seems to do its part to maintain the sense of whimsy as the preserve’s 85 peacocks (including two albinos) strut, screech, and occasionally crash-land around the galleries.

And don’t expect labels to help make sense of the art because there are none, just a numbered catalog in each gallery to ensure viewers approach each piece with no preconceptions.

The only aspects that tie everything together are the Bay Area and di Rosa’s love of maximal art over minimal. “The Bay Area is the pond in which I fish. The artists I like use the familiar as a hook to lead you into new realms. The best artists are like shamans who can take us to deeper truths.”

The preserve is on the north side of the Carneros Highway (U.S. 121) just west of Napa, almost opposite the Domaine Carneros winery, and is open Monday to Saturday by appointment only (the Saturday tours are at 9:25 and 10:25 a.m. only). The 2.5-hour tours cost $12 but are free on the first and third Wednesdays each month. For reservations call 707/226-5991 or visit www.dirosapreserve.org.

Some overspill of the collection is also on display at the Gatehouse Gallery, which can be visited without a reservation 9:30 a.m.–3 p.m. Tuesday–Friday ($3, free on Wednesday).