Married since 1962, the couple has assembled one of Miami's finest collections of contemporary art, particularly postwar German paintings.
Most of her works have been exhibited in the private De la Cruz Collection museum since 2009, 10,000m² dedicated to contemporary art in Miami in a building designed by John Marquette.
The collection includes work by Dan Colen, Kathryn Andrews, Ana Mendieta, Jim Hodges, Martin Kippenberger, Isa Genzken, Christopher Wool, Félix González-Torres, Mark Bradford, Peter Doig,[5] Nate Lowman,[6] Christian Holstad and Sterling Ruby.
[7] Other important artists are Wifredo Lam and Salvador Dalí, whose portrait of Carlos de la Cruz's mother, Dolores Suero Falla, belongs to the collection.
[5] Rosa de la Cruz died at the age of 81 in her home on Key Biscayne, Florida on February 25, 2024, following a long period with an undisclosed autoimmune disorder.