# Jennifer Rubio's art collecting revolution

> The Away co-founder is reshaping the art world by collecting work by undervalued female artists and giving millions to museums.
- Title: Jennifer Rubio's art collecting revolution · TIME | Shortify
- Summary: The Away co-founder is reshaping the art world by collecting work by undervalued female artists and giving millions to museums. Authentic collecting driven…
- Keywords: jennifer rubio, away luggage, art collecting, female artists, surrealism, metropolitan museum of art, stewart butterfield, philanthropy, museum internships, art patronage, Jennifer, Rubio's
- Source: TIME — https://time.com/collection/time100-art/2026/jennifer-rubio
- Published: 2026-09-17T12:01:31.931+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: jennifer rubio, away luggage, art collecting, female artists, surrealism, metropolitan museum of art, stewart butterfield, philanthropy, museum internships, art patronage
## From luggage to fine art
Jennifer Rubio co-founded Away suitcases in 2015 and has now made a similar impact on the art world in less than a decade of serious collecting.
## More than half her collection is women
Her collection has elevated historically undervalued female artists, particularly women Surrealists, though she says her choices came from genuine love of the work.

> The art is just so good.
## 23 million for museum interns
In April, Rubio and her soon-to-be-ex-husband Stewart Butterfield pledged over $23 million to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to ensure it can always pay its interns.
## Helping museums buy dream works
The couple also helped several museums purchase artworks they loved but couldn't otherwise afford, expanding access to important pieces.
## Collecting versus philanthropy
Rubio distinguishes between personal collecting, which is about what she wants to live with, and philanthropy, which is about what she wants to outlive her.

> Philanthropy is about what I want to outlive me.
## Key takeaway

Authentic collecting driven by personal taste can have outsized impact on art history and institutional change.