Jonathan Travis on the art he buys, the work he missed, and why seeing it matters
Jonathan Travis, a partner at Redwood Property Group, says his collecting began with a painting on paper by Nicole Eisenman, purchased from a Paddle8 charity auction about ten years ago. His most recent acquisition was a painting by the Japanese artist Masanori Tomita. Between those two purchases lies a collecting habit shaped less by trend than by proximity: Travis says he often knows quickly whether a work is right for him, but only when he can stand in front of it.
That physical encounter, he explained, tends to produce an immediate gut reaction. When he is deciding from images alone, the process slows down. He studies the artist’s practice more carefully, especially if the name is new to him, and wants to understand the broader body of work before making a commitment. The distinction is telling. For Travis, collecting is not simply about acquisition; it is about recognition.
He also has one regret that still stands out. Travis discovered Louis Fratino’s work early in the artist’s career but did not buy immediately. By the time he was ready, the work had become difficult to access. Asked what he would choose if he could own any work from a museum or historic site, he named Caravaggio’s The Calling of St Matthew (1599-1600) from San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome, calling it a painting that has everything he wants in one image.
Travis’s eye extends beyond his own collection. He has helped roughly 40 galleries find homes in Tribeca and about 20 more elsewhere in Manhattan, a quiet but consequential role in shaping the city’s gallery geography. In 2021, he and Ethan Rafii founded Wolf Hill in Chappaqua, New York, a jointly owned country house that also displays their collections.
Looking ahead to New York’s spring season, Travis said he is eager to see the Salvador Dalí show at Di Donna, curious about how younger artists fare in the May auctions, and interested in the works that fairs reveal only once they are seen in person. His least favorite part of the fair circuit is the forced small talk. Near Chelsea and Hudson Yards, though, he has a short list of reliable stops: Shukette for dinner, Mercado Little Spain for quick bites, and the Hotel Chelsea for a drink.
In a season defined by spectacle, Travis’s answers point to a more measured kind of collecting — one grounded in looking closely, waiting when necessary, and trusting the force of a first encounter.
