Francisco Correa Cordero, Founder of Lubov, Dies

Francisco Correa Cordero, the founder of New York gallery Lubov, has died. The gallery announced his death on 2 August in a statement posted on Instagram, saying he had "passed away peacefully" surrounded by family and friends. No cause of death was given. According to Lubov's social media accounts, Correa Cordero was 37.

Born in Mexico City, Correa Cordero established Lubov in Tribeca in 2016 before relocating the gallery to Manhattan's Lower East Side three years later. Over the following decade, it became known for exhibiting emerging artists alongside more established figures, developing a programme that favoured ambitious installations, experimental practices and artists often overlooked by the commercial market.

The gallery presented early New York exhibitions for a number of artists and worked with figures including José Manuel Mesías, Shannon Cartier Lucy, Mimi Park, Mira Dayal, My Barbarian, Parker Ito, Andres Serrano and Marsha Pels. Its programme regularly featured in publications including The New York Times, Artforum and Art in America.

Alongside running Lubov, Correa Cordero worked for Independent Curators International (ICI), serving as executive coordinator between 2015 and 2022. Before founding the gallery, he held positions at Exit Art, Martos Gallery and Yancey Richardson.

Tributes from across the art world followed the announcement. ICI's executive and artistic director, Renaud Proch, described Correa Cordero as "one of the hardest working people I knew", while artists and curators remembered his commitment to supporting challenging work and fostering a close-knit community around the gallery. Messages of condolence were also shared by institutions, galleries and artists who had worked with Lubov over the past decade.