Francisco Correa Cordero, the founder of the New York-based Lubov gallery, has died at the age of 37. His death on August 2 was announced by the gallery, which confirmed he passed away in a Manhattan hospital. No cause of death was provided in the official announcement.
Cordero founded Lubov in 2016. He established the gallery in a second-floor space on Broadway in TriBeCa before relocating the venue to a fourth-floor space in Chinatown in 2019. Throughout his tenure, he became known for his ability to identify emerging talent and his commitment to unconventional, inclusive programming, including a 48-hour haircutting marathon that engaged local artists.
Beyond his work at Lubov, Cordero maintained a diverse career in the art world. He held roles at institutions such as the Richard Avedon Foundation, Aperture, and Independent Curators International. His curation was marked by a preference for work that challenged conventional boundaries and prioritized meaningful artist communities over purely commercial interests.
Colleagues and artists remember Cordero for his magnetic personality and his dedication to supporting labor-intensive, site-specific work. Despite the significant economic pressures facing small galleries, he remained active in the local art ecosystem, serving on the board of the Brooklyn nonprofit exhibition space KAJE until his passing.