New York’s Lubov Gallery to Remain Open Under New Ownership After Founder’s Death

Lubov, a closely watched gallery in New York’s Chinatown neighborhood, will remain open after the death of its founder Francisco Correa Cordero earlier this year.

Cordero, who died at 37 in August, founded Lubov in 2016 and exhibited artists such as Eunnam Hong, My Barbarian, Andres Serrano, Mimi Park, Shannon Cartier Lucy, and Covey Gong. The gallery was named after Luba Drozd, to whom Cordero was married when he first opened the space.

On Tuesday, the gallery announced that it would continue under the leadership of Mode Bonafilia and Kristen Wasik. Bonafilia had already been with the gallery, serving as its director of community programming and education since 2025. Wasik had been a director at the gallery between 2023 and 2024, and returned to Lubov earlier this year, having previously worked at Chart and the now-defunct Lyles & King.

“Following Cordero’s sudden passing in August, Bonafilia and Wasik committed without hesitation to carrying the gallery forward,” the gallery wrote in a statement posted to Instagram. “At a time in which alternative spaces in New York are becoming increasingly scarce, they regard Lubov’s continuation as essential. Whether or not to continue the gallery was never a question. Under their direction, the gallery will honor Cordero’s legacy while building upon it, supporting artists who make work out of necessity rather than for market value.”

Lubov’s first exhibition under the gallery’s new ownership will be a solo show for Michael Hafftka, a New York–based painter. His exhibition opens there on October 24.