After almost 20 years serving the New York art world and beyond, Lombard Freid Gallery will close its doors in the coming months. artnet News has learned that differences between the gallery principals Lea Freid and Jane Lombard are the cause of the closure which legally involves a dissolution of their partnership. The gallery did not comment but artnet News understands that a letter is being sent to artists to inform them of the closure. The gallery, located on West 19th street in West Chelsea currently represents 10 to 12 artists and puts on roughly eight to 10 shows per year.

Lombard Freid was always among the most international of New York galleries, having pushed early into new territory by showing artists from Asia (Cao Fei) and the Middle East, as well as promoting African-American artists like Mark Bradford. The gallery was known for its strong commitment to artists creating social and political work and was generous in its support of nonprofit spaces as well as artist participation in international biennials around the world. In recent years, the gallery, like other midsize galleries faced pressure to continue supporting these projects.