In the fall of 1999, James Cohan Gallery opened on West 57th Street with an exhibition of early work by Gilbert and George. The gallery moved to its present location at 533 West 26th Street in Chelsea in 2002 with a group show including Fred Tomaselli, Phillip Taaffe and Harry Smith. James Cohan's diverse programming includes solo exhibitions of gallery artists and two thematic group exhibitions every year.

James Cohan Gallery operated an additional location in Shanghai, China from 2008 through 2015. This space introduced American and European contemporary art to a Chinese audience, and also introduced a selection of Chinese artists to the gallery’s programs in New York and Shanghai.

James Cohan Gallery opened a second New York location at 291 Grand Street in November 2015. Its inaugural exhibition in the Lower East Side neighborhood was a revelatory exhibition of early Robert Smithson drawings. This additional location allows the gallery to expand its ambitious programming with focused and experimental exhibitions of gallery artists.

The gallery now represents established artists Bill Viola, Fred Tomaselli, Beatriz Milhazes, Richard Long, Yinka Shonibare, MBE and the Estate of Robert Smithson along with emerging artists The Propeller Group, Simon Evans, Omer Fast, Amy Feldman, Spencer Finch, Michelle Grabner, Trenton Doyle Hancock, Philip Hanson, Yun-Fei Ji, Jesper Just, Byron Kim, Mernet Larsen, Scott Olson, Katie Paterson, Hiraki Sawa, Shi Zhiying, Tabaimo, and Xu Zhen.