At a recent BMS event, our members had a private viewing of A View of Mexico, the José María Velasco exhibition at the National Gallery. This was possible thanks to Daniel Ralston, the co-curator, who gave us a guided tour of the exhibition, the first of Velasco’s to be held in the UK.

Velasco is among the most well-known Mexican artists of the 19^th-century, known for his sweeping landscapes and responsible for creating a sense of Mexican identity. His paintings depict advances in geology, archaeology, the study of local flora, and the encroaching industrialisation of the Mexican countryside.

This exhibition, the first ever dedicated to a Mexican artist at the National Gallery, marks the 200th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Mexico and the UK.

The exhibition was organised by the National Gallery and the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Curated by Dexter Dalwood and Daniel Ralston, the National Gallery’s CEEH Associate Curator of Spanish Paintings, from an initial concept by Dexter Dalwood.

Velasco’s A View of Mexico exhibition is on until August 17, 2025 for more information click here.