British artist Dexter Dalwood, known for his paintings of imagined interiors of famous figures like Kurt Cobain and Ludwig Wittgenstein, has taken on an unexpected role as co-curator of an exhibition at the National Gallery in London. The show, *José María Velasco: A View of Mexico*, runs until August 17 and highlights the 19th-century Mexican landscape painter, who documented industrialization and ecological change. Dalwood, who moved to Mexico in 2022 after a residency, brings his own artistic perspective to the curation, aiming to introduce Velasco to an international audience.
This article matters because it challenges traditional boundaries between artist and curator, arguing that artists should have a greater role in shaping art historical narratives. Dalwood’s involvement with Velasco—a figure virtually unknown outside Mexico—also underscores the importance of decolonizing art history and recognizing non-European artists who engaged with science, ecology, and industrialization. The exhibition reflects a broader trend in museums to collaborate with living artists to reinterpret historical works, making art history more inclusive and relevant to contemporary issues like climate change.