HISTORIC Spanish paintings from a museum are set to go on show in America.

Artwork from The Bowes Museum, in Barnard Castle, will form an exhibition called El Greco, Goya and a Taste for Spain at the Meadows Museum, in Dallas Texas.

It is the first time many of the works have been shown in the United States and follows a successful tour of a similar selection in London in 2017.

The exhibition will span three centuries and explore one of the largest collections of Spanish art in Britain.

The majority of the paintings were acquired by John and Joséphine Bowes between 1862 and 1863 from the collection of the Countess de Quinto in Paris, through the art dealer Benjamin Gogué.

The collection was formed in Spain by the Conde de Quinto after the dissolution of the ecclesiastical institution.

Adrian Jenkins, the director of The Bowes Museum, will present a lecture about the paintings at the Meadows Museum as part of the opening events for the exhibition.

The paintings will go on show at the American museum from Sunday, September 15, until January of next year.

Mr Jenkins said: “When The Bowes Museum opened its doors to the public in 1892 it had the largest public collection of Spanish paintings in the UK. Neither John nor Joséphine Bowes lived to realise their vision and I’m sure they would have been delighted to think that their acquisitions will be shown on the other side of the world.”

Mark A. Roglán, the Linda P. and William A Custard Director of the Meadows Museum, said: “We are delighted to welcome these amazing paintings to the United States, some, for the first time. They capture the richness of Spanish art and its development from the early Renaissance to the Enlightenment. Additionally, each of the artists represented in this exhibition are also represented within our permanent collection, so this is an opportunity for our visitors to see different aspects of each painter’s work.”