ICONIC paintings by American greats have gone on display in Spain.

Works by Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and Willem de Kooning are among 130 exhibits by 33 artists in the US ‘Abstract-Expressionism’ retrospective, on show until June 4 at Bilbao’s Guggenheim Museum.

It is the first time that some of these paintings have ever been shown outside the States.

London’s Royal Academy of Arts is behind the exhibition, when both art institutes will introduce viewers to the ‘vibrant energy’ and ‘influential’ nature of the movement.

Begun in New York in the 1940s, abstract-expressionism represented a desire to break free from accepted art conventions by experimenting with diverse styles in a spontaneous manner.

Entry to the exhibition is included in the €13 adult museum ticket fee.