If you've been hoping for a classic European paintings show, Milwaukee Art Museum has got something for you.

The museum, which has had an excellent slate or more modern exhibitions of late, brings "The Brilliance of the Spanish World: El Greco, Velázquez, Zurbarán" to the Baker/Rowland Galleries, May 2-July 27.

Those galleries are, of course, located in the Quadracci Pavilion, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.

The first big European art show since 2023's "Art, Life, Legacy," will include work by Francisco de Zurbarán, who painted MAM's own "Saint Francis of Assisi in His Tomb."

Among the exhibition's highlights, with descriptions from the museum, are:

• "Saint Jerome" by El Greco (Doménikos Theotokópoulos), ca. 1600. This painting portrays the quintessential early Christian saint holding a crucifix, with books, a skull, and an hourglass before him – all in the artist’s recognizable Mannerist style.
• "Gaspar de Guzmán, Count-Duke of Olivares" by Diego Velázquez, ca. 1625-1626. This magisterial portrait depicts one of the most influential figures of his day and emphasizes the vast power he wielded.
• "Saint Emerentiana" by Francisco de Zurbarán, ca. 1635-1640. This painting portrays the saint holding a book and stones – the instruments of her martyrdom – in a likeness marked by Zurbarán’s mastery of sculptural form and the depiction of elaborate textiles.
• "The Wedding at Canna" by Nicolás de Correa, 1696. This is an enconchado that illustrates the biblical story in which Jesus miraculously makes wine from water at a wedding he attends. A unique art form developed in the Spanish colonies in the late 17th century, enconchados are paintings on wood panels inlaid with shells and iridescent mother-of-pearl.
• "The Prodigal Son Among the Swine" by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, 1656-1665. This painting depicts the biblical parable of the Prodigal Son in which a young man begs for forgiveness after squandering his inheritance. This subject was especially relevant as Southern Spain experienced widespread suffering due to plague and famine during Murillo’s lifetime.

Included among the more than 50 works in the show are pieces by artists working in the Spanish Americas.

“The Zurbarán continues to be a centerpiece of the Museum’s collection, awing visitors since its acquisition in 1958,” said Tanya Paul, MAM's Isabel and Alfred Bader Curator of European Art. “I’m delighted to bring to our audiences an extraordinary exhibition, which includes paintings by Zurbarán as well as amazing artists visitors may not have encountered before, that will build upon and expand the stories we’re able to share about this significant period in Spanish art history.”

"The Brilliance of the Spanish World: El Greco, Velázquez, Zurbarán" was curated by Hispanic Society Museum & Library Director and CEO Guillaume Kientz, and the presentation here was organized by Paul.

The exhibition will be augmented, as always, with a slate of programs and events, including a lecture about the art and life of El Greco by Spanish Baroque art scholar and curator Rebecca Long on Thursday, May 15.

“We’re honored to partner with the Hispanic Society Museum & Library to bring this exhibition of Renaissance and Baroque treasures to the Midwest,” said Marcelle Polednik, PhD, Donna and Donald Baumgartner Director.