Final preparations are under way ahead of the opening of the largest ever exhibition of work by celebrated Scots artists The Glasgow Boys.

More than 140 pieces by the celebrated group will go on display at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery from Friday. The exhibition will run for almost six months and is the largest to be hosted by the gallery since it's reopening in 2006.

'Pioneering Painters: The Glasgow Boys 1880-1900' has been described as the definitive retrospective of the work of some of Scotland's most revered artists. The collection will feature works from artists including Joseph Crawhall, Sir John Lavery, Sir James Guthrie, George Henry and Edward Atkinson Hornel, who are widely credited with introducing Impressionism to Scotland.

The works being exhibited, including The Tennis Party and Old Willie – the Village Worthy, brought Scotland the attention of Europe's art elite.

Bailie Liz Cameron, Chair of Culture and Sport Glasgow, said: "The Glasgow Boys are rightly revered as some of the most influential artists of their generation and their works are among the most popular in the city collection.

"This exhibition of their paintings is the biggest ever staged in Glasgow and will feature works that have not been seen in Scotland for generations. The Glasgow Boys will find a new and appreciative audience when this exhibition gets under way."

Pioneering Painters is the biggest collection to go on display since the Kelvingrove reopened following a four-year facelift. The Kelvingrove Refurbishment Appeal, established in 2002, raised more than £10 million for the venue's modernisation and protection.

The campaign was run by Lord Macfarlane of Bearsden, who also led the group which brought the latest exhibition to the Kelvingrove. In a first for Glasgow Museums, the highlights of the exhibition will also go on tour to the prestigious Royal Academy.

Lord McFarlance said: "I've long admired the work of The Glasgow Boys and consider it a wonderful accolade for them that this definitive retrospective of their work at Kelvingrove will then be shown at The Royal Academy.

"This exhibition of Glasgow Boys paintings will show their enormous talent in a new way for another generation to appreciate."

'Pioneering Painters: The Glasgow Boys 1880-1900' opens on Friday and runs until September 27.