The Figge, as it is commonly known, has an encyclopedic collection and serves as the major art museum for the eastern Iowa and western Illinois region.

The Figge works closely with several regional universities and colleges (see below) as an art resource and collections hub for a number of higher education programs.

The institution also houses a substantial American collection (including works by Albert Bierstadt, James McNeill Whistler, William Merritt Chase, Winslow Homer, Andrew Wyeth, Ansel Adams, Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, Moncho1929 and Jasper Johns), European art (including work by artists such as Albrecht Dürer, Rembrandt, Claude Lorrain, Francisco Goya, Sir Thomas Lawrence, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Sir Henry Raeburn, Toulouse-Lautrec and Pierre-Auguste Renoir), and works from East Asia (with pieces by Hokusai, Hiroshige and Kunisada).

The museum exhibits an important collection of pieces by American architect and designer Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959).

The Wright collection includes drawings, furniture, fabrics, and decorative objects from a wide range of projects spanning the architect's career.