Housed on over 50 acres of land and occupying almost 60,000 square feet, it is the largest art museum in the state of West Virginia.

The large folk art collection was primarily built through the efforts of former museum curator, Eason Eige, who searched the American south for outstanding examples to add to the museum's collection, including the self-portrait bust by the noted New York State sculptor, Asa Ames.

[9] Works by artists such as Childe Hassam, Robert Henri, John Singer Sargent, Andy Warhol, and Andrew Wyeth are included in the collection.

Much of the original holdings in this area were formed by Herbert Fitzpatrick and later enhanced through gifts made by local and regional collectors.

[11] Works by artists such as Georges Braque, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Jean-François Millet, Pablo Picasso, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir are included in the collection.

A significant addition to the collection is a large Dale Chihuly tower that is located in the C. Fred Edwards Conservatory.

[2] The small collection of Inuit art was assembled in the early 1950s by firearms collector Herman Dean during expeditions to the upper Hudson Bay region of Canada.

Dean would personally meet with dealers that represented the artists during these trips and formed a holding that largely consists of figural sculptures.

[2] Prominent Lexington, Kentucky composer and musician, George Littlejohn Bagby (1891–1961), donated an important group of paintings created by some of the leading portrait artists active in 18th century Great Britain.

Mrs. Dayton wished for the collection to remain in West Virginia to benefit the people of the state, eventually choosing the Huntington Museum of Art as the best location for it to be appropriately housed and exhibited.

The collection of 212 firearms (not including the many associated accoutrements) is the third largest display on permanent exhibition in the United States.

[15] Local collector Wilbur Myers had a penchant for acquiring and collecting glass objects made primarily during the Victorian era (1837–1901).

Anderson was a resident of Milton, West Virginia and beginning in 1948 he traveled regularly to the Republic of Haiti, where he searched out the works of local painters and metalsmiths.

Of special interest are the library’s archival holdings, which include the papers of several important West Virginia based artists, including Winslow Anderson (glass), Kelsey Murphy (glass) and Stan Sporny (painting), as well as scrapbooks which document the early history of two of the largest art associations in the state, The Allied Artists of West Virginia (AAWV) and the Tri-State Arts Association (TSA).

The final category of holdings are the extensive archival records relating to the history of the Museum, which include among other items the papers of Gwynn & Robert L. Daine (the latter an important inventor), Ruth Woods Dayton (noted American Art collector), Hermann P. Dean (noted firearms collector), as well as thousands of photographs.

The plants featured in the conservatory fall under four primary categories: Orchids, Agriculturally Important, Fragrant, and Unusual.

These collections were excavated in West Virginia during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and include only non-human, non-funerary (mainly tool pieces, animal bone, pottery shards, etc.)