The Newport Art Museum’s collection consists of approximately 2,900 works of art in a range of media including works on paper (prints, drawings, watercolors, and photographs), paintings, sculptures, decorative arts, installation works, and textiles and is expanding to include new media. Concentrated on American art and contemporary art, the Museum’s collection includes works of art from the 18th century to the present.

Highlights of the American art collection include 18th century paintings by Gilbert Stuart and John Smibert and noteworthy 19th century paintings, prints, and drawings by Samuel Colman, Currier & Ives, John Elliott, Winslow Homer, George Inness, John Frederick Kensett, Fitz Henry Lane, Lilla Cabot Perry, Benjamin Curtis Porter, William Trost Richards, Jane Stuart, and James McNeill Whistler, as well as a significant collection of paintings, prints, and stained glass by John La Farge. The Museum is also home to a significant number of early 20th century works of art, such as paintings by Howard Gardiner Cushing (many of which are on permanent display in the Museum’s Cushing Memorial Gallery), paintings and sketchbooks by Julia Overing Boit, paintings and drawings by Durr Freedley, and a rare marine painting by Frederick Judd Waugh. In addition, the Museum owns 185 works by Winslow Homer, (including one drawing, the rest are prints), and 400 autochromes by John Jay Mason from the early 20th century.

The Museum owns many stunning 20th century works of art by nationally and internationally recognized artists, such as Albert Alcalay, George Bellows, Varujan Boghosian, Mark di Suvero, Red Grooms, William Gropper, Philip Guston, Corita Kent, William Leete, Sol LeWitt, Roy Lichtenstein, Paul Manship, Lloyd G. McNeill, Philip Pearlstein, Fairfield Porter, Ad Reinhardt, Raphael Soyer, May Stevens, and Andy Warhol. The Museum also has a large and rare collection of works on paper by artist Francis Adams Comstock.

The Museum’s growing contemporary art collection includes photographs by Lindsey Beal, Richard Benson, Jesse Burke, Caleb Cole, Kerry Stuart Coppin, Lucas Foglia, Sally Gall, Ralph Gibson, Henry Horenstein, Alen MacWeeney, Rania Matar, Joel Meyerowitz, Lissa Rivera, Lawrence F. Sykes, Peter Turnley, Andy Warhol, and considerable holdings of photographs by Donna Ferrato, Aaron Siskind, and Rhode Island photographer Salvatore Mancini; sculptures by regional, national, and international artists: Howard Ben Tré, Ashwini Bhat, Caleb Cole, Dale Chihuly, Minoo Emami, Michael Hansel, Douglas Huebler, Howard Newman, Allison Newsome, Arnold Prince, Italo Scanga, Hugh Townley, Claudia Widdiss, and Toots Zynsky; and lastly, paintings, drawings, and prints by Sigmund Abeles, Donnamaria Bruton, George Condo, Umberto Crenca, Bob Dilworth, Mags Harries, Pouran Jinchi, Arghavan Khosravi, Richard Mayhew, Michael Mazur, Sue McNally, Alan Metnick, Mahler Ryder, Meredith Stern, Chris Van Allsburg, Nafis M. White, and many others. The Museum is also home to the largest collection of prints and paintings by Joseph Norman.

In addition to works of art, the Museum also houses an archive, which contains documents and photographs related to the Art Association of Newport and Newport Art Museum’s exhibitions, members, and activities from its founding to present.