The collection includes works by some of the most significant American artists of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. A portion of works in the collection reflect significant exhibitions presented by the museum; Wisconsin-based artists are also well represented.
The museum's collection traces its origins to a major gift from Rudolph and Louise Langer in 1968. Through ongoing support from donors, it has become a valuable community resource, assuming a vital role in fulfilling the museum's mission to preserve and interpret visual art for the enrichment and enjoyment of the general public.
The collection has been the inspiration for numerous exhibitions in recent years, including La vida en marcha: In Depth: A Closer Look at MMoCA's Permanent Collection; Mexican Prints from the Permanent Collection (2003), Layered, Stitched and Assembled: Works from the Permanent Collection (2003), and Social Context: Art from the Mid-Twentieth Century (2002). Works from the collection figured prominently in such solo exhibitions as Selections from the Collection: Ed Paschke (2001) and John Buck (1999). Work in Progress: The Madison Art Center Collects (2000) documented the foundation, growth, and future of the collection as the museum approached its 100th anniversary.