The Huntsville Museum of Art (HMA), located in downtown Huntsville, Madison County, focuses primarily on art by southern artists and works that relate to the region. It currently owns a permanent collection of more than 3,000 pieces that forms the basis of several yearly exhibitions. Typically, the museum sees an average of 80,000 visitors per year.

The HMA's large permanent collection is primarily focused on nineteenth and twentieth century American art with an emphasis on art from the Southeast. African, Asian, and European art from cultures influential on American art is a secondary collecting focus. Notable American holdings include works by James McNeil Whistler, Robert Rauschenberg, and Andy Warhol. Significant southeastern artists with ties to Alabama include William Christenberry, David Parrish, and Stephen Rolfe Powell. Contemporary works in wood, glass, metal, clay, and fiber have been added to the collection, with artists including Dale Chihuly, William Morris, and Philip Moulthrop. In 2008, the Museum acquired the prestigious Sellars Collection of Art by American Women, which includes more than 400 paintings, drawings, and sculptures by some 250 American women artists active between 1850 and 1940. An eclectic holding of more than 600 works in various media form the remainder of the collection. These pieces include the unique assembly of sterling silver animals created by luxury Italian jewelry firm Buccellati; European and Japanese prints; Chinese snuff bottles; and carved objects from various African peoples.

In 2006, the museum opened an addition, Plaza in the Park, which provides space for Museum Academy classrooms, dining facilities, and the Children's Community Gallery. The Museum Academy offers art classes on seasonal schedules for students of all ages. In 2010, the museum completed a $7.5 million, 21,000-square-foot expansion named the Davidson Center for the Arts. The new facilities included seven more galleries, one of which is interactive, attached museum parking, and special event facilities. The museum is funded primarily by private and corporate donations and grants and is governed by the Huntsville Museum of Art Board of Directors.