The permanent collection of the Gilcrease Museum covers the period from colonial days to the present and contains more than 10,000 paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures by 400 artists. The museum also houses the world's largest and most comprehensive collection of art of the American West and an unparalleled collection of Native American art and artifacts.

The main exhibitions focus on the American West, American Portraits, American Genre and Las Artes de Mexico, a hands-on, interactive exhibition highlighting the art, culture and history of Mexico.

Non-western artists whose work features in the collection are Charles Wilson Peale, Daniel Chester French, John Singleton Copley, James McNeil Whistler, John Singer Sergeant, Winslow Homer, John James Audubon, William Merritt Chase and N. C. Wyeth.

Nestled in the Osage Hills, the Gilcrease Museum is situated on North Gilcrease Museum Road, on the western edge of Tulsa close to exit 5 of the Keystone Expressway (Route 64/412 west).

The museum has developed 23 acres (nine hectares) of its 460-acre (186-hectare) grounds as historical theme gardens, which reflect the Gilcrease collection. The gardening styles and techniques cover five eras of the American West; Pre-Columbian, Pioneer, Colonial, Victorian and Rock, and are a key component of the total 'Gilcrease Experience'.