Salford Museum & Art Gallery holds one of the largest collections of art in the Manchester area. The collection is dominated by British Victorian art, much of which has been donated to the gallery by local philanthropists such as Oliver Heywood and Edward Langworthy. There is also a small but significant collection of Modern British art. These collections are underpinned with works depicting local landmarks and views, which are of enormous local and social historic value.

The first works were acquired in 1850. One of the early donors was Thomas Agnew, of the famous art dealing firm. The collections have since grown steadily and today can boast works by George Frederick Watts, Sidney Richard Percy, George Dunlop Leslie, George Clausen, Edward William Cooke and John Frederick Herring I. Works continued to be donated in the twentieth century, with some acquired with the assistance of grant aid bodies. The modern works include artists such as Prunella Clough, Vanessa Bell, Ivon Hitchens, Duncan Grant and David Bomberg. Just as it did in the mid-twentieth century with the acquisition of L. S. Lowry paintings (now all transferred to The Lowry), Salford Museum has maintained its practise of acquiring works from living artists and has material by Harold Riley, Geoffrey Key and Liam Spencer. Today the collection comprises over 2,000 oil paintings, watercolours, drawings and prints.