Sultan's work is held in the permanent collections of MoMA, New York; the Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the the LA Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; the Guggenheim Museum, New York; Tate Modern, London; and the Centre Pompidou, Paris; among others.

Although his works depict still life subjects, Sultan describes them as abstract. The size of his compositions — huge pieces of fruit, flowers, dominoes, and other objects — set against the stark, unsettling tar-black backgrounds, dominate the viewer. Sultan incorporates basic geometric and organic forms with a formal purity that is both subtle and monumental. His images are weighty, with equal emphasis on both negative and positive areas. The use of over-printing and flocking creates the unique, signature textures his prints are known for.