Bienenwaben Installation im Folkwang Museum in Essen
Tourismus NRW e.V., Bienenwaben Installation im Folkwang Museum in Essen

Top exhibitionsArt heaven, Kant and the climate crisis

The museums in North Rhine-Westphalia offer a wide range of exciting exhibitions with different focal points. Art and culture enthusiasts can look forward to works by renowned painters, sculptors and photographers. Institutions show exhibits on important music groups. Historical events, historical personalities and social phenomena also play a role. Below you will find an overview of the top exhibitions on offer this year. They are divided into the areas of "Art, Design, Architecture" and "Music, Science, Society".

Art, design, architecture

  • Imperial Palace, Hamaguri Gate, etching and aquatint, 17 × 21 cm, 1995
    Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst Köln (MOK), Imperial Palace, Hamaguri Gate, etching and aquatint, 17 × 21 cm, 1995
    Tanaka Ryōhei. From line to landscape
    Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst, Köln
    12. Jul 2025 - 21. Sept 2025
    Discover the fascinating world of Japanese graphic artist Tanaka Ryōhei at the Museum of East Asian Art Cologne and take advantage of the MuseumsCard.
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    The secret power of fragrances
    Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf
    29. Oct 2025 - 8. Mar 2026
    Guests follow the history of fragrance in a unique exhibition at the Kunstpalast in Düsseldorf, which combines art, culture and the olfactory experience.
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  • Svenja John, NOKOMIS brooch, Berlin, 2010
    Foto: DetlefSchumacher.com, Svenja John, NOKOMIS brooch, Berlin, 2010
    The fascination of jewelry. 7000 years of jewelry art at the MAKK
    Museum für Angewandte Kunst Köln, Köln
    12. Jul 2025 - 30. Dec 2025
    Discover the impressive exhibition 'Fascination Jewelry. 7000 years of jewelry history with 370 exhibits can be admired here.
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  • 21x21. The collections of the RuhrKunstMuseen
    Villa Hügel, Essen
    12. Jul 2025 - 27. Jul 2025
    The RuhrKunstMuseen present their impressive collection of over 500,000 works of art in the Villa Hügel, showcasing national and international art movements.
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    The fascination of lacquer - art from Asia and Europe
    LWL-Museum für Kunst und Kultur, Münster
    12. Jul 2025 - 27. Jul 2025
    The exhibition "The Fascination of Lacquer - Art from Asia and Europe" at the LWL-Museum Münster shows the diversity of lacquer art and its role in global trade relations.
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  • Museum Schloss Moyland has the world's largest collection of Joseph Beuys' work
    Tourismus NRW e.V., Museum Schloss Moyland has the world's largest collection of Joseph Beuys' work
    Marina Abramović and MAI in dialog with Joseph Beuys
    Museum Schloss Moyland, Bedburg-Hau
    13. Jul 2025 - 12. Oct 2025
    The Marina Abramović Institute is designing an art program at Museum Schloss Moyland based on artistic research in the Beuys archive and the museum's collection.
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  • Marc Chagall, The Violinist, 1911, Le violoniste, oil on canvas, 94.5 × 69.5 cm, Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Photo: Achim Kukulies, Düsseldorf
    VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2024, Marc Chagall, The Violinist, 1911, Le violoniste, oil on canvas, 94.5 × 69.5 cm, Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Photo: Achim Kukulies, Düsseldorf
    Chagall
    Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf
    12. Jul 2025 - 10. Aug 2025
    The Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen is presenting a comprehensive exhibition of the early works of the Russian-French painter Marc Chagall, highlighting his experiments with Fauvism and Cubism as well as his connection with Jewish motifs and Russian folklore.
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    Jaana Caspary
    Von der Heydt Museum, Wuppertal
    11. Oct 2025 - 8. Feb 2026
    The Von der Heydt-Museum in Wuppertal is honoring the sculptor Jaana Caspary with a comprehensive exhibition of her abstract sculptures based on everyday objects.
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  • The LWL Museum of Art and Culture is dedicated to a total of 1000 years of Western art and cultural history on 7500 square meters of exhibition space
    Elisabeth Deiters-Keul, The LWL Museum of Art and Culture is dedicated to a total of 1000 years of Western art and cultural history on 7500 square meters of exhibition space
    Kirchner. Picasso.
    LWL-Museum für Kunst und Kultur, Münster
    26. Sept 2025 - 18. Jan 2026
    The exhibition "Kirchner. Picasso." at the LWL Museum of Art and Culture examines the connections and differences between the works of these two exceptional artists.
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Music, science, society

  • The exhibition at the Neanderthal Museum focuses on the life stories of individual Neanderthal women. Life-size figures illustrate what they looked like
    H. Neumann, The exhibition at the Neanderthal Museum focuses on the life stories of individual Neanderthal women. Life-size figures illustrate what they looked like
    Stereotypical Neanderthal
    Neanderthal Museum, Mettmann
    12. Jul 2025 - 31. Aug 2025
    The special exhibition "Stereotypical Neanderthals" at the Neanderthal Museum sheds light on the diversity of prehistoric communities and offers emotional insights into the life of the Neanderthals.
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    The path to the Basic Law
    kulturinfo rheinland, Oberhausen
    12. Jul 2025 - 28. Sept 2025
    The exhibition "The Road to the Basic Law" at the LVR Industrial Museum impressively shows the emergence of German democracy through photographs by Erna Wagner-Hehmke.
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  • A historic Braun men's razor is a product of the beauty industry. It is one of the exhibits in the Behind Beauty show
    LWL-Museen für Industriekultur, A historic Braun men's razor is a product of the beauty industry. It is one of the exhibits in the Behind Beauty show
    Behind Beauty
    LWL-Museum Textilwerk, Bocholt
    12. Jul 2025 - 1. Nov 2025
    The exhibition 'Behind Beauty' at the LWL-Museum Textilwerk Bocholt questions ideals of beauty, role models and the role of advertising in the beauty industry.
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    Land and soil
    Kunstsammlung NRW | K21 Ständehaus, Düsseldorf
    29. Nov 2025 - 19. Apr 2026
    The exhibition "Grund und Boden" at the K21 of the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen reflects on the use and management of resources in modern societies. It invites discussion about a sustainable future.
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    SEX NOW
    NRW-Forum Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf
    5. Sept 2025 - 3. May 2026
    The "SEX NOW" exhibition at the NRW-Forum Düsseldorf sheds light on the transformation of the sex industry, sexual self-determination and the role of digital technologies in sexuality.
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    Democratic cultures in the Sauerland 1925-1975-2025
    Sauerland-Museum, Arnsberg
    1. Oct 2025 - 30. Jun 2026
    The special exhibition at the Sauerland Museum sheds light on the social development of the Sauerland from 1925 to 2025, with a focus on democratic cultures.
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  • Conrad Felixmüller, Child in front of a blast furnace, 1927
    LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn, Foto: Jürgen Vogel, Conrad Felixmüller, Child in front of a blast furnace, 1927
    Brave new world of work. 1890-1940
    LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn, Bonn
    13. Nov 2025 - 12. Apr 2026
    The exhibition "Brave new world of work. 1890-1940" at the LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn sheds light on the changes in the world of work and their artistic treatment.
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  • Two permanent exhibitions and regular special shows provide insights into the animal and plant world at the LWL Museum of Natural History
    LWL, Oblonczyk, Two permanent exhibitions and regular special shows provide insights into the animal and plant world at the LWL Museum of Natural History
    Genes - diversity of life
    LWL-Museum für Naturkunde, Münster
    12. Jul 2025 - 31. Dec 2025
    Discover the fascinating world of genes in the exhibition "Genes - Diversity of Life" at the LWL Museum of Natural History in Münster.
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  • View of the exhibition The Land of a Thousand Fires. Industrial pictures from the Ludwig Schönefeld Collection
    Ruhr Museum; Foto: Deimel + Wittmar, View of the exhibition The Land of a Thousand Fires. Industrial pictures from the Ludwig Schönefeld Collection
    The land of a thousand fires
    Ruhr Museum, Essen
    12. Jul 2025 - 14. Feb 2026
    The exhibition "The Land of a Thousand Fires" at the Ruhr Museum shows the fascination of heavy industry for artists since the 19th century.
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