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

Foto: Achim Kukulies, Ausstellungsansicht der Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen

Art heaven, Kant and the climate crisis

Top exhibitions

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

Seeing Kollwitz anew
Käthe Kollwitz Museum Köln, Köln
6. Dec 2025 - 15. Mar 2026
Following extensive refurbishment, the Käthe Kollwitz Museum Cologne is presenting the opening exhibition "Kollwitz revisited", which features both classics and rarely shown works by the artist.
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Genossin Sonne
Dortmunder U, Dortmund
6. Dec 2025 - 18. Jan 2026
Kulturfans erkunden die Ausstellung 'Genossin Sonne' im Dortmunder U, die Kunst, Astronomie und Theorie verbindet und die Rolle des Kosmos in historischen Prozessen beleuchtet.
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Von Louise Bourgeois bis Yoko Ono. Schmuck von Künstlerinnen
Museum für Angewandte Kunst Köln, Köln
6. Dec 2025 - 26. Apr 2026
Das MAKK präsentiert eine Sonderausstellung mit Schmuckentwürfen von Künstlerinnen des 20. und 21. Jahrhunderts, darunter Werke von Louise Bourgeois und Yoko Ono.
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The secret power of fragrances
Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf
6. Dec 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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The fascination of jewelry. 7000 years of jewelry art at the MAKK
Museum für Angewandte Kunst Köln, Köln
6. Dec 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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W.I.M. The art of seeing
Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn
6. Dec 2025 - 11. Jan 2026
The Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn is honoring the renowned director Wim Wenders with an exhibition that sheds light on his multifaceted work and presents his artistic development.
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Music, science, society

Think:times! 150 years of the Hermann Monument
Lippisches Landesmuseum, Detmold
6. Dec 2025 - 26. Apr 2026
To mark the 150th anniversary of the Hermann Monument, the Lippisches Landesmuseum Detmold is presenting a multimedia exhibition that sheds light on the colossal statue as a symbol of German identity and history.
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1,250 years of Westphalia
LWL-Museum in der Kaiserpfalz, Paderborn
6. Dec 2025 - 28. Feb 2026
Celebration of the 1250th anniversary of Westphalia in 2025 with an anniversary program and exhibitions at the LWL Museum in the Kaiserpfalz in Paderborn. The history and culture of the region are told here.
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Behind Beauty
LWL-Museum Textilwerk, Bocholt
6. Dec 2025 - 1. Nov 2026
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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AMAZONIA - Photographs by SEBASTIÃO SALGADO
Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum: Kulturen der Welt, Köln
6. Dec 2025 - 15. Mar 2026
The exhibition 'AMAZONIA - Photographs by Sebastião Salgado' at the Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum in Cologne presents haunting black and white images of the Amazon region and its inhabitants, accompanied by a sound installation by Jean-Michel Jarre.
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Forest myth
Gasometer Oberhausen, Oberhausen
20. Mar 2026 - 30. Dec 2026
The 'Mythos Wald' exhibition in the Gasometer Oberhausen shows the biodiversity of forests worldwide and raises awareness for their protection.
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SEX NOW
NRW-Forum, Düsseldorf
6. Dec 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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