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

  • The Kunstsammlung NRW presents top-class exhibitions at regular intervals
    Kunstsammlung NRW, Sebastian Drueen, The Kunstsammlung NRW presents top-class exhibitions at regular intervals
    Forgotten avant-garde - queer modernism
    Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf
    20. Sept 2025 - 15. Feb 2026
    The exhibition "Forgotten Avant-Garde - Queer Modernism" at the K20 of the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen honors the revolutionary contribution of queer artists to modernism.
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  • Maurice de Vlaminck,
The Seine at Bougival, 1906, Hasso Plattner Collection
    VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2025, Maurice de Vlaminck, The Seine at Bougival, 1906, Hasso Plattner Collection
    Maurice de Vlaminck: Rebel of modernism
    Von der Heydt Museum, Wuppertal
    22. Mar 2025 - 18. May 2025
    First comprehensive retrospective of the French painter Maurice de Vlaminck in Germany, presented by the Von der Heydt-Museum and the Museum Barberini.
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  • Oberhausen Palace is a central point of contact for fans of the visual arts
    Ludwiggalerie Schloss Oberhausen, Foto: Thomas Wolf, Oberhausen Palace is a central point of contact for fans of the visual arts
    I say. LORIOT - artist, critic and caricaturist
    Ludwiggalerie Schloss Oberhausen, Oberhausen
    22. Mar 2025 - 18. May 2025
    The Ludwiggalerie Schloss Oberhausen is honoring Vicco von Bülow, better known as Loriot, in an exhibition that sheds light on his multifaceted career as an artist and social critic.
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  • From left to right: Merce Cunningham, Robert Rauschenberg, John Cage, M.C. Richards, Bob Catoin and Jasper Johns, 1958
    Museum Ludwig, From left to right: Merce Cunningham, Robert Rauschenberg, John Cage, M.C. Richards, Bob Catoin and Jasper Johns, 1958
    Five friends
    Museum Ludwig, Köln
    3. Oct 2025 - 11. Jan 2026
    The exhibition "Five Friends" at the Museum Ludwig sheds light on the relationships and influence of five influential artists of the 20th century on post-war art.
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  • 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
    22. Mar 2025 - 13. Apr 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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  • 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 Bastille, 1953, oil on canvas, private collection
    Comité Chagall, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2024, Marc Chagall, The Bastille, 1953, oil on canvas, private collection
    Marc Chagall - Visual languages
    Kunstmuseum Pablo Picasso Münster, Münster
    22. Mar 2025 - 8. Jun 2025
    The exhibition "Marc Chagall - Visual Languages" shows the connection between art and literature in the work of the painter-poet, with over 100 paintings, drawings and graphics.
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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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  • NZHANNA KADYROVA (Brovary, Ucraina / Ukraine, 1981), Palianytsia. Ukraine, 2022, river stone sculptures
    dimensioni varie / various dimensions, Courtesy Galleria Continua and Bangkok Art Biennale, Photo by Preecha Pattaraumpornchai, NZHANNA KADYROVA (Brovary, Ucraina / Ukraine, 1981), Palianytsia. Ukraine, 2022, river stone sculptures
    At the table
    Dortmunder U, Dortmund
    9. May 2025 - 20. Jul 2025
    The "At the Table" exhibition at the Dortmunder U uses contemporary art to shed light on the social and cultural significance of eating and drinking together.
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Music, science, society

  • 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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  • Imperial palace with St. Bartholomew's Chapel
    Karl Heinz Schäfer, Tourist Information Paderborn, Imperial palace with St. Bartholomew's Chapel
    1,250 years of Westphalia
    LWL-Museum in der Kaiserpfalz, Paderborn
    1. May 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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  • 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
    25. May 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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  • 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
    22. Mar 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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  • Room attendant in the plenary chamber of the German Bundestag, 17.6.1971
    J.H. Darchinger/Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Room attendant in the plenary chamber of the German Bundestag, 17.6.1971
    Jupp Darchinger. The eye of the republic
    LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn, Bonn
    12. Jun 2025 - 14. Sept 2025
    The anniversary exhibition "Jupp Darchinger. The Eye of the Republic" at the LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn honors the photographer who documented the Bonn Republic.
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  • Emmanuele Baccinelli, Phantomias, private collection
    Disney, Emmanuele Baccinelli, Phantomias, private collection
    Superheroes
    NRW-Forum Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf
    22. Mar 2025 - 11. May 2025
    The NRW-Forum in Düsseldorf is presenting an exhibition about superheroes, who are icons of pop culture and symbols of democracy and hope.
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  • Couple in front of industrial plant
    LVR-Industriemuseum, Fotografin: Anne Winterer, Couple in front of industrial plant
    Anne Winterer - Rhineland and Ruhr region in view
    LVR-Industriemuseum St. Antony-Hütte, Oberhausen
    22. Mar 2025 - 22. Jun 2025
    The exhibition 'Anne Winterer - Rheinland und Ruhrgebiet im Blick' at the LVR Industrial Museum shows over 60 photographs from the 1920s and 1930s, which offer a unique insight into people's lives at that time.
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  • The award-winning underwater photographer Tobias Friedrich has captured a blue shark in a picture. Guests can now marvel at the photo
    Tobias Friedrich, The award-winning underwater photographer Tobias Friedrich has captured a blue shark in a picture. Guests can now marvel at the photo
    Planet Ocean
    Gasometer Oberhausen, Oberhausen
    14. Apr 2025 - 30. Nov 2025
    The 'Planet Ocean' exhibition in the Gasometer Oberhausen presents the beauty of the world's oceans through large-format photographs, films and immersive installations.
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  • The LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn is one of the oldest museums in Germany. Its façade radiates modernity
    LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn, The LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn is one of the oldest museums in Germany. Its façade radiates modernity
    MUSIC! feel the beat
    LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn, Bonn
    22. Mar 2025 - 27. Apr 2025
    The "MUSIC! Feel the Beat" exhibition at the LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn shows the unifying power of music and the development of music technology.
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