Bienenwaben Installation im Folkwang Museum in Essen
Tourismus NRW e.V., Bienenwaben Installation im Folkwang Museum in Essen
Ausstellungsansicht der Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen
Foto: Achim Kukulies, Ausstellungsansicht der Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen

Kusama, Courbet and lots of Monet

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

  • To Page Chained to the Rhythm. Of man and nature

    Chained to the Rhythm. Of man and nature

    Museumsverein Morsbroich e.V., Leverkusen
    12. May 2026 - 7. Jun 2026
    The Museum Morsbroich is celebrating its 75th anniversary with a unique exhibition that combines nature and culture and challenges traditional museum rules.
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  • To Page Katharina Sieverding & Joseph Beuys

    Katharina Sieverding & Joseph Beuys

    Museum Schloss Moyland, Bedburg-Hau
    11. Oct 2026 - 7. Feb 2027
    The special exhibition "Katharina Sieverding & Joseph Beuys - Jeder Mensch ein Künstler..." at Museum Schloss Moyland sheds light on the artists' time together at the Düsseldorf Art Academy and their political and social concerns.
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    Ludwiggalerie Schloss Oberhausen, Oberhausen
    20. Sept 2026 - 17. Jan 2027
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  • To Page Manifesta 16 Ruhr

    Manifesta 16 Ruhr

    Manifesta 16 Ruhr Office, c/o Regionalverband Ruhr, Essen
    21. Jun 2026 - 4. Oct 2026
    Manifesta 16 Ruhr, a major European traveling biennial for contemporary art, will take place in the Ruhr region in 2026 and will use empty post-war churches as exhibition venues.
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  • To Page Anish Kapoor

    Anish Kapoor

    Lehmbruck Museum, Duisburg
    12. May 2026 - 30. Aug 2026
    Discover Anish Kapoor's most extensive exhibition in Germany for over a decade, highlighting his life's work at the Lehmbruck Museum.
    Learn more
  • To Page After Damascus...

    After Damascus...

    Museum Folkwang, Essen
    6. Nov 2026 - 21. Feb 2027
    The exhibition "After Damascus ... Karl Ernst Osthaus and the Islamic Arts" at Museum Folkwang sheds light on the museum founder's Islamic art collection and its impact on design and architecture.
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Music, science, society

  • To Page Wanderlust. On the road with Felix the rabbit

    Wanderlust. On the road with Felix the rabbit

    LWL-Museum für Kunst und Kultur, Münster
    12. May 2026 - 13. Sept 2026
    The exhibition 'Wanderlustig. On the road with Felix the rabbit' at the LWL-Museum Münster offers an interactive journey around the world through art, culture and sustainable tourism.
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  • To Page ASIA POP

    ASIA POP

    NRW-Forum, Düsseldorf
    18. Sept 2026 - 30. May 2027
    The exhibition 'ASIA POP' at the NRW-Forum Düsseldorf presents the diversity of East Asian pop culture with over 400 exhibits from September 18, 2026.
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  • To Page Waste. An exhibition about the global routes of waste

    Waste. An exhibition about the global routes of waste

    Dortmunder U, Dortmund
    12. May 2026 - 26. Jul 2026
    Discover the special exhibition 'Müll' at Museum Ostwall, Dortmund, which highlights global waste flows and environmental issues through art since the 1960s.
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  • To Page Forest myth

    Forest myth

    Gasometer Oberhausen, Oberhausen
    12. May 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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  • SUPERHEROES - The story of Musiala and Wirtz

    Deutsches Fußballmuseum, Dortmund
    12. May 2026 - 31. May 2026
    In 2026, the German Football Museum presents the exhibition 'SUPERHEROES - The Story of Musiala and Wirtz', a multimedia tribute to the soccer stars.
    Learn more
  • To Page Behind Beauty

    Behind Beauty

    LWL-Museum Textilwerk, Bocholt
    12. May 2026 - 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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