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

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

Rococo under Construction
Schloss Augustusburg, Brühl
27. Jun 2026 - 1. Nov 2026
The special exhibition 'Rococo under Construction' sheds light on the construction of Augustusburg Palace. The palace is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Brühl Palaces.
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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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Thomas Baumgärtel - 40 years of banana sprayers
Museum Schloss Moyland, Bedburg-Hau
14. Jun 2026 - 30. Aug 2026
The large-scale exhibition "Thomas Baumgärtel - 40 years of banana sprayers" will transform the Lower Rhine into a walk-in art landscape spread across 40 locations in 2026.
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Rebecca Horn. Emotion in Motion
Cragg Foundation, Wuppertal
14. Jun 2026 - 30. Aug 2026
A comprehensive retrospective of the works of the late German artist Rebecca Horn is being presented at the Waldfrieden Sculpture Park in Wuppertal.
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Jon Rafman. Main Stream Media
K21 Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf
14. Jun 2026 - 27. Sept 2026
The Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen is presenting the first solo museum exhibition in Germany by Canadian media artist Jon Rafman, which introduces his experimental AI project 'Mainstream Media Network'.
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Beautiful & austere: the power of ornamentation
Von der Heydt Museum, Wuppertal
11. Oct 2026 - 14. Feb 2027
The Von der Heydt-Museum in Wuppertal is dedicating an exhibition to the role of ornament, pattern and geometric order in art.
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Music, science, society

Meal time! How food connects us
LWL-Museum für Archäologie und Kultur, Herne, Herne
14. Jun 2026 - 13. Sept 2026
The exhibition 'Mahlzeit! How food connects us' at the LWL Museum of Archaeology and Culture in Herne examines the cultural history of food and its social significance.
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From the wool
LVR-Industriemuseum / Tuchfabrik Müller, Euskirchen
14. Jun 2026 - 31. Dec 2026
The 'Von der Wolle' exhibition at the LVR Industrial Museum Tuchfabrik Müller sheds light on the history of wool production and its role in fashion, technology and industrialization.
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Waste. An exhibition about the global routes of waste
Dortmunder U, Dortmund
14. Jun 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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The power of rules
Stiftung Kloster Dalheim - LWL Landesmuseum für Klosterkultur, Lichtenau
14. Jun 2026 - 30. May 2027
The exhibition "The power of rules!" at Dalheim Monastery examines the role of rules in society and invites reflection.
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Amazônia. Indigenous worlds
Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn
14. Jun 2026 - 9. Aug 2026
The Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn is presenting the exhibition "Amazônia. Indigenous Worlds", which sheds light on the culture and way of life of the indigenous peoples of the Amazon region.
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Forest myth
Gasometer Oberhausen, Oberhausen
14. Jun 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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Top exhibitions

Rococo under Construction

Manifesta 16 Ruhr

Thomas Baumgärtel - 40 years of banana sprayers

Rebecca Horn. Emotion in Motion

Jon Rafman. Main Stream Media

Beautiful & austere: the power of ornamentation

Meal time! How food connects us

From the wool

Waste. An exhibition about the global routes of waste

The power of rules

Amazônia. Indigenous worlds

Forest myth

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