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

Arts, Crafts, and Bridge
Kunstmuseen Krefeld, Krefeld
4. Oct 2026 - 7. Mar 2027
The exhibition "Kunst Hand Werk Brücke" showcases the arts and crafts of the Brücke group of artists at Haus Lange, part of the Krefeld Art Museums.
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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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Rubens and His Workshop
Siegerlandmuseum, Siegen
25. Apr 2027 - 18. Jul 2027
The special exhibition “Rubens and His Workshop” at the Siegerlandmuseum celebrates the 450th birthday of the Baroque artist Peter Paul Rubens with national and international loans.
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Hans Georg Esch. The Architectural Gaze
Museum für Angewandte Kunst Köln, Köln
11. Jul 2026 - 27. Sept 2026
The Museum of Applied Arts (MAKK) is dedicating an exhibition to the German photographer Hans Georg Esch, which takes visitors on a visual journey through the history of architecture and the present day.
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Along the Color Line
Museum Ludwig, Köln
3. Oct 2026 - 7. Mar 2027
The anniversary exhibition “Along the Color Line” at the Museum Ludwig in Cologne explores the art of the international Black diaspora and its influence on European modernism.
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Thomas Baumgärtel - 40 years of banana sprayers
Museum Schloss Moyland, Bedburg-Hau
11. Jul 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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Music, science, society

Two million years of migration
Neanderthal Museum, Mettmann
11. Jul 2026 - 1. Nov 2026
The exhibition "Two Million Years of Migration" at the Neanderthal Museum in Mettmann sheds light on the deep-rooted mobility in human history.
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Wanderlust. On the road with Felix the rabbit
LWL-Museum für Kunst und Kultur, Münster
11. Jul 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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Meal time! How food connects us
LWL-Museum für Archäologie und Kultur, Herne, Herne
11. Jul 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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The power of rules
Stiftung Kloster Dalheim - LWL Landesmuseum für Klosterkultur, Lichtenau
11. Jul 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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Paris: A Place of Refuge
LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn, Bonn
1. Oct 2026 - 24. Jan 2027
The exhibition “Fluchtpunkt Paris” at the LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn explores the cultural life of Paris in the 1920s and 1930s through the photographs of Gisèle Freund, Rogi André, and Madame d’Ora.
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Cared for! - Company welfare at GHH
kulturinfo rheinland, Oberhausen
11. Jul 2026 - 16. May 2027
The photo exhibition "Cared for! - Corporate welfare at GHH" at the LVR Industrial Museum St. Antony-Hütte in Oberhausen sheds light on social responsibility in the industrial history of the Ruhr region.
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