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

Art heaven, Kant and the climate crisisTop 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

  • The K20 on Grabbeplatz houses the permanent collection of the art collection as a place of art
    Franz Marc
    Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf
    12. Sept 2026 - 24. Jan 2027
    Art fans discover the bright colors and deeply moving themes of Franz Marc, one of the most important painters of German Expressionism, in an exhibition at the K20 in Düsseldorf.
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  • On the grounds of the Peter Behrens Building, historical machines convey individual work processes in heavy industry
    Peter Behrens - Art and technology
    LVR-Industriemuseum Peter-Behrens-Bau, Oberhausen
    7. Nov 2025 - 31. Dec 2028
    Discover the life and work of Peter Behrens, a pioneer of modern design, in the newly designed permanent exhibition at the LVR Industrial Museum in Oberhausen.
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  • From left to right: Merce Cunningham, Robert Rauschenberg, John Cage, M.C. Richards, Bob Catoin and Jasper Johns, 1958
    Five friends
    Museum Ludwig, Köln
    4. Nov 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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  • The Museum Ludwig displays works of art from classical modernism to contemporary art production on around 8000 square meters.
    Yayoi Kusama. Works from 70 years
    Museum Ludwig, Köln
    14. Mar 2026 - 2. Aug 2026
    Comprehensive retrospective of the artist Yayoi Kusama at the Museum Ludwig, Cologne, sheds light on seven decades of her work, including unpublished and new works.
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  • Photograph by Charlotte Perriand, Synthèse des Arts, Japan exhibition, 1955 (Left: Le Corbusier, Les "8", 1951)
    L'Art d'habiter. Die Kunst des Wohnens
    Kunstmuseen Krefeld, Krefeld
    4. Nov 2025 - 15. Mar 2026
    Erste große Retrospektive der französischen Architektin Charlotte Perriand in Deutschland, die das moderne Wohnen revolutionierte, präsentiert von den Kunstmuseen Krefeld.
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  • Marianna Simnett – Headless
    Max Ernst Museum Brühl des LVR, Brühl
    31. Jan 2026 - 5. Jul 2026
    Entdecken Sie die traumhaften und verstörenden Welten der Berliner Künstlerin Marianna Simnett in der Ausstellung 'Headless' im Max Ernst Museum Brühl.
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Music, science, society

  • East Frisian tea service for tea ceremony, 20th century.
    Mahlzeit! Wie uns Essen verbindet
    LWL-Museum für Archäologie und Kultur, Herne
    4. Nov 2025 - 13. Sept 2026
    Die Ausstellung 'Mahlzeit! Wie Essen uns verbindet' im LWL-Museum für Archäologie und Kultur in Herne untersucht die Kulturgeschichte des Essens und seine soziale Bedeutung.
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  • 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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  • The Hermann Monument is a symbol that has taken on a number of different roles over the course of 150 years
    Think:times! 150 years of the Hermann Monument
    Lippisches Landesmuseum, Detmold
    22. Nov 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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  • Members of the Artists' Association of Congolese Plantation Workers (CAPTC) in Lusanga, Congo. from left to right: Olele Mulela Mabamba, Irène Kanga, Huguette Kilembi, Jérémie Mabiala, Jean Kawata, Mbuku Kimpala, Ced'art Tamasala and Matthieu Kasiama. In the background the exhibition space White Cube
    Land and soil
    K21 Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf
    29. Nov 2025 - 19. Apr 2026
    The exhibition "Grund und Boden" at the K21 of the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen reflects on the use and management of resources in modern societies. It invites discussion about a sustainable future.
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  • AMAZONIA - Photographs by SEBASTIÃO SALGADO
    Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum: Kulturen der Welt, Köln
    4. Nov 2025 - 15. Mar 2026
    Sebastião Salgado's photography exhibition in Cologne for the first time
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  • Solvin Zankl, long-eared owl
    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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