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

  • Genossin Sonne
    Dortmunder U, Dortmund
    24. Oct 2025 - 18. Jan 2026
    Kulturfans erkunden die Ausstellung 'Genossin Sonne' im Dortmunder U, die Kunst, Astronomie und Theorie verbindet und die Rolle des Kosmos in historischen Prozessen beleuchtet.
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  • Jaana Caspary
    Von der Heydt Museum, Wuppertal
    24. Oct 2025 - 8. Feb 2026
    The Von der Heydt-Museum in Wuppertal is honoring the sculptor Jaana Caspary with a comprehensive exhibition of her abstract sculptures based on everyday objects.
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  • William Kentridge, drawing for the self-portrait As a Coffee Pot (2 Private Thoughts), 2021
    William Kentridge. Triumphs and laments
    Museum Folkwang, Essen
    24. Oct 2025 - 18. Jan 2026
    The exhibition 'William Kentridge. Triumphs and Lamentations' at the Museum Folkwang honors the South African artist on the occasion of his 70th birthday and presents his multifaceted work.
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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of the artist Yayoi Kusama at the Museum Ludwig, Cologne, sheds light on seven decades of her work, including unpublished and new works.
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  • From left to right: Merce Cunningham, Robert Rauschenberg, John Cage, M.C. Richards, Bob Catoin and Jasper Johns, 1958
    Five friends
    Museum Ludwig, Köln
    24. 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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  • 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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Music, science, society

  • Martin de Crignis, the beauty & the boys, 2023, photograph from the series the beauty and the boys, poster print, 40 cm x 60 cm
    SEX NOW
    NRW-Forum, Düsseldorf
    24. Oct 2025 - 3. May 2026
    The "SEX NOW" exhibition at the NRW-Forum Düsseldorf sheds light on the transformation of the sex industry, sexual self-determination and the role of digital technologies in sexuality.
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  • Underwater robot explores the deep sea
    Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn
    24. Oct 2025 - 6. Apr 2026
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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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  • The museum extension has provided space for special exhibitions since 2019. Three cube-shaped floors are gracefully embedded in the beautiful Arnsberg landscape on the edge of the slope facing Ruhrstrasse
    Democratic cultures in the Sauerland 1925-1975-2025
    Sauerland-Museum, Arnsberg
    24. Oct 2025 - 12. Apr 2026
    The special exhibition at the Sauerland Museum sheds light on the social development of the Sauerland from 1925 to 2025, with a focus on democratic cultures.
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  • Countless exhibits let guests dream of racing in the Formula 1® exhibition
    Formula 1® exhibition
    FKP Scorpio Entertainment GmbH, Oberhausen
    24. Oct 2025 - 22. Mar 2026
    The international Formula 1® exhibition in Oberhausen offers a multimedia experience with original racing cars, unpublished material and a racing simulator.
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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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