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

Chained to the Rhythm. Of man and nature
Museumsverein Morsbroich e.V., Leverkusen
21. 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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Beautiful anarchy. Johan Thorn Prikker and his time
Kunstmuseen Krefeld, Krefeld
21. May 2026 - 27. Jun 2027
The exhibition "Beautiful Anarchy. Johan Thorn Prikker and his time" at the Kaiser Wilhelm Museum pays tribute to the Dutch artist with a major retrospective.
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Ludwiggalerie Schloss Oberhausen, Oberhausen
20. Sept 2026 - 17. Jan 2027
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Rupprecht Geiger. Color - Light - Energy
Kunstquartier Hagen, Hagen
21. May 2026 - 7. Jun 2026
The exhibition 'Rupprecht Geiger - Color - Light - Energy' at the Emil Schumacher Museum in Hagen presents 70 works by the important color field painter until June 2026.
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The lunar year of the horse
Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst, Köln
21. May 2026 - 31. Jan 2027
The exhibition "The Lunar Year of the Horse" at the Museum of East Asian Art in Cologne sheds light on the cultural significance of the horse in China, Korea and Japan.
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Thomas Baumgärtel - 40 years of banana sprayers
Museum Schloss Moyland, Bedburg-Hau
21. May 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

From the wool
LVR-Industriemuseum / Tuchfabrik Müller, Euskirchen
21. May 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
21. 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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Amazônia. Indigenous worlds
Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn
21. May 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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Meal time! How food connects us
LWL-Museum für Archäologie und Kultur, Herne, Herne
21. May 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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Forest myth
Gasometer Oberhausen, Oberhausen
21. 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
21. 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.
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Top exhibitions

Chained to the Rhythm. Of man and nature

Beautiful anarchy. Johan Thorn Prikker and his time

Rupprecht Geiger. Color - Light - Energy

The lunar year of the horse

Thomas Baumgärtel - 40 years of banana sprayers

From the wool

Waste. An exhibition about the global routes of waste

Amazônia. Indigenous worlds

Meal time! How food connects us

Forest myth

SUPERHEROES - The story of Musiala and Wirtz

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