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

Ludwiggalerie Schloss Oberhausen, Oberhausen
20. Sept 2026 - 17. Jan 2027
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After Damascus...
Museum Folkwang, Essen
6. Nov 2026 - 21. Feb 2027
The exhibition "After Damascus ... Karl Ernst Osthaus and the Islamic Arts" at Museum Folkwang sheds light on the museum founder's Islamic art collection and its impact on design and architecture.
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Color! Color!
Cragg Foundation, Wuppertal
12. Sept 2026 - 3. Jan 2027
Discover the exhibition “Color! Color!” at the Waldfrieden Sculpture Park in Wuppertal, which showcases the work of the artists Baumeister, Schlemmer, and Krause.
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Yayoi Kusama. Works from 70 years
Museum Ludwig, Köln
29. Jul 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of the artist Yayoi Kusama at the Museum Ludwig, Cologne, sheds light on seven decades of her work, including unpublished and new works.
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Niki de Saint Phalle. Dream Machine
Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf
10. Sept 2026 - 7. Feb 2027
The exhibition "Niki de Saint Phalle: Dream Machine" at the Kunstpalast in Düsseldorf showcases the diverse body of work by the French-American artist.
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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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Music, science, society

Two million years of migration
Neanderthal Museum, Mettmann
29. 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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Behind Beauty
LWL-Museum Textilwerk, Bocholt
29. Jul 2026 - 1. Nov 2026
The exhibition 'Behind Beauty' at the LWL-Museum Textilwerk Bocholt questions ideals of beauty, role models and the role of advertising in the beauty industry.
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Cared for! - Company welfare at GHH
kulturinfo rheinland, Oberhausen
29. 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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Wanderlust. On the road with Felix the rabbit
LWL-Museum für Kunst und Kultur, Münster
29. 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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PLAYMOBIL – Journey Through Time: Neanderthal
Neanderthal Museum, Mettmann
21. Nov 2026 - 31. Oct 2027
The Neanderthal Museum presents the history of Neanderthals through detailed PLAYMOBIL dioramas in the special exhibition “PLAYMOBIL – A Journey Through Time to Neanderthal Times.”
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Beethoven by Warhol
Verein Beethoven Haus, Bonn
9. Sept 2026 - 5. Apr 2027
To mark the Beethoven Year 2027, the Beethoven House in Bonn is hosting the exhibition “Beethoven by Warhol,” which features Andy Warhol’s silkscreen series “Beethoven 1987” and other Beethoven-related works of art.
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Top exhibitions

After Damascus...

Color! Color!

Yayoi Kusama. Works from 70 years

Niki de Saint Phalle. Dream Machine

Rubens and His Workshop

Two million years of migration

Behind Beauty

Cared for! - Company welfare at GHH

Wanderlust. On the road with Felix the rabbit

PLAYMOBIL – Journey Through Time: Neanderthal

Beethoven by Warhol

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