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

Manifesta 16 Ruhr
Manifesta 16 Ruhr Office, c/o Regionalverband Ruhr, Essen
26. Jul 2026 - 4. Oct 2026
Manifesta 16 Ruhr, a major European traveling biennial for contemporary art, will take place in the Ruhr region in 2026 and will use empty post-war churches as exhibition venues.
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The fascination of jewelry. 7000 years of jewelry art at the MAKK
Museum für Angewandte Kunst Köln, Köln
26. Jul 2026 - 30. Dec 2026
Discover the impressive exhibition 'Fascination Jewelry. 7000 years of jewelry history with 370 exhibits can be admired here.
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Yayoi Kusama. Works from 70 years
Museum Ludwig, Köln
26. 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of the artist Yayoi Kusama at the Museum Ludwig, Cologne, sheds light on seven decades of her work, including unpublished and new works.
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Anish Kapoor
Lehmbruck Museum, Duisburg
26. Jul 2026 - 30. Aug 2026
Discover Anish Kapoor's most extensive exhibition in Germany for over a decade, highlighting his life's work at the Lehmbruck Museum.
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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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Layers and Cuts: Chinese Lacquer Art
Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst, Köln
26. Jul 2026 - 31. Jan 2027
Kulturfans lernen die faszinierende Welt der chinesischen Lackkunst in der Sonderausstellung „Schichten und Schnitte“ im Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst Köln kennen.
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Music, science, society

The power of rules
Stiftung Kloster Dalheim - LWL Landesmuseum für Klosterkultur, Lichtenau
26. 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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Survival
Ruhr Museum, Essen
26. Jul 2026 - 5. Sept 2027
The state paleontology exhibition “überLeben” in North Rhine-Westphalia offers insights into prehistoric worlds and shows how life and landscapes have changed over millions of years.
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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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Meal time! How food connects us
LWL-Museum für Archäologie und Kultur, Herne, Herne
26. 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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From the wool
LVR-Industriemuseum / Tuchfabrik Müller, Euskirchen
26. Jul 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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Two million years of migration
Neanderthal Museum, Mettmann
26. 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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Top exhibitions

Manifesta 16 Ruhr

The fascination of jewelry. 7000 years of jewelry art at the MAKK

Yayoi Kusama. Works from 70 years

Anish Kapoor

Niki de Saint Phalle. Dream Machine

Layers and Cuts: Chinese Lacquer Art

The power of rules

Survival

Paris: A Place of Refuge

Meal time! How food connects us

From the wool

Two million years of migration

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