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

Jörg Immendorff
Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf
25. Sept 2026 - 10. Jan 2027
The first comprehensive retrospective of the renowned German artist Jörg Immendorff at the Kunstpalast in Düsseldorf, featuring previously unseen works and archival materials.
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Visions of Modernism - August Macke and Max Ernst
Museum August Macke Haus, Bonn
24. Jul 2026 - 23. Aug 2026
The exhibition "Visions of Modernism - August Macke and Max Ernst" at the Museum August Macke Haus Bonn shows the beginnings of Max Ernst and his connection to August Macke.
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Katharina Sieverding & Joseph Beuys
Museum Schloss Moyland, Bedburg-Hau
11. Oct 2026 - 7. Feb 2027
The special exhibition "Katharina Sieverding & Joseph Beuys - Jeder Mensch ein Künstler..." at Museum Schloss Moyland sheds light on the artists' time together at the Düsseldorf Art Academy and their political and social concerns.
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Arts, Crafts, and Bridge
Kunstmuseen Krefeld, Krefeld
4. Oct 2026 - 7. Mar 2027
The exhibition "Kunst Hand Werk Brücke" showcases the arts and crafts of the Brücke group of artists at Haus Lange, part of the Krefeld Art Museums.
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Thomas Baumgärtel - 40 years of banana sprayers
Museum Schloss Moyland, Bedburg-Hau
24. Jul 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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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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Music, science, society

Two million years of migration
Neanderthal Museum, Mettmann
24. 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
24. 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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Waste. An exhibition about the global routes of waste
Dortmunder U, Dortmund
24. Jul 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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Wanderlust. On the road with Felix the rabbit
LWL-Museum für Kunst und Kultur, Münster
24. 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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The history of the Lower Rhine
LVR-Niederrheinmuseum Wesel, Wesel
24. Jul 2026 - 31. Dec 2026
The new permanent exhibition at the LVR-Niederrheinmuseum Wesel sheds light on the history of the Lower Rhine and links regional developments with global themes.
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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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