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

Thomas Baumgärtel - 40 years of banana sprayers
Museum Schloss Moyland, Bedburg-Hau
27. 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.
Learn more
Thomas Schütte
K21 Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf
14. Nov 2026 - 18. Apr 2027
Overview of the diverse work of the influential artist Thomas Schütte in the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, including sculptures, watercolors and installations.
Learn more
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.
Learn more
Jon Rafman. Main Stream Media
K21 Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf
30. May 2026 - 27. Sept 2026
The Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen is presenting the first solo museum exhibition in Germany by Canadian media artist Jon Rafman, which introduces his experimental AI project 'Mainstream Media Network'.
Learn more
Anish Kapoor
Lehmbruck Museum, Duisburg
27. May 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.
Learn more
Ludwiggalerie Schloss Oberhausen, Oberhausen
20. Sept 2026 - 17. Jan 2027
Learn more

Music, science, society

ASIA POP
NRW-Forum, Düsseldorf
18. Sept 2026 - 30. May 2027
The exhibition 'ASIA POP' at the NRW-Forum Düsseldorf presents the diversity of East Asian pop culture with over 400 exhibits from September 18, 2026.
Learn more
Waste. An exhibition about the global routes of waste
Dortmunder U, Dortmund
27. 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.
Learn more
Two million years of migration
Neanderthal Museum, Mettmann
27. May 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.
Learn more
From the wool
LVR-Industriemuseum / Tuchfabrik Müller, Euskirchen
27. 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.
Learn more
Forest myth
Gasometer Oberhausen, Oberhausen
27. 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.
Learn more
The power of rules
Stiftung Kloster Dalheim - LWL Landesmuseum für Klosterkultur, Lichtenau
27. May 2026 - 30. May 2027
The exhibition "The power of rules!" at Dalheim Monastery examines the role of rules in society and invites reflection.
Learn more

Top exhibitions

Thomas Baumgärtel - 40 years of banana sprayers

Thomas Schütte

After Damascus...

Jon Rafman. Main Stream Media

Anish Kapoor

ASIA POP

Waste. An exhibition about the global routes of waste

Two million years of migration

From the wool

Forest myth

The power of rules

Newsletter