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

Marianna Simnett - Headless
Max Ernst Museum Brühl des LVR, Brühl
1. Jul 2026 - 5. Jul 2026
Discover the dreamlike and disturbing worlds of Berlin artist Marianna Simnett in the exhibition 'Headless' at the Max Ernst Museum Brühl.
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I, Gustave Courbet
Museum Folkwang, Essen
17. Jul 2026 - 8. Nov 2026
From July 2026, the exhibition "I, Gustave Courbet - Painter and Rebel" at Museum Folkwang will shed light on the radical work and political commitment of the French painter Gustave Courbet.
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Layers and Cuts: Chinese Lacquer Art
Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst, Köln
1. 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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Anish Kapoor
Lehmbruck Museum, Duisburg
1. 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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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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Hans Georg Esch. The Architectural Gaze
Museum für Angewandte Kunst Köln, Köln
1. Jul 2026 - 27. Sept 2026
The Museum of Applied Arts (MAKK) is dedicating an exhibition to the German photographer Hans Georg Esch, which takes visitors on a visual journey through the history of architecture and the present day.
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Music, science, society

The history of the Lower Rhine
LVR-Niederrheinmuseum Wesel, Wesel
1. 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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Waste. An exhibition about the global routes of waste
Dortmunder U, Dortmund
1. 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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Forest myth
Gasometer Oberhausen, Oberhausen
1. Jul 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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Amazônia. Indigenous worlds
Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn
1. Jul 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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From the wool
LVR-Industriemuseum / Tuchfabrik Müller, Euskirchen
1. 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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Meal time! How food connects us
LWL-Museum für Archäologie und Kultur, Herne, Herne
1. 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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Top exhibitions

Marianna Simnett - Headless

I, Gustave Courbet

Layers and Cuts: Chinese Lacquer Art

Anish Kapoor

Katharina Sieverding & Joseph Beuys

Hans Georg Esch. The Architectural Gaze

The history of the Lower Rhine

Waste. An exhibition about the global routes of waste

Forest myth

Amazônia. Indigenous worlds

From the wool

Meal time! How food connects us

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