Bienenwaben Installation im Folkwang Museum in Essen
Tourismus NRW e.V., Bienenwaben Installation im Folkwang Museum in Essen
Ausstellungsansicht der Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen
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

  • To Page After Damascus...

    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

  • Rococo under Construction

    Schloss Augustusburg, Brühl
    27. Jun 2026 - 1. Nov 2026
    The special exhibition 'Rococo under Construction' sheds light on the construction of Augustusburg Palace. The palace is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Brühl Palaces.
    Learn more
  • To Page

    Ludwiggalerie Schloss Oberhausen, Oberhausen
    20. Sept 2026 - 17. Jan 2027
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  • To Page The fascination of jewelry. 7000 years of jewelry art at the MAKK

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

    Museum für Angewandte Kunst Köln, Köln
    16. Jun 2026 - 30. Dec 2026
    Discover the impressive exhibition 'Fascination Jewelry. 7000 years of jewelry history with 370 exhibits can be admired here.
    Learn more
  • To Page Emma Talbot meets Johan Thorn Prikker

    Emma Talbot meets Johan Thorn Prikker

    Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, Krefeld
    16. Jun 2026 - 24. Jan 2027
    In her latest exhibition, British artist Emma Talbot explores Johan Thorn Prikker's monumental mural cycle "Ages of Life", which is on display at the Kaiser Wilhelm Museum in Krefeld.
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  • To Page Beautiful & austere: the power of ornamentation

    Beautiful & austere: the power of ornamentation

    Von der Heydt Museum, Wuppertal
    11. Oct 2026 - 14. Feb 2027
    The Von der Heydt-Museum in Wuppertal is dedicating an exhibition to the role of ornament, pattern and geometric order in art.
    Learn more
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Music, science, society

  • From the wool

    LVR-Industriemuseum / Tuchfabrik Müller, Euskirchen
    16. Jun 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
  • To Page Behind Beauty

    Behind Beauty

    LWL-Museum Textilwerk, Bocholt
    16. Jun 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.
    Learn more
  • To Page The history of the Lower Rhine

    The history of the Lower Rhine

    LVR-Niederrheinmuseum Wesel, Wesel
    16. Jun 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.
    Learn more
  • To Page Waste. An exhibition about the global routes of waste

    Waste. An exhibition about the global routes of waste

    Dortmunder U, Dortmund
    16. Jun 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
  • To Page Cared for! - Company welfare at GHH

    Cared for! - Company welfare at GHH

    kulturinfo rheinland, Oberhausen
    10. 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.
    Learn more
  • To Page ASIA POP

    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.
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