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

Franz Marc
Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf
12. Sept 2026 - 24. Jan 2027
Art fans discover the bright colors and deeply moving themes of Franz Marc, one of the most important painters of German Expressionism, in an exhibition at the K20 in Düsseldorf.
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Emma Talbot meets Johan Thorn Prikker
Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, Krefeld
19. Jul 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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Rubens and His Workshop
Siegerlandmuseum, Siegen
25. Apr 2027 - 18. Jul 2027
The special exhibition “Rubens and His Workshop” at the Siegerlandmuseum celebrates the 450th birthday of the Baroque artist Peter Paul Rubens with national and international loans.
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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.
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Color! Color!
Cragg Foundation, Wuppertal
12. Sept 2026 - 3. Jan 2027
Discover the exhibition “Color! Color!” at the Waldfrieden Sculpture Park in Wuppertal, which showcases the work of the artists Baumeister, Schlemmer, and Krause.
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Thomas Baumgärtel - 40 years of banana sprayers
Museum Schloss Moyland, Bedburg-Hau
19. 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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Music, science, society

From the wool
LVR-Industriemuseum / Tuchfabrik Müller, Euskirchen
19. 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
19. 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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The power of rules
Stiftung Kloster Dalheim - LWL Landesmuseum für Klosterkultur, Lichtenau
19. 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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ASIA POP
NRW-Forum, Düsseldorf
17. Sept 2026 - 23. 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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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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The history of the Lower Rhine
LVR-Niederrheinmuseum Wesel, Wesel
19. 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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Top exhibitions

Franz Marc

Emma Talbot meets Johan Thorn Prikker

Rubens and His Workshop

After Damascus...

Color! Color!

Thomas Baumgärtel - 40 years of banana sprayers

From the wool

Two million years of migration

The power of rules

ASIA POP

PLAYMOBIL – Journey Through Time: Neanderthal

The history of the Lower Rhine

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