Bienenwaben Installation im Folkwang Museum in Essen
Tourismus NRW e.V., Bienenwaben Installation im Folkwang Museum in Essen

Top exhibitionsArt heaven, Kant and the climate crisis

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

  • Tourismus NRW Logo
    The fascination of lacquer - art from Asia and Europe
    LWL-Museum für Kunst und Kultur, Münster
    12. Jul 2025 - 27. Jul 2025
    The exhibition "The Fascination of Lacquer - Art from Asia and Europe" at the LWL-Museum Münster shows the diversity of lacquer art and its role in global trade relations.
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  • Federico Cuatlacuatl, Xochipitzahuatl-Nova, 2024, 3-channel video installation (still)
    David Morales, Federico Cuatlacuatl, Xochipitzahuatl-Nova, 2024, 3-channel video installation (still)
    Hypercreatures
    Max Ernst Museum Brühl des LVR, Brühl
    12. Jul 2025 - 5. Oct 2025
    The 'Hypercreatures' exhibition at the Max Ernst Museum Brühl examines surrealist hybrid figures that combine elements of animal, machine, human and plant.
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  • Museum Schloss Moyland has the world's largest collection of Joseph Beuys' work
    Tourismus NRW e.V., Museum Schloss Moyland has the world's largest collection of Joseph Beuys' work
    Marina Abramović and MAI in dialog with Joseph Beuys
    Museum Schloss Moyland, Bedburg-Hau
    13. Jul 2025 - 12. Oct 2025
    The Marina Abramović Institute is designing an art program at Museum Schloss Moyland based on artistic research in the Beuys archive and the museum's collection.
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    Picasso - Miró - Chagall
    Abtei Liesborn, Wadersloh
    12. Jul 2025 - 5. Oct 2025
    The exhibition "Picasso - Miró - Chagall" at the Liesborn Abbey Museum sheds light on the influences of Paris on these three modern artists.
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  • NZHANNA KADYROVA (Brovary, Ucraina / Ukraine, 1981), Palianytsia. Ukraine, 2022, river stone sculptures
    dimensioni varie / various dimensions, Courtesy Galleria Continua and Bangkok Art Biennale, Photo by Preecha Pattaraumpornchai, NZHANNA KADYROVA (Brovary, Ucraina / Ukraine, 1981), Palianytsia. Ukraine, 2022, river stone sculptures
    At the table
    Dortmunder U, Dortmund
    12. Jul 2025 - 20. Jul 2025
    The "At the Table" exhibition at the Dortmunder U uses contemporary art to shed light on the social and cultural significance of eating and drinking together.
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  • William Kentridge, drawing for the self-portrait As a Coffee Pot (2 Private Thoughts), 2021
    William Kentridge, 2024, William Kentridge, drawing for the self-portrait As a Coffee Pot (2 Private Thoughts), 2021
    William Kentridge. Triumphs and laments
    Museum Folkwang, Essen
    4. Sept 2025 - 18. Jan 2026
    The exhibition 'William Kentridge. Triumphs and Lamentations' at the Museum Folkwang honors the South African artist on the occasion of his 70th birthday and presents his multifaceted work.
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  • Sumi Anjuman,
I am the Mother too, 2019, on permanent loan from the Friends of the Kunstpalast
    Sumi Anjuman, Sumi Anjuman, I am the Mother too, 2019, on permanent loan from the Friends of the Kunstpalast
    MAMA. From Maria to Merkel
    Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf
    12. Jul 2025 - 3. Aug 2025
    The exhibition 'MAMA. From Maria to Merkel' at the Kunstpalast Düsseldorf sheds light on the facets and cultural concepts of motherhood through the centuries.
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    Jaana Caspary
    Von der Heydt Museum, Wuppertal
    11. Oct 2025 - 8. Feb 2026
    The Von der Heydt-Museum in Wuppertal is honoring the sculptor Jaana Caspary with a comprehensive exhibition of her abstract sculptures based on everyday objects.
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  • Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night looks more than impressive on the Visiodrom's 360-degree screen
    Visiodrom GmbH, Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night looks more than impressive on the Visiodrom's 360-degree screen
    Vincent van Gogh - Longing
    Gaskessel Event GmbH, Wuppertal
    12. Jul 2025 - 31. Dec 2025
    Explore the virtual art presentation of Vincent van Gogh's works at the Visiodrom in the Gaskessel Wuppertal, North Rhine-Westphalia, on Europe's largest 360-degree screen.
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Music, science, society

  • Imperial palace with St. Bartholomew's Chapel
    Karl Heinz Schäfer, Tourist Information Paderborn, Imperial palace with St. Bartholomew's Chapel
    1,250 years of Westphalia
    LWL-Museum in der Kaiserpfalz, Paderborn
    12. Jul 2025 - 28. Feb 2026
    Celebration of the 1250th anniversary of Westphalia in 2025 with an anniversary program and exhibitions at the LWL Museum in the Kaiserpfalz in Paderborn. The history and culture of the region are told here.
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  • A historic Braun men's razor is a product of the beauty industry. It is one of the exhibits in the Behind Beauty show
    LWL-Museen für Industriekultur, A historic Braun men's razor is a product of the beauty industry. It is one of the exhibits in the Behind Beauty show
    Behind Beauty
    LWL-Museum Textilwerk, Bocholt
    12. Jul 2025 - 1. Nov 2025
    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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  • Room attendant in the plenary chamber of the German Bundestag, 17.6.1971
    J.H. Darchinger/Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Room attendant in the plenary chamber of the German Bundestag, 17.6.1971
    Jupp Darchinger. The eye of the republic
    LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn, Bonn
    12. Jul 2025 - 14. Sept 2025
    The anniversary exhibition "Jupp Darchinger. The Eye of the Republic" at the LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn honors the photographer who documented the Bonn Republic.
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  • Tourismus NRW Logo
    Land and soil
    Kunstsammlung NRW | K21 Ständehaus, Düsseldorf
    29. Nov 2025 - 19. Apr 2026
    The exhibition "Grund und Boden" at the K21 of the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen reflects on the use and management of resources in modern societies. It invites discussion about a sustainable future.
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  • View of the exhibition The Land of a Thousand Fires. Industrial pictures from the Ludwig Schönefeld Collection
    Ruhr Museum; Foto: Deimel + Wittmar, View of the exhibition The Land of a Thousand Fires. Industrial pictures from the Ludwig Schönefeld Collection
    The land of a thousand fires
    Ruhr Museum, Essen
    12. Jul 2025 - 14. Feb 2026
    The exhibition "The Land of a Thousand Fires" at the Ruhr Museum shows the fascination of heavy industry for artists since the 19th century.
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    The path to the Basic Law
    kulturinfo rheinland, Oberhausen
    12. Jul 2025 - 28. Sept 2025
    The exhibition "The Road to the Basic Law" at the LVR Industrial Museum impressively shows the emergence of German democracy through photographs by Erna Wagner-Hehmke.
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  • Conrad Felixmüller, Child in front of a blast furnace, 1927
    LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn, Foto: Jürgen Vogel, Conrad Felixmüller, Child in front of a blast furnace, 1927
    Brave new world of work. 1890-1940
    LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn, Bonn
    13. Nov 2025 - 12. Apr 2026
    The exhibition "Brave new world of work. 1890-1940" at the LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn sheds light on the changes in the world of work and their artistic treatment.
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  • Tourismus NRW Logo
    Günter Netzer - the seventies
    Deutsches Fußballmuseum, Dortmund
    12. Jul 2025 - 30. Sept 2025
    The special exhibition at the German Football Museum in Dortmund celebrates the golden age of soccer in the 1970s and the career of Günter Netzer, the first pop icon of German soccer.
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  • Udo Lindenberg. Comet-like panic
    Ludwiggalerie Schloss Oberhausen, Oberhausen
    12. Jul 2025 - 28. Sept 2025
    Discover the 'Udoversum' in a comprehensive exhibition about the musician and artist Udo Lindenberg in the Ludwiggalerie Schloss Oberhausen.
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