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

  • 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
    9. May 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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    The fascination of lacquer - art from Asia and Europe
    LWL-Museum für Kunst und Kultur, Münster
    2. May 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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  • From left to right: Merce Cunningham, Robert Rauschenberg, John Cage, M.C. Richards, Bob Catoin and Jasper Johns, 1958
    Museum Ludwig, From left to right: Merce Cunningham, Robert Rauschenberg, John Cage, M.C. Richards, Bob Catoin and Jasper Johns, 1958
    Five friends
    Museum Ludwig, Köln
    3. Oct 2025 - 11. Jan 2026
    The exhibition "Five Friends" at the Museum Ludwig sheds light on the relationships and influence of five influential artists of the 20th century on post-war art.
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  • Jianfeng Pan (*1973), Northern Ocean, 2023, ink, xuan paper, 138 x 204 cm
    Foto: Jianfeng Pan / Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst, Jianfeng Pan (*1973), Northern Ocean, 2023, ink, xuan paper, 138 x 204 cm
    Ink walks
    Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst, Köln
    2. May 2025 - 29. Jun 2025
    The exhibition 'Ink Walks' at the Museum of East Asian Art in Cologne presents the impressive works on paper by contemporary Chinese artist Jianfeng Pan.
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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
    2. May 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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  • Eugène Boudin,
Trouville, Beach scene
1880, oil on wood,
Museum Langmatt, Langmatt Sidney and Jenny Brown Foundation, Baden, Switzerland
    Foto: Jean-Pierre Kuhn, Schweizerisches Institut für Kunstwissenschaft, Zürich, Eugène Boudin, Trouville, Beach scene 1880, oil on wood, Museum Langmatt, Langmatt Sidney and Jenny Brown Foundation, Baden, Switzerland
    Swiss treasures
    Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud, Köln
    2. May 2025 - 27. Jul 2025
    Discover the 'Swiss Treasures' at the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum, an exhibition of masterpieces of French Impressionism from the Museum Langmatt.
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  • Marc Chagall, The Bastille, 1953, oil on canvas, private collection
    Comité Chagall, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2024, Marc Chagall, The Bastille, 1953, oil on canvas, private collection
    Marc Chagall - Visual languages
    Kunstmuseum Pablo Picasso Münster, Münster
    2. May 2025 - 8. Jun 2025
    The exhibition "Marc Chagall - Visual Languages" shows the connection between art and literature in the work of the painter-poet, with over 100 paintings, drawings and graphics.
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  • West view of Haus Lange
    Volker Döhne, Kunstmuseen Krefeld, Since 1955, Haus Lange has been known as a place where contemporary, experimental art and architecture come together
    Partly furnished, excellent view
    Kunstmuseen Krefeld, Krefeld
    2. May 2025 - 21. Sept 2025
    Celebration of the 70th anniversary of Haus Lange with an exhibition highlighting the interaction between architecture and art through various media.
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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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Music, science, society

  • The collection of the LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn comprises countless objects from over 450,000 years of Rhenish life and cultural history
    Michael Sondermann, The collection of the LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn comprises countless objects from over 450,000 years of Rhenish life and cultural history
    The Rhine. Life by the river
    LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn, Bonn
    2. May 2025 - 30. Sept 2025
    The special exhibition 'The Rhine. Life on the River' at the LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn offers an archaeological journey through the history of the Rhineland from spring 2025.
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  • Udo Lindenberg. Comet-like panic
    Ludwiggalerie Schloss Oberhausen, Oberhausen
    29. Jun 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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  • The LVR-Niederrheinmuseum Wesel is the place to go for culture fans who want to find out more about the history of the Lower Rhine region
    LVR-Niederrheinmuseum Wesel, The LVR-Niederrheinmuseum Wesel is the place to go for culture fans who want to find out more about the history of the Lower Rhine region
    The history of the Lower Rhine
    LVR-Niederrheinmuseum Wesel, Wesel
    2. May 2025 - 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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  • 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. Jun 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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  • 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
    25. May 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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  • Couple in front of industrial plant
    LVR-Industriemuseum, Fotografin: Anne Winterer, Couple in front of industrial plant
    Anne Winterer - Rhineland and Ruhr region in view
    LVR-Industriemuseum St. Antony-Hütte, Oberhausen
    2. May 2025 - 22. Jun 2025
    The exhibition 'Anne Winterer - Rheinland und Ruhrgebiet im Blick' at the LVR Industrial Museum shows over 60 photographs from the 1920s and 1930s, which offer a unique insight into people's lives at that time.
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  • At the LWL State Museum of Monastic Culture, old walls meet modern architecture, 800 years of history meet extraordinary exhibitions, ora meets labora, orders meet people, gardens meet nature lovers and idyll meets adventure
    Teutoburger Wald Tourismus, D. Ketz, Dominik Ketz, At the LWL State Museum of Monastic Culture, old walls meet modern architecture, 800 years of history meet extraordinary exhibitions, ora meets labora, orders meet people, gardens meet nature lovers and idyll meets adventure
    And forgive us our trespasses? Churches and monasteries under National Socialism
    Stiftung Kloster Dalheim - LWL Landesmuseum für Klosterkultur, Lichtenau
    2. May 2025 - 18. May 2025
    The special exhibition at Dalheim Monastery examines the relationship between the Christian churches and National Socialism, between collaboration and resistance.
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  • Poster for the exhibition After Hitler. The German confrontation with National Socialism
    Schleiner + Partner Kommunikation, Poster for the exhibition After Hitler. The German confrontation with National Socialism
    After Hitler. The German confrontation with National Socialism
    Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Bonn
    2. May 2025 - 25. Jan 2026
    The exhibition "After Hitler" at the Haus der Geschichte in Bonn examines Germany's confrontation with National Socialism over generations.
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    Günter Netzer - the seventies
    Deutsches Fußballmuseum, Dortmund
    2. May 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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