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 Marianna Simnett - Headless

    Marianna Simnett - Headless

    Max Ernst Museum Brühl des LVR, Brühl
    19. Apr 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.
    Learn more
  • To Page Rebecca Horn. Emotion in Motion

    Rebecca Horn. Emotion in Motion

    Cragg Foundation, Wuppertal
    19. Apr 2026 - 30. Aug 2026
    A comprehensive retrospective of the works of the late German artist Rebecca Horn is being presented at the Waldfrieden Sculpture Park in Wuppertal.
    Learn more
  • To Page Katharina Sieverding & Joseph Beuys

    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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  • To Page I, Gustave Courbet

    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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  • To Page Visions of Modernism - August Macke and Max Ernst

    Visions of Modernism - August Macke and Max Ernst

    Museum August Macke Haus, Bonn
    19. Apr 2026 - 23. Aug 2026
    The exhibition "Visions of Modernism - August Macke and Max Ernst" at the Museum August Macke Haus Bonn shows the beginnings of Max Ernst and his connection to August Macke.
    Learn more
  • To Page Jon Rafman. Main Stream Media

    Jon Rafman. Main Stream Media

    K21 Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf
    30. May 2026 - 27. Sept 2026
    The Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen is presenting the first solo museum exhibition in Germany by Canadian media artist Jon Rafman, which introduces his experimental AI project 'Mainstream Media Network'.
    Learn more

Music, science, society

  • To Page Waste. An exhibition about the global routes of waste

    Waste. An exhibition about the global routes of waste

    Dortmunder U, Dortmund
    19. Apr 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 SEX NOW

    SEX NOW

    NRW-Forum, Düsseldorf
    19. Apr 2026 - 3. May 2026
    The "SEX NOW" exhibition at the NRW-Forum Düsseldorf sheds light on the transformation of the sex industry, sexual self-determination and the role of digital technologies in sexuality.
    Learn more
  • To Page Behind Beauty

    Behind Beauty

    LWL-Museum Textilwerk, Bocholt
    19. Apr 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 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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  • SUPERHEROES - The story of Musiala and Wirtz

    Deutsches Fußballmuseum, Dortmund
    19. Apr 2026 - 31. May 2026
    In 2026, the German Football Museum presents the exhibition 'SUPERHEROES - The Story of Musiala and Wirtz', a multimedia tribute to the soccer stars.
    Learn more
  • To Page Amazônia. Indigenous worlds

    Amazônia. Indigenous worlds

    Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn
    19. Apr 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.
    Learn more
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