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

  • L'Art d'habiter. Die Kunst des Wohnens
    Kunstmuseen Krefeld, Krefeld
    2. Nov 2025 - 15. Mar 2026
    Erste große Retrospektive der französischen Architektin Charlotte Perriand in Deutschland, die das moderne Wohnen revolutionierte, präsentiert von den Kunstmuseen Krefeld.
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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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  • Wim Wenders, 2023
    Donata Wenders, Courtesy of Wenders Images, Wim Wenders, 2023
    W.I.M. The art of seeing
    Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn
    18. Sept 2025 - 11. Jan 2026
    The Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn is honoring the renowned director Wim Wenders with an exhibition that sheds light on his multifaceted work and presents his artistic development.
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  • Käthe Kollwitz, 1867-1945, Self-portrait en face with right hand, c. 1893/94, colored chalk on olive-brown toned paper, 633 x 488 mm
    Käthe Kollwitz Museum Köln, Käthe Kollwitz, 1867-1945, Self-portrait en face with right hand, c. 1893/94, colored chalk on olive-brown toned paper, 633 x 488 mm
    Seeing Kollwitz anew
    Käthe Kollwitz Museum Köln, Köln
    11. Oct 2025 - 15. Mar 2026
    Following extensive refurbishment, the Käthe Kollwitz Museum Cologne is presenting the opening exhibition "Kollwitz revisited", which features both classics and rarely shown works by the artist.
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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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  • 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
    18. Sept 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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Music, science, society

  • Udo Lindenberg. Comet-like panic
    Ludwiggalerie Schloss Oberhausen, Oberhausen
    18. Sept 2025 - 23. Nov 2025
    Discover the 'Udoversum' in a comprehensive exhibition about the musician and artist Udo Lindenberg in the Ludwiggalerie Schloss Oberhausen.
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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
    18. Sept 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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  • 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
    18. Sept 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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  • Erna Wagner-Hehmke dedicates an extensive series with 18 motifs to the four female members of parliament (from left to right), Helene Wessel (Center Party), Helene Weber (CDU), Friederike Nadig (SPD) and Elisabeth Selbert (SPD). Today they are regarded as the "Mothers of the Basic Law", Photo: Erna Wagner-Hehmke
    Bestand Erna Wagner-Hehmke, Stiftung Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Bonn, Erna Wagner-Hehmke dedicates an extensive series with 18 motifs to the four female members of parliament (from left to right), Helene Wessel (Center Party), Helene Weber (CDU), Friederike Nadig (SPD) and Elisabeth Selbert (SPD). Today they are regarded as the "Mothers of the Basic Law", Photo: Erna Wagner-Hehmke
    The path to the Basic Law
    kulturinfo rheinland, Oberhausen
    18. Sept 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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  • AMAZONIA - Photographs by SEBASTIÃO SALGADO
    Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum: Kulturen der Welt, Köln
    29. Oct 2025 - 15. Mar 2026
    Sebastião Salgado's photography exhibition in Cologne for the first time
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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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