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

Foto: Achim Kukulies, Ausstellungsansicht der Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen

Art heaven, Kant and the climate crisis

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

The fascination of jewelry. 7000 years of jewelry art at the MAKK
Museum für Angewandte Kunst Köln, Köln
11. Dec 2025 - 30. Dec 2025
Discover the impressive exhibition 'Fascination Jewelry. 7000 years of jewelry history with 370 exhibits can be admired here.
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Women artists! From Monjé to Münter
Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf
11. Dec 2025 - 1. Feb 2026
The exhibition at the Kunstpalast Düsseldorf honors 30 female artists of the 19th and 20th centuries who created important works despite social obstacles.
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Marianna Simnett – Headless
Max Ernst Museum Brühl des LVR, Brühl
31. Jan 2026 - 5. Jul 2026
Entdecken Sie die traumhaften und verstörenden Welten der Berliner Künstlerin Marianna Simnett in der Ausstellung 'Headless' im Max Ernst Museum Brühl.
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W.I.M. The art of seeing
Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn
11. Dec 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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Seeing Kollwitz anew
Käthe Kollwitz Museum Köln, Köln
11. Dec 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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Nach Damaskus...
Museum Folkwang, Essen
6. Nov 2026 - 21. Feb 2027
Die Ausstellung „Nach Damaskus … Karl Ernst Osthaus und die islamischen Künste“ im Museum Folkwang beleuchtet die islamische Kunstsammlung des Museumsgründers und ihre Auswirkungen auf Design und Architektur.
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Music, science, society

Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn
11. Dec 2025 - 6. Apr 2026
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The land of a thousand fires
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11. Dec 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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SEX NOW
NRW-Forum, Düsseldorf
11. Dec 2025 - 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.
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Udo Lindenberg. Comet-like panic
Ludwiggalerie Schloss Oberhausen, Oberhausen
11. Dec 2025 - 18. Jan 2026
Discover the 'Udoversum' in a comprehensive exhibition about the musician and artist Udo Lindenberg in the Ludwiggalerie Schloss Oberhausen.
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Behind Beauty
LWL-Museum Textilwerk, Bocholt
11. Dec 2025 - 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.
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Germaine Krull: Chien Fou
Museum Folkwang, Essen
11. Dec 2025 - 15. Mar 2026
Die Ausstellung „Germaine Krull: Chien Fou“ im Museum Folkwang präsentiert das vielseitige Werk der Fotografin und Autorin, mit rund 400 Exponaten aus ihrem Nachlass.
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Top exhibitions

The fascination of jewelry. 7000 years of jewelry art at the MAKK

Women artists! From Monjé to Münter

Marianna Simnett – Headless

W.I.M. The art of seeing

Seeing Kollwitz anew

Nach Damaskus...

The land of a thousand fires

SEX NOW

Udo Lindenberg. Comet-like panic

Behind Beauty

Germaine Krull: Chien Fou

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