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 Peter Behrens - Art and technology

    Peter Behrens - Art and technology

    LVR-Industriemuseum Peter-Behrens-Bau, Oberhausen
    19. Apr 2026 - 29. Dec 2030
    Discover the life and work of Peter Behrens, a pioneer of modern design, in the permanent exhibition at the LVR Industrial Museum in Oberhausen.
    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.
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  • To Page Rupprecht Geiger. Color - Light - Energy

    Rupprecht Geiger. Color - Light - Energy

    Kunstquartier Hagen, Hagen
    19. Apr 2026 - 7. Jun 2026
    The exhibition 'Rupprecht Geiger - Color - Light - Energy' at the Emil Schumacher Museum in Hagen presents 70 works by the important color field painter until June 2026.
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  • To Page Manifesta 16 Ruhr

    Manifesta 16 Ruhr

    Manifesta 16 Ruhr Office, c/o Regionalverband Ruhr, Essen
    21. Jun 2026 - 4. Oct 2026
    Manifesta 16 Ruhr, a major European traveling biennial for contemporary art, will take place in the Ruhr region in 2026 and will use empty post-war churches as exhibition venues.
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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.
    Learn more
  • To Page Emma Talbot meets Johan Thorn Prikker

    Emma Talbot meets Johan Thorn Prikker

    Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, Krefeld
    3. May 2026 - 24. Jan 2027
    In her latest exhibition, British artist Emma Talbot explores Johan Thorn Prikker's monumental mural cycle "Ages of Life", which is on display at the Kaiser Wilhelm Museum in Krefeld.
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Music, science, society

  • To Page The history of the Lower Rhine

    The history of the Lower Rhine

    LVR-Niederrheinmuseum Wesel, Wesel
    19. Apr 2026 - 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.
    Learn more
  • 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 Wanderlust. On the road with Felix the rabbit

    Wanderlust. On the road with Felix the rabbit

    LWL-Museum für Kunst und Kultur, Münster
    19. Apr 2026 - 13. Sept 2026
    The exhibition 'Wanderlustig. On the road with Felix the rabbit' at the LWL-Museum Münster offers an interactive journey around the world through art, culture and sustainable tourism.
    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 Two million years of migration

    Two million years of migration

    Neanderthal Museum, Mettmann
    19. Apr 2026 - 1. Nov 2026
    The exhibition "Two Million Years of Migration" at the Neanderthal Museum in Mettmann sheds light on the deep-rooted mobility in human history.
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