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
    2. May 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 Thomas Baumgärtel - 40 years of banana sprayers

    Thomas Baumgärtel - 40 years of banana sprayers

    Museum Schloss Moyland, Bedburg-Hau
    8. May 2026 - 30. Aug 2026
    The large-scale exhibition "Thomas Baumgärtel - 40 years of banana sprayers" will transform the Lower Rhine into a walk-in art landscape spread across 40 locations in 2026.
    Learn more
  • 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 Visions of Modernism - August Macke and Max Ernst

    Visions of Modernism - August Macke and Max Ernst

    Museum August Macke Haus, Bonn
    2. May 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 Yayoi Kusama. Works from 70 years

    Yayoi Kusama. Works from 70 years

    Museum Ludwig, Köln
    2. May 2026 - 2. Aug 2026
    Comprehensive retrospective of the artist Yayoi Kusama at the Museum Ludwig, Cologne, sheds light on seven decades of her work, including unpublished and new works.
    Learn more
  • To Page Rebecca Horn. Emotion in Motion

    Rebecca Horn. Emotion in Motion

    Cragg Foundation, Wuppertal
    2. May 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

Music, science, society

  • From the wool

    LVR-Industriemuseum / Tuchfabrik Müller, Euskirchen
    10. May 2026 - 31. Dec 2026
    The 'Von der Wolle' exhibition at the LVR Industrial Museum Tuchfabrik Müller sheds light on the history of wool production and its role in fashion, technology and industrialization.
    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
    2. May 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.
    Learn more
  • To Page Behind Beauty

    Behind Beauty

    LWL-Museum Textilwerk, Bocholt
    2. May 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 Two million years of migration

    Two million years of migration

    Neanderthal Museum, Mettmann
    2. May 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.
    Learn more
  • SUPERHEROES - The story of Musiala and Wirtz

    Deutsches Fußballmuseum, Dortmund
    2. May 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
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