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

Paula Rego Estate, Paula Rego, Love, 1995, Pastel on paper on aluminum, 120 × 160 cm, Courtesy The Estate of Paula Rego and Victoria Miro
Paula Rego. The Personal is Political
Museum Folkwang, Essen
16. May 2025 - 7. Sept 2025
The Museum Folkwang in Essen is presenting a comprehensive retrospective of the works of Portuguese-British artist Paula Rego from May 2025.
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Tourismus NRW e.V., On the grounds of the Peter Behrens Building, historical machines convey individual work processes in heavy industry
Peter Behrens - Art and technology
LVR-Industriemuseum Peter-Behrens-Bau, Oberhausen
13. Apr 2025 - 31. Dec 2028
Discover the life and work of Peter Behrens, a pioneer of modern design, in the newly designed permanent exhibition at the LVR Industrial Museum in Oberhausen.
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Comité Chagall, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2024, Marc Chagall, The Bastille, 1953, oil on canvas, private collection
Marc Chagall - Visual languages
Kunstmuseum Pablo Picasso Münster, Münster
13. Apr 2025 - 8. Jun 2025
The exhibition "Marc Chagall - Visual Languages" shows the connection between art and literature in the work of the painter-poet, with over 100 paintings, drawings and graphics.
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Foto: Jean-Pierre Kuhn, Schweizerisches Institut für Kunstwissenschaft, Zürich, Eugène Boudin, Trouville, Beach scene 1880, oil on wood, Museum Langmatt, Langmatt Sidney and Jenny Brown Foundation, Baden, Switzerland
Swiss treasures
Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud, Köln
13. Apr 2025 - 27. Jul 2025
Discover the 'Swiss Treasures' at the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum, an exhibition of masterpieces of French Impressionism from the Museum Langmatt.
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Ludwiggalerie Schloss Oberhausen, Foto: Thomas Wolf, Oberhausen Palace is a central point of contact for fans of the visual arts
I say. LORIOT - artist, critic and caricaturist
Ludwiggalerie Schloss Oberhausen, Oberhausen
13. Apr 2025 - 18. May 2025
The Ludwiggalerie Schloss Oberhausen is honoring Vicco von Bülow, better known as Loriot, in an exhibition that sheds light on his multifaceted career as an artist and social critic.
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Tourismus NRW e.V., Museum Schloss Moyland has the world's largest collection of Joseph Beuys' work
Marina Abramović and MAI in dialog with Joseph Beuys
Museum Schloss Moyland, Bedburg-Hau
13. Jul 2025 - 12. Oct 2025
The Marina Abramović Institute is designing an art program at Museum Schloss Moyland based on artistic research in the Beuys archive and the museum's collection.
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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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William Kentridge, 2024, William Kentridge, drawing for the self-portrait As a Coffee Pot (2 Private Thoughts), 2021
William Kentridge. Triumphs and laments
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4. Sept 2025 - 18. Jan 2026
The exhibition 'William Kentridge. Triumphs and Lamentations' at the Museum Folkwang honors the South African artist on the occasion of his 70th birthday and presents his multifaceted work.
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Foto: Jianfeng Pan / Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst, Jianfeng Pan (*1973), Northern Ocean, 2023, ink, xuan paper, 138 x 204 cm
Ink walks
Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst, Köln
13. Apr 2025 - 29. Jun 2025
The exhibition 'Ink Walks' at the Museum of East Asian Art in Cologne presents the impressive works on paper by contemporary Chinese artist Jianfeng Pan.
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Music, science, society

Democratic cultures in the Sauerland 1925-1975-2025
Sauerland-Museum, Arnsberg
1. Oct 2025 - 30. Jun 2026
The special exhibition at the Sauerland Museum sheds light on the social development of the Sauerland from 1925 to 2025, with a focus on democratic cultures.
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J.H. Darchinger/Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Room attendant in the plenary chamber of the German Bundestag, 17.6.1971
Jupp Darchinger. The eye of the republic
LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn, Bonn
12. Jun 2025 - 14. Sept 2025
The anniversary exhibition "Jupp Darchinger. The Eye of the Republic" at the LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn honors the photographer who documented the Bonn Republic.
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LWL-Museen für Industriekultur, A historic Braun men's razor is a product of the beauty industry. It is one of the exhibits in the Behind Beauty show
Behind Beauty
LWL-Museum Textilwerk, Bocholt
25. May 2025 - 1. Nov 2025
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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LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn, The LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn is one of the oldest museums in Germany. Its façade radiates modernity
MUSIC! feel the beat
LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn, Bonn
13. Apr 2025 - 27. Apr 2025
The "MUSIC! Feel the Beat" exhibition at the LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn shows the unifying power of music and the development of music technology.
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Tobias Friedrich, The award-winning underwater photographer Tobias Friedrich has captured a blue shark in a picture. Guests can now marvel at the photo
Planet Ocean
Gasometer Oberhausen, Oberhausen
13. Apr 2025 - 30. Nov 2025
The 'Planet Ocean' exhibition in the Gasometer Oberhausen presents the beauty of the world's oceans through large-format photographs, films and immersive installations.
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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
13. Apr 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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Teutoburger Wald Tourismus, D. Ketz, Dominik Ketz, At the LWL State Museum of Monastic Culture, old walls meet modern architecture, 800 years of history meet extraordinary exhibitions, ora meets labora, orders meet people, gardens meet nature lovers and idyll meets adventure
And forgive us our trespasses? Churches and monasteries under National Socialism
Stiftung Kloster Dalheim - LWL Landesmuseum für Klosterkultur, Lichtenau
13. Apr 2025 - 18. May 2025
The special exhibition at Dalheim Monastery examines the relationship between the Christian churches and National Socialism, between collaboration and resistance.
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Udo Lindenberg. Comet-like panic
Ludwiggalerie Schloss Oberhausen, Oberhausen
29. Jun 2025 - 28. Sept 2025
Discover the 'Udoversum' in a comprehensive exhibition about the musician and artist Udo Lindenberg in the Ludwiggalerie Schloss Oberhausen.
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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
13. Apr 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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Top exhibitionsArt heaven, Kant and the climate crisis

Art, design, architecture

Music, science, society

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