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

Stiftung Zollverein, Foto: Jochen Tack, The Global Gate was opened on the Werner Müller Square of the Zollverein World Heritage Site on November 18, 2024
Global Gate
Stiftung Zollverein, Essen
14. Mar 2025 - 31. Mar 2025
Discover the 'Global Gate', the world's largest mobile work of art at the Zollverein UNESCO World Heritage Site in Essen, which symbolizes democracy, freedom and unity.
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Tourismus NRW e.V., M. Hulisz, The Gaskessel Wuppertal is home to Europe's largest 360-degree screen on five floors, a separate exhibition space and restaurant on the first floor as well as a fitness studio on several mezzanine floors
Vincent van Gogh - Longing
Gaskessel Event GmbH, Wuppertal
14. Mar 2025 - 31. Dec 2025
Explore the virtual art presentation of Vincent van Gogh's works at the Visiodrom in the Gaskessel Wuppertal, North Rhine-Westphalia, on Europe's largest 360-degree screen.
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Hulisz, Tourismus NRW e.V., The Phoenix des Lumières exhibition openings attract large numbers of visitors
In the realm of the pharaohs
Phoenix des Lumières, Dortmund
14. Mar 2025 - 31. Dec 2025
The immersive exhibition 'In the Realm of the Pharaohs' at the Phoenix des Lumières in Dortmund takes visitors back to ancient Egypt and presents impressive digital works of art.
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Kunstsammlung NRW, Sebastian Drueen, The Kunstsammlung NRW presents top-class exhibitions at regular intervals
Forgotten avant-garde - queer modernism
Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf
20. Sept 2025 - 15. Feb 2026
The exhibition "Forgotten Avant-Garde - Queer Modernism" at the K20 of the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen honors the revolutionary contribution of queer artists to modernism.
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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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Anne Orthen, The collection of the Kunstpalast impresses with its diversity and quality and is estimated at more than 130,000 objects
Women artists! From Monjé to Münter
Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf
25. Sept 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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VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2024, Marc Chagall, The Violinist, 1911, Le violoniste, oil on canvas, 94.5 × 69.5 cm, Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Photo: Achim Kukulies, Düsseldorf
Chagall
Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf
15. Mar 2025 - 10. Aug 2025
The Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen is presenting a comprehensive exhibition of the early works of the Russian-French painter Marc Chagall, highlighting his experiments with Fauvism and Cubism as well as his connection with Jewish motifs and Russian folklore.
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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
14. Mar 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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Dortmunder U, Foto: Roland Baege, Sculptures by Renée Sintenis stand for innovative approaches in the art of the Weimar Republic
Tell these people who I am
Dortmunder U, Dortmund
14. Mar 2025 - 23. Mar 2025
The special exhibition at the Dortmunder U highlights the work of 30 female artists from Expressionism and Fluxus, and their role in the women's movement.
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Music, science, society

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
1. 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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Michael Sondermann, The collection of the LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn comprises countless objects from over 450,000 years of Rhenish life and cultural history
The Rhine. Life by the river
LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn, Bonn
10. Apr 2025 - 30. Sept 2025
The special exhibition 'The Rhine. Life on the River' at the LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn offers an archaeological journey through the history of the Rhineland from spring 2025.
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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
14. Mar 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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The Estate of Lucian Freud Bridgeman Images, Lucian Freud, Head of a Woman, 1988-1990, MGKSiegen, Lambrecht-Schadeberg Collection
Look, the looks
Museum für Gegenwartskunst Siegen, Siegen
14. Mar 2025 - 15. Jun 2025
The exhibition "Schau, die Blicke" at the Museum für Gegenwartskunst Siegen explores the theme of "seeing and being seen" through various artistic media.
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LVR-Industriemuseum, Fotografin: Anne Winterer, Couple in front of industrial plant
Anne Winterer - Rhineland and Ruhr region in view
LVR-Industriemuseum St. Antony-Hütte, Oberhausen
14. Mar 2025 - 22. Jun 2025
The exhibition 'Anne Winterer - Rheinland und Ruhrgebiet im Blick' at the LVR Industrial Museum shows over 60 photographs from the 1920s and 1930s, which offer a unique insight into people's lives at that time.
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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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Stiftung Zollverein, Foto: Sven Lorenz, The Ruhr Museum on the grounds of the Zollverein UNESCO World Heritage Site
The land of a thousand fires
Ruhr Museum, Essen
7. Apr 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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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
14. Mar 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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Karl Heinz Schäfer, Tourist Information Paderborn, Imperial palace with St. Bartholomew's Chapel
1,250 years of Westphalia
LWL-Museum in der Kaiserpfalz, Paderborn
1. May 2025 - 28. Feb 2026
Celebration of the 1250th anniversary of Westphalia in 2025 with an anniversary program and exhibitions at the LWL Museum in the Kaiserpfalz in Paderborn. The history and culture of the region are told here.
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