Bienenwaben Installation im Folkwang Museum in Essen
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

  • On the grounds of the Peter Behrens Building, historical machines convey individual work processes in heavy industry
    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
    26. 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.
    Learn more
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    The fascination of lacquer - art from Asia and Europe
    LWL-Museum für Kunst und Kultur, Münster
    26. Apr 2025 - 27. Jul 2025
    The exhibition "The Fascination of Lacquer - Art from Asia and Europe" at the LWL-Museum Münster shows the diversity of lacquer art and its role in global trade relations.
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  • Maurice de Vlaminck,
The Seine at Bougival, 1906, Hasso Plattner Collection
    VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2025, Maurice de Vlaminck, The Seine at Bougival, 1906, Hasso Plattner Collection
    Maurice de Vlaminck: Rebel of modernism
    Von der Heydt Museum, Wuppertal
    26. Apr 2025 - 18. May 2025
    First comprehensive retrospective of the French painter Maurice de Vlaminck in Germany, presented by the Von der Heydt-Museum and the Museum Barberini.
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  • Marc Chagall, The Bastille, 1953, oil on canvas, private collection
    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
    26. 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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  • Gluck, Bank Holiday Monday, c.1937, Painting, oil on canvas, 23.7 × 18.7 cm
    Private collection, courtesy of The Fine Art Society Ltd, Gluck, Bank Holiday Monday, c.1937, Painting, oil on canvas, 23.7 × 18.7 cm
    Queer Modernism. 1900 to 1950
    Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf
    27. Sept 2025 - 15. Feb 2026
    The exhibition "Queer Modernism. 1900 to 1950" at the K20 of the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen honors the revolutionary contribution of queer artists to modernism.
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  • West view of Haus Lange
    Volker Döhne, Kunstmuseen Krefeld, Since 1955, Haus Lange has been known as a place where contemporary, experimental art and architecture come together
    Partly furnished, excellent view
    Kunstmuseen Krefeld, Krefeld
    26. Apr 2025 - 21. Sept 2025
    Celebration of the 70th anniversary of Haus Lange with an exhibition highlighting the interaction between architecture and art through various media.
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  • Jianfeng Pan (*1973), Northern Ocean, 2023, ink, xuan paper, 138 x 204 cm
    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
    26. 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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  • Svenja John, NOKOMIS brooch, Berlin, 2010
    Foto: DetlefSchumacher.com, Svenja John, NOKOMIS brooch, Berlin, 2010
    The fascination of jewelry. 7000 years of jewelry art at the MAKK
    Museum für Angewandte Kunst Köln, Köln
    26. Apr 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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  • NZHANNA KADYROVA (Brovary, Ucraina / Ukraine, 1981), Palianytsia. Ukraine, 2022, river stone sculptures
    dimensioni varie / various dimensions, Courtesy Galleria Continua and Bangkok Art Biennale, Photo by Preecha Pattaraumpornchai, NZHANNA KADYROVA (Brovary, Ucraina / Ukraine, 1981), Palianytsia. Ukraine, 2022, river stone sculptures
    At the table
    Dortmunder U, Dortmund
    9. May 2025 - 20. Jul 2025
    The "At the Table" exhibition at the Dortmunder U uses contemporary art to shed light on the social and cultural significance of eating and drinking together.
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Music, science, society

  • A historic Braun men's razor is a product of the beauty industry. It is one of the exhibits in the Behind Beauty show
    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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  • Room attendant in the plenary chamber of the German Bundestag, 17.6.1971
    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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  • The award-winning underwater photographer Tobias Friedrich has captured a blue shark in a picture. Guests can now marvel at the photo
    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
    26. 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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  • 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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  • The exhibition at the Neanderthal Museum focuses on the life stories of individual Neanderthal women. Life-size figures illustrate what they looked like
    H. Neumann, The exhibition at the Neanderthal Museum focuses on the life stories of individual Neanderthal women. Life-size figures illustrate what they looked like
    Stereotypical Neanderthal
    Neanderthal Museum, Mettmann
    26. Apr 2025 - 31. Aug 2025
    The special exhibition "Stereotypical Neanderthals" at the Neanderthal Museum sheds light on the diversity of prehistoric communities and offers emotional insights into the life of the Neanderthals.
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  • Poster for the exhibition After Hitler. The German confrontation with National Socialism
    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
    26. 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.
    Learn more
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    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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  • 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
    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
    26. 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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  • 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
    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
    26. 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.
    Learn more
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