NRW Exhibitions 2026: Animals, Mirrors, and Sex Work - North Rhine-Westphalia Unveils Blockbuster Art Exhibitions for 2026–27
North Rhine-Westphalia’s museums are set to host a series of major exhibitions over the next two years. Renowned artists from Dürer to Kusama will feature in shows spanning painting, sculpture, and immersive installations. The line-up includes retrospectives, debuts, and rare collections rarely seen in Germany.
The programme begins in summer 2026 with two key exhibitions. From July 18 to November 8, Essen’s Museum Folkwang will present I, Gustave Courbet: Painter and Rebel. This retrospective explores the 19th-century artist’s bold techniques and his lasting impact on modern art. Meanwhile, the Kunstpalast Düsseldorf will showcase over 100 works by Niki de Saint Phalle from September 10, 2026, to February 7, 2027. Visitors can expect her vibrant Nana sculptures alongside her explosive Shooting Paintings.
In Wuppertal, the Von der Heydt Museum will host Precise – Mystical – Visionary, a retrospective of Carl Grossberg’s work from March 22 to August 30, 2026. The exhibition includes newly discovered pieces and marks the first major show of his work in over 30 years. Later in 2026, Düsseldorf’s Kunstpalast will display the Scharf Collection until August 9. The show features works by Monet, Cézanne, Matisse, Daniel Richter, and Katharina Grosse. Shortly after, the Kunstsammlung NRW will open In Search of a Better World, a Franz Marc retrospective running from September 12, 2026, to January 24, 2027. The exhibition traces his evolution from early animal paintings to cubist experimentation. The 2027 season kicks off in Cologne with Yayoi Kusama: A Retrospective at Museum Ludwig from March 14 to August 2. Covering 70 years of her career, the show will debut a new Infinity Mirror Room. Around the same time, the Paula Modersohn-Becker Museum in Bremen (listed in NRW previews) will highlight Blauen Reiterinnen artists like Gabriele Münter and Marianne von Werefkin from March 13 to August 29. Closing the year, the LWL-Museum Münster presents Tiere. Geliebt & gejagt from November 27, 2026, to April 18, 2027. The exhibition features Dürer, Marc, and Louise Bourgeois, exploring humanity’s complex relationship with animals.
The exhibitions offer a mix of historical retrospectives and contemporary debuts. Courbet’s rebellious realism, Kusama’s immersive installations, and Marc’s evolving styles will draw visitors across the region. Each show provides a chance to see rarely exhibited works or entirely new creations.
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